You undoubtedly know how it goes. As soon as you mention to someone that you are a chess player, they typically stare at you with awe and start spewing all sorts of cliches about the game. If you are tired of explaining that what you see in chess movies or read in books is not necessarily true, this is the article you can always send to your friends to educate them a bit about the world of chess and to back up your statements in case they don't believe you. Stereotypes are hard to combat!

Myth #1: professional chess players are the most intelligent human beings on Earth.

I object to being called a chess genius, because I consider myself to be an all-around genius, who just happens to play chess, which is rather different. A piece of garbage like Kasparov might be called a chess genius, but he is like an idiot savant, outside of chess he knows nothing.

Columnists often compare politicians or successful businessmen to "chess masters" or claim that politician A "is playing chess", while politician B "is playing checkers" as a way of showing who has the superior intelligence and strategic thinking. Such metaphors are beneficial for the image of chess, but are chess players as intelligent as they are perceived to be by the public?

A typical example of a political caricature revolving around chess.

In fact, probably not. To become a strong chess player, you have to possess a specific talent for the game and to train/practice with dedication for years in a favorable environment. There are quite a few top chess players who are not particularly bright or knowledgeable about anything else in life apart from how to move the wooden pieces. Also, if the only prerequisite of being a strong chess player were high intelligence, then we would probably see world-class academics become Grandmasters left and right. In reality, most of them, even those who like chess and play it as a hobby in their free time, have very modest chess skills as compared to less intelligent guys who have been pursuing chess professionally for years.

Bill Gates, who was the #1 richest man on the planet for many years, is also known for having an exceptionally high IQ. Still, when he confronts a world-class pro such as Magnus Carlsen over the board, you can instantly feel the insurmountable difference in their chess skills.

If you check out any chess forum, you will stumble upon threads created by chess neophytes who perceive themselves smart and expect to reach master level in a month or two just by reading a couple of books and playing some games online. They are in for a disappointment because one day, they are all bound to realize that mastering chess is much more complicated than they think it is. Consequently, many of them sigh and bow out once you tell them that they will have to invest years of hard work, and no one can guarantee you that you will earn a title in the end. This time barrier is a good filter for those who are not particularly interested in the game and view the master title as just another shiny achievement that can be put on one's resume to impress the potential employer or be used as a bragging right when hanging out with friends.

That being said, chess is still widely believed to be good for your brain at any age, but please don't expect to become smarter than Albert Einstein just by playing the game.

Myth #2: Grandmasters calculate dozens of moves ahead all the time.

I see only one move ahead, but it is always the correct one.

I am pretty sure that you have been asked how far you calculate in chess. Non-specialists believe that the stronger you are as a player, the further you calculate in any position. Of course, in some wild and ultra-sharp positions, the outcome of the game indeed depends on accurately calculating several very long and complicated lines. However, there are also many positions where you had better think in terms of plans and short-term operations, such as improving your worst-placed piece or preventing counterplay by your opponent. It is often enough to look just 2-3 moves ahead in such situations while going further would be just a waste of time and energy.

Anyway, what do Grandmasters know about calculating that club players don't?
a) To what depth should one calculate in this particular position? Sometimes there is a need to look many moves ahead. In other cases, 2-3 would suffice.
b) What candidate moves to consider? In other words, a GM sees more opportunities for both sides than a weaker player and tends to eliminate the undesired options more efficiently. For instance, a GM can spot a tactical resource that a club player won't even consider. Conversely, the club player might squander time on a dubious line that leads to complications ("calculating for the sake of doing so"), while a GM will quickly dismiss it based on superior positional understanding.
c) How to evaluate the positions being analyzed? Often the problem is not to calculate a line accurately but to understand who benefits from this transformation - theoretically and practically. At top level, quite a few games are lost due to misevaluation of the resulting positions, not miscalculation.
d) Grandmasters calculate faster and have a large bank of well-known positions to which they can refer when analyzing. When a regular GM starts thinking about how to convert an advantage in the endgame, a titan like Magnus Carlsen says that it's pretty much over already since for him the rest is a matter of simple technique.

Also, you should keep in mind that humans can't calculate ALL the continuations. Saying that you calculate "5 moves ahead" means that you can visualize and evaluate correctly the positions 5 moves ahead that you find critical. There is no insurance against missing something important.

Myth #3: the older you are, the stronger you are as a chess player.

Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others chess.

The general public tends to expect chess players to accumulate game knowledge year by year in a linear fashion. Therefore, in their opinion, the most dangerous chess opponent in the world is probably an elder with grey hair sporting a long beard. Someone like Gandalf from Lord of the Rings! Conversely, if you lose to a boy, some ageists will start mocking you: "Wow, you are an adult, yet you lost to this kid!". Obviously, this is a silly and inappropriate thing to do. If we are talking about casual games, then a gifted 8-yeard old kid who attended a chess club for three years is quite likely to be better at chess than a 70-year old professor of Mathematics who plays from time to time casually with his friends and grandchildren. This topic we have already touched upon when discussing Myth #1.

Someone like Gandalf might not necessarily be the scariest chess opponent in the world!

So, if a guy who looks like a wizard is not the toughest opponent in the world, whom should you fear the most? The answer is that looks don't tell much. To assess the threat, you had better be aware of the opponent's rating and some other details, for example, against whom, where and how it was achieved; how often the person plays chess, etc.

On a more general note, if you are curious to know at what age chess players usually reach their peaks, you may also want to check out one of our previous posts.

Happy International Chess Day! Make sure to check out our special present for you – a time-limited 40% off summer sale on the Play Magnus Plus Membership!

What are your favorite chess myths? How about we debunk some of them today? 

This column is a logical follow-up to the post "How to Play Against Much Stronger Opponents?"

Indeed, in chess, you can be a David one day and a Goliath on the other!

You may want to check out the article mentioned above to learn what to expect from a well-prepared opponent. Still, how do you maximize your chances if you are rated significantly higher?

Don’t dwell on the potential minuscule rating gains or huge losses. Just focus on the game itself and enjoy the process of playing and fighting for a win.

Avoid complaining about underrated opponents. Of course, some bright juniors out there are much stronger already than their ratings suggest. Also, occasionally in open events, you get paired against adults who are having the tournament of their life. Still, in the long run, things even out. When you beat an overrated guy who has a bad day on top of that, you probably mark it as a personal achievement and don’t whine about the circumstances that were in your favor!

Doing so is particularly important when opposing junior players who are quickly rising through the ranks. Anyway, regardless of whom you are facing, you should treat all your opponents with due respect.

Suppose you have a problem taking lower-rated players seriously. In that case, you may want to reverse the tip we offered to Davids: instead of looking at the most humiliating losses, review your opponent’s best games! It may turn out that on a good day, he is no pushover and that he had dispatched higher-rated players than you before.

It is a common sin to adopt a “professor” approach to such games, expecting the “student” for an exam and not being particularly thrilled about the whole process. Remember that sometimes games against incredible players fizzle out into dull draws, while some match-ups against underdogs end up being nail-biting thrillers! In other words, don’t become upset in advance by expecting to waste your time playing a silly game.

Be careful when it comes to opening discussions

The situation with openings is somewhat tricky.

On the one hand, if you realize that your opponent doesn’t work on chess much and probably can’t tell Stockfish from Leela, it makes sense to capitalize on his weak spot and catch him off-guard in the opening.

On the other hand, what should you do if you realize that your opponent is a reasonably decent theoretician? Or, even worse, he has a professional coach assisting him? Then it is probably better to stay away from sharp, forcing opening lines. The point is that modern engines play at roughly Elo 3500 level, so even a much lower-rated player can gain a huge advantage if he manages to outprepare you. Since you are the stronger player in practice, it is better to stay away from heated theoretical discussions that can go either way.

Of course, weak players do tend to fall apart under pressure. However, unless you naturally play like young Tal, it usually doesn’t make sense to go all-out against a lower-rated opponent. In fact, with their backs against the wall, some of them are capable of finding the only defenses and landing devastating counterpunches on the unsuspecting bullies. Avoid this highly unpleasant scenario: launching an unjustified attack, seeing it refuted, spending a lot of time to come up with some tricks, falling into a bad mood because of your poor decisions, winding up in time trouble, and losing.

Instead, stay calm and confident and play regular, solid chess. Weak players tend to self-destruct when you expect it the least: they miscalculate things, go for tactics that work out in the opponent’s favor, execute faulty plans, create weaknesses in their camp, transpose into inferior endgames for no reason, and so on. All you have to do is give them some time and room for displaying their abilities! 😁 If the game is long and complicated enough, they will probably find a few chances to go wrong, especially if you give them a choice.

The title of the paragraph is yet another reminder not to underestimate your opponent. Quite often, Goliaths lose by playing for silly traps which they would never fall for themselves. The underlying assumption in their heads is that their opponents are such patzers that they won’t be able to calculate anything at all! If the trap is natural and you would use it against a stronger opponent, go for it. However, it is better not to play for cheap tricks, worsening your position this way just for the sake of giving your opponent a little chance to go astray.

Additional tips on how to handle the game

Unless you are a highly versatile player who can switch between different playing styles quite efficiently, it makes sense to play normally. Nevertheless, it is still useful to keep a few tips in mind when navigating the game.

On average, amateurs are more excited about tactics than strategy. You can expect them to solve puzzles as part of their chess training and go over masterpieces created by the world’s finest players. As a result, their attacking skills may be far superior to everything else they know about chess. Pay extra attention to king safety. Closed structures are usually a better choice than open battles when both sides throw their shields aside and go all-out on each other.

The less experienced a player is, the more helpless he usually is in the endgame. That’s why one of the well-known chess tips is to go straight for the endgame when facing kids who have a sharp eye for tactics. Naturally, this rule of thumb applies to adult players as well; what matters is the difference in playing class/experience.

Good luck and have fun facing underdogs over the board!

This column is a logical follow-up to the post "How to Play Against Much Stronger Opponents?" Indeed, in chess, you can be a David 

How to Play Against Much Weaker Opponents?

How much is “much stronger”? Individual perceptions may vary. However, when the rating difference between players is within 100 points, they are closely matched. For the sake of this article, “much stronger” will imply a rating gap of 200 points (the more proficient player may expect to score roughly 3 points out of 4 in this case) or larger.

Many underdogs lose the battle before it even begins. Once they check out the tournament pairings, their hearts sink, and they start feeling like they are doomed. If you don’t believe you can win, the chances of coming out on top are very slim!

Another common approach is that of an “eternal student.” The underdog assumes that he will lose, but he hopes to receive a “free lesson” from the higher-rated opponent. This technique is somewhat better than the “doomed” one because it removes some of the tension associated with the potential loss. Still, we can’t recommend this approach since one might get stuck in this mindset for too long. Chess is a sport, so you might as well fight for the win here and now.

A much more viable strategy is to reverse the roles. Let the hunter become the hunted! Indeed, your stake is low: everyone expects you to lose anyway, and you are not risking many rating points. Conversely, the higher-rated opponent’s ego might suffer in case of defeat; his rating will plummet; friends will start making fun of him; he may end up not earning the prize he was expecting to win in the tournament. If anyone should fear failure, it is him, not you! Hence the burden of proof is on your opponent, while you have all the reasons to stay calm and collected.

When preparing for the upcoming match mentally, visualize an exciting and memorable game you will be proud of. Remember that if you earned the right to face this opponent, it means that chess goddess Caissa believes you are up to the challenge.

Do you feel like a teenager protagonist from a Hollywood movie who, after hearing a motivational speech from his sensei, is about to get his ass kicked by a Hulk-like villain? In fact, if you do everything right, the odds are not as terrible as they may seem.

To make matters worse for the underdog, we will increase the rating gap to 400 points. If you are 1200, imagine that you are facing a 1600 player. 1600 vs. 2000, 2000 vs. 2400, and so on. Based on ratings, the underdog may expect to score a meager 8% in this match-up.

However, all players have their good and bad days. Amateurs are less consistent than pros. Let’s go with the 1200 vs. 1600 example and make the following assumptions:
• The 1600 plays like a 1400 on a bad day and like an 1800 on a good day. On average, he is a 1600.
• The 1200 plays like a 1000 on a bad day and like a 1400 on a good day. On average, he is a 1200.

As you can see from this basic example, if the 1600 has a bad day, while the 1200 has a good day, they are suddenly evenly matched at 1400 level, and the outcome of the game becomes wide open! Hence as an underdog, your goal is to do your best and pray that the opponent falters.

This tip is for the more “serious” players who prepare using databases. If your opponent is incredibly intimidating, you can sort his losses by rating and check out some of his most miserable defeats. Firstly, you will realize that he is only human and still bleeds. Secondly, there is a chance that someone with your rating has beaten him before, which will grant you a confidence boost. Thirdly, you may notice some of his weaknesses and try to capitalize on them.

It is better to forget about ratings altogether during the game and to try to beat the guy sitting in front of you. One can often see lower-rated players chicken out from the outset. They keep trading pieces, making small concessions, and hoping to make a draw or, worst-case scenario, to go down as late as possible. This behavior is exactly what their higher-rated opponents are happy to see: no risk whatsoever, easy game, an almost guaranteed victory in the end due to having a better positional understanding and technique. Keep in mind that you don’t get a consolation prize for sheepishly wasting your own and your opponent’s time to go down in 60 moves instead of 40!

Instead, it is better to stick to your regular game. After all, this is what typically nets you the most points.

If you are a natural-born attacker, don’t be afraid to stir wild complications. Of course, there is a big chance that you will get outplayed, but even then, you will die like a warrior and go to Valhalla! Or, if you catch the opponent off-guard and surprise him with your vigor, he might break down under pressure.

Similarly, if you prefer to play positionally, it can also potentially work out in your favor. The higher-rated opponent might get tilted (“Why do I have to put in so much work against this patzer?”) and go berserk on you when the position does not allow it. This is where you dispatch him cold-bloodedly and mercilessly!

Once again, remember that the burden of proof is on him, not you. Be yourself and play to win the game instead of trying to escape with a draw or to lose in the most gracious manner possible.

Good luck and may your collection of your higher-rated opponents’ scalps keep growing!

How much is “much stronger”? Individual perceptions may vary. However, when the rating difference between players is within 100 points, they are closely matched. For the 

This year’s edition of Tata Steel Chess was full of surprises, starting from the lineup that was finalized at the very last moment and to the eventual winner. Don’t miss our tournament report!

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Twice a week, the Play Magnus team works to bring you a fresh, new lesson designed to help improve your chess skills. Lessons help you learn everything, from strategy and tactics to openings and endgames.

Keep an eye out for these new lessons, coming to Magnus Trainer every Monday and Thursday

This year’s edition of Tata Steel Chess was full of surprises, starting from the lineup that was finalized at the very last moment and to the eventual winner. Don’t miss our tournament report! 

♟️🧰 New Lesson // Tata Steel Chess - A Surprise Winner

A game from which we learn that the Pseudo-Trompowsky can lead to problems for White.

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During Opening Week, the Play Magnus team works to bring you fresh, new lessons designed to help improve your chess skills - every day for a week!
These lessons will help you understand the main ideas of the opening, and test your aquired skills

A game from which we learn that the Pseudo-Trompowsky can lead to problems for White. 

💎 Openings Week // Queen Pawn Openings - The Pseudo-Trompowsky - Guess the Move

This is a clumsy name for an opening variation, but it is one that has stuck. Let's take a look at this poorer cousin of the Trompowsky itself.

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This is a clumsy name for an opening variation, but it is one that has stuck. Let's take a look at this poorer cousin of the Trompowsky itself. 

💎 Openings Week // Queen Pawn Openings - The Pseudo-Trompowsky

Today we will try to guess Magnus' moves in his crushing attack in the Trompowsky.

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Today we will try to guess Magnus' moves in his crushing attack in the Trompowsky. 

💎 Openings Week // Queen Pawn Openings - Magnus Plays the Trompowsky - Guess the Move

The Trompowsky, named after a Brazilian master, is a cousin of the Torre Attack and Veresov openings. An early Bg5 is common to all, but in the Trompowsky, the bishop is developed before either of the White knights. This gives the position an original flavor.

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The Trompowsky, named after a Brazilian master, is a cousin of the Torre Attack and Veresov openings. An early Bg5 is common to all, but in the Trompowsky, the bishop is developed before either of the White knights. This gives the position an original flavor. 

💎 Openings Week // Queen Pawn Openings - The Trompowsky

Black does not have it all his own way after 2.Bg5 Ne4, as we are about to see.

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