1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius, the production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: I guess, well, well, what's that mango? So I was 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: reading the story about the chess player Bobby Fisher this week. 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: This is when he was young, and I guess he'd 5 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: won a US championship at the time, so he was famous, 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: but he was also just a kid, and he didn't 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: have that much money, and you know, he's kind of 8 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: a recluse, right. Actually, I had read that he used 9 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: to play secretly online like later in his life, and 10 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: there was always so much buzz when somebody thought they 11 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: noticed his style of play and and and thought they 12 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,200 Speaker 1: were onto and that they discovered that it was him. Yeah, 13 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: if I feel like you'd see that pop up from 14 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: like Japan or Malaysia or wherever. There's these people who 15 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: were just like so excited to have played Bobby Fisher. 16 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 1: I think they've played Bobby Fisher. But so, anyway, he's 17 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: young at this time. He wants to go see a 18 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: movie and he doesn't have money for it, so he 19 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: walks into the Chess and Checker Club of New York 20 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: just to pick up a few extra bucks. I guess 21 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: to hustle it, right, And I guess at the time 22 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: it was this, uh, this large, smoke filled, crowded pool 23 00:01:04,880 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: hall type place but for chess, and Bobby's totally in disguise. 24 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: He's got a rainco, he's got his collar off, sunglasses 25 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: and a hat. He looks ridiculous, but he does not 26 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: want to be noticed. So he asked a friend, like, 27 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: do you think he can just get me into a game? 28 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: And a friend asked the owner across the bar. And 29 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: remember it's smoke filled and like, Bobby's in disguise, so 30 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: the owner goes tell him, no, he's just a kid. 31 00:01:26,720 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: The hustlers will eat him alive. And so like, Bobby 32 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,399 Speaker 1: Fisher is furious and he just stomps out. And this 33 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: is all reported. This is a real story. But when 34 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: his friend tells the owner who it was, that it 35 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: was Bobby Fisher who wanted a game, like, apparently the 36 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: whole crowd at the place has this audible grown and 37 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: this one guy goes, oh, man, I would have paid 38 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: hundreds of dollars just to sit across from Bobby Fisher 39 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: on a chess board. Anyway, So I don't know much 40 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: about chess, but I do love stories about it. And 41 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: we're gonna get into the most dangerous styles of chess, 42 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: how the game moved from the battlefield to the royal court, 43 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: and even why getting a billion people to play chess 44 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: might be our best hope to keep away aliens. Let's 45 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: dig in the their podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. 46 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my 47 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: good friend man Guess Ticketer and on the other side 48 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: of the soundproof class writing down a list of chess 49 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,680 Speaker 1: openings he's trying to master. Actually, can you read what 50 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: he's got on the white board over there, Mango, Yeah, 51 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:50,519 Speaker 1: he's got the hillbilly attack, the monkeys burn, Hippopotamus defense, 52 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: does something called the toilet variation He's written definitely, Yeah, 53 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: it definitely says toilet variation. Well, those are all real 54 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: chess opening moves. But that's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil, 55 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: who also happens to be a future chess master, not 56 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: a current chess master, but I'm confident of future chester. Yeah. 57 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: He can do anything he puts his mind too. But 58 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 1: you know, chess is one of those things I used 59 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: to love as a kid, Like I played it on 60 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: my computer. We used to play it with relatives, but 61 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: I never got good at it, Like I'm probably as 62 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: good as I was in second grade. But I do 63 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: love like movies and books that involved it. I I 64 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: read this great book last year. It's really slim. It's 65 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,639 Speaker 1: called The Chess Game and it's by the same author 66 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,600 Speaker 1: that wrote The Hotel Budapest. And you know, I don't 67 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 1: understand any of the chess strategy, but I was totally 68 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: enamored with how the main character plays these games of 69 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: chess in his head. Yeah, I mean, like that's a 70 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: real skill. I had heard about these two Silicon Vallet 71 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: guys who met for the first time. I want to 72 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: say it was Peter thiel And and somebody equally famous. 73 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: And any way, the first time they met, they sat 74 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: down at a restaurant and one of them said, I 75 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: heard you like chess, and then all about an opening 76 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: play and they actually played a full game on an 77 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: imaginary board in their heads. Like just these two chess savants. 78 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: That would be the weirdest conversation to like, wait a 79 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: table on just hearing people call out letters and numbers. 80 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: But you know what's crazy to me is, you know, 81 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: one of our friends dads was a chess champ in Ecuador, 82 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: and they're these photos of him playing like twelve matches 83 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: at a time, just moving from board to board to 84 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,040 Speaker 1: board and making moves super quick. And and then there's 85 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: like blindfold chest, which is kind of like what you're 86 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: talking about. But you know what's weird is that a 87 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: lot of people used to think that playing chess while 88 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: blindfolded can actually lead to brain damage, brain dam So 89 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: so why do they think that. Apparently it's just so 90 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: exhausting to keep track of all those pieces while also 91 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 1: planning out your next moves. And in fact, the Soviet 92 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: Union completely banned blindfold chess in because of that perceived danger. 93 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: And and actually one Russian player died during his attempt 94 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: to break the world record for a number of opponents 95 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: played wild blindfolded. What you're saying, people combine those things 96 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: like they blindfold themselves then play multiple games simultaneously. Do 97 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: people still do this? Yeah? And actually a new world 98 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: record was set less than two years ago. So this 99 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: chess grandmaster, his name's Timore Garyev, and he played forty 100 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: eight games of blindfold chess simultaneously over the course of 101 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: the three hours. Yeah, he actually won eight percent of 102 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: those games, and it's ridiculous. Along the way, he was 103 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,480 Speaker 1: actually riding an exercise bike the whole time, and in 104 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,839 Speaker 1: the end he peddled apparently about fifty miles. Good lord, 105 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: I mean, I love that they just added the exercise 106 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: bike because they're playing forty eight simultaneous blindfold games. Wasn't enough. 107 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: I'm thinking though, maybe after Tristan masters the Hippopotamus defense, 108 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:54,600 Speaker 1: that he's going to get on this blindfold chess train. 109 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: We'll see. Well, anyway, for today's show, we're going to 110 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: cover chess, so we'll we'll take a deep die into 111 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 1: the history of the game, how the rules developed, and 112 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: why the iconic pieces look the way they do. I 113 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: think I've always been curious about this. And then a 114 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: little later we'll try to figure out why Russians are 115 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: so good at chess, as well as why computers might 116 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: be the best players of all. Now, of course, we'll 117 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 1: take a look at how playing chess can affect your 118 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:21,279 Speaker 1: brain and just what kind of smart it actually makes you. Anyway, 119 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 1: that's right, So let's jump right in and talk about 120 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: the history of chess, because it actually goes quite a 121 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: ways back. So most historians believe in early version of 122 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: the game was invented in India about fift undred years ago, 123 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: and the first known mention of anything involving chess appears 124 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: in a text from five and then about a century later, 125 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: the game made its way to Persia, where a few 126 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: different variations evolved. So the exact rules of the game 127 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: and the appearances of the pieces hadn't been formalized at 128 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 1: that time, but the pieces did have these established identities 129 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: that aren't that dissimilar from what we're used today. So 130 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: one of the main differences was that the game didn't 131 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: lay out a royal court like it does. It was 132 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: more of a battlefield back then, with the king being 133 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: the only piece shared between the ancient version and the 134 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,840 Speaker 1: modern version. I'm curiously, do you know what the other 135 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: pieces were in the old battlefield version? Yeah, so instead 136 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: of ponds, you had these infantry pieces. Nights were cavalry, 137 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: and and bishops were elephants. I think our rooks were 138 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: actually chariots as well. And what about the what about 139 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: the queen? Was the queen part of the game at 140 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: that point. That's a different story. I mean, well, we'll 141 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 1: get to that in a minute. But the short answer 142 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: is that the piece would later become the Queen. It 143 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: was actually called the vizier or or the advisor. So 144 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: if you think about Jaffar, the villain from Aladdin, like, 145 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: that's basically what the piece was, and he was the 146 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: top counselor to the ruler. But you've got to remember 147 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 1: the rules of the game hadn't solidified, so most of 148 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: the pieces didn't move exactly like they do now. So 149 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: the Advisor, for instance, could only move one square diagonally, 150 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: which made it this much weaker piece than today's Queen, 151 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: which can obviously, you know, move any number of squares 152 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,040 Speaker 1: in any direction she wants. Yeah, that's interesting. So how 153 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,040 Speaker 1: did the weakest piece in the game pretty much to 154 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: become the strongest because the queen has you know, better 155 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: moves than the king, right, I mean, I know the 156 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: King can move in any direction just like the Queen can, 157 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: but he only moves one square at a time, which 158 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: is just I don't know that must that would piss 159 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: me off if I Yeah, but he's probably got gout 160 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: overrese you know. So the upset and power didn't actually 161 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: happen until after the game had spread west to Europe 162 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: in the early eleventh century, and once the game hit Europe, 163 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: that's when it shifted from that army on the battlefield 164 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 1: to members of the royal court. And for a while 165 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 1: most of the pieces still moved more or less according 166 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,959 Speaker 1: to the original rules, but that changed sometime in the 167 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,559 Speaker 1: fourteen hundreds or so when this unknown inventor, I think 168 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: it was either in Italy or Spain, introduced the rules 169 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: we know today, and the most important revisions he made 170 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,679 Speaker 1: were to the Bishop and the Queen, which until then 171 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: had been sort of the weakest pieces on the board 172 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 1: except for the ponds and something. These pieces were less 173 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:56,240 Speaker 1: restricted in their movement and a whole lot stronger, and 174 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: it was one of those changes that just made the 175 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: game so much faster and more interesting to play. And 176 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: that makes sense, and I could see how those would 177 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: go over well in terms of the actual game play. 178 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: But it's a little bit surprising because if you think 179 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: about it making the queen the most powerful piece on 180 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,319 Speaker 1: the board, it it feels pretty progressive for you know, 181 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: think about this was medieval times you're talking about. That's true, 182 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:20,720 Speaker 1: and there were tons of sexist players that did kind 183 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 1: of excuse the change there and said that the strength 184 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: was only in her defense of the King. That's when 185 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: her power came up. But but the reality is that 186 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,400 Speaker 1: queens were getting more powerful on the chessboard at the 187 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: same time they were getting more powerful in real life. 188 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: So so you think back to the fourteenth and fifteen centuries, 189 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: the ladies that were coming to power all over Europe, 190 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: where people like Elizabeth the First and Mary Tudor and 191 00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,440 Speaker 1: Queen Isabella. That's pretty cool to see that that would 192 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: you know, be mirrored on the chessboard. But so I 193 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,199 Speaker 1: actually want to stick with the chess pieces for just 194 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,600 Speaker 1: a minute and talk about how they got these iconic 195 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: designs that we're all used to seeing at this point. 196 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, you think about the horsehead knights 197 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: and the castle shaped brooks, because obviously, during those sin 198 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 1: trees of innovation and development that you were talking about, 199 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,719 Speaker 1: the game was really spreading through all different regions and cultures, 200 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 1: and there was actually no standard chess set to play with. 201 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: I mean, the basic setup was there. You had a 202 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,959 Speaker 1: board with sixty four squares and thirty two pieces, and 203 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:18,719 Speaker 1: you know, I guess they made pretty similar moves, but 204 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 1: what those pieces actually looked like, or how they felt, 205 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:23,679 Speaker 1: or even what they were made of. I mean all 206 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: of that very dramatically depending on where you were playing 207 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: the game. And so all of these countless varieties of 208 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: styles worked well enough for a while. But you come 209 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: upon the nineteenth century and the game has become so 210 00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 1: popular that chess clubs and competitions began cropping up all 211 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: over the world. So you can imagine it actually got 212 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: pretty confusing when players from different cultures would sit down 213 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:48,040 Speaker 1: for a match and then realized that none of the 214 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 1: opponent's pieces looked familiar to them. Would be so weird 215 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,960 Speaker 1: and very strange. But and it's still just so strange 216 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: that the game evolved somewhat similarly in so many places, 217 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,719 Speaker 1: and that this was really the big difference. But you 218 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: asked forward a bit to eighteen forty nine, and there 219 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,319 Speaker 1: was a British architect named Nathan Cook who built this 220 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: standardized set that was called the Staunton Chess set, and 221 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: its pieces are actually the ones that we still know today. 222 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: So I'm curious, like, if Nathan Cook made the set, 223 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 1: why is it called the Staunton set? Like who is Stunton? Yeah, 224 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: what you'd think it might be called the Cook Chess set, 225 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:26,319 Speaker 1: But he actually decided to forego that fame and in 226 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: favor of practicality. So there was a guy named Howard 227 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: Staunton who was a major player in the London chess 228 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:35,199 Speaker 1: scene at the time, and he'd organized these tournaments and 229 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:38,199 Speaker 1: clubs and was really considered one of the best players 230 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,320 Speaker 1: in the world. And so Cook knew how respected Staunton 231 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: was in this chess community, and so he approached him 232 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: and asked if Staunton's name could be used to market 233 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: his new designs, And of course Staunton was flattered and 234 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: agreed as soon as he saw the pieces, and so 235 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 1: the set was a huge hit with the public, and 236 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,679 Speaker 1: really since the nineteen twenties it's actually been the required 237 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:02,959 Speaker 1: set for all world chess organizations. I didn't realize that. 238 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: So what was the revolutionary about the Stunt set? Like 239 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: I I get that it became the standard, but why 240 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: is that exactly? Well, the set had a few things 241 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,280 Speaker 1: going for it, so for starters it it wasn't wholly 242 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: unfamiliar because Cook had studied a bunch of different popular 243 00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: chess sets that were in use at the time and 244 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: use those common traits really as starting points for his 245 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,199 Speaker 1: own set, and then from there he would look to 246 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 1: inspiration in the architecture of Victorian London, which was the 247 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: city around him at the time, and also for some reason, 248 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,160 Speaker 1: from the ruins of ancient Greece and Rome. And so 249 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: take the Night for example, The Night and the Staunton 250 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,839 Speaker 1: set is a great example of that influence. Like it's 251 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: the only piece in the set that isn't an abstract 252 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: representation of something, and instead it looks like a pretty 253 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: realistic horse head. And that's because it's pretty clearly inspired 254 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 1: by a sculpture on the east pediment of the Parthenon. 255 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: So that carving depicts horses pulling the chariot of the moon, 256 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,959 Speaker 1: goddess of Greek mythology, and so that supposedly what the 257 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 1: Staunton Night is based on, like this horse that drew 258 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: the moon across the sky each night, which is such 259 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:11,400 Speaker 1: a weird mishmash of things, right, like Victorian London, you've 260 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: got like Greece and Rome because the culture is like, 261 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:19,640 Speaker 1: so what else was Cook doing? All right? Well? I 262 00:13:19,679 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: actually found this breakdown in the Smithsonian of the Staunton set, 263 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,360 Speaker 1: and here are a few of the key features. According 264 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: to the article, it says, um, while some variation is tolerated, 265 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 1: there are several key distinguishing characteristics that define a set 266 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: as a stunt. The King is topped with a cross, 267 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: and as the tallest piece, it serves as a metric 268 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 1: for the height of the other ones. The Queen is 269 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: topped by a crown and a ball, the Bishop has 270 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: a split top, and the rook is a squat castle turret. 271 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:51,319 Speaker 1: And so with all of this, Cook really established this 272 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:54,959 Speaker 1: clear and simple language with the forms that he was choosing, 273 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 1: which not only made them easy to recognize, but pretty 274 00:13:58,280 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: cheap to produce as well. And so I'm betting that 275 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,720 Speaker 1: all of that together is probably why the Staunton said, 276 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 1: is still, you know, really the global standard today. All right, well, 277 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: I know we want to jump ahead in the timeline 278 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: and talk a little bit about the rise of chess 279 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 1: in Russia, but before we do that, I do want 280 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:15,199 Speaker 1: to run quickly through a little of its history in 281 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:18,199 Speaker 1: the US. And as you might imagine, the game made 282 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,680 Speaker 1: its way stateside thanks to European columnists, but despite the 283 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: fact that Ben Franklin was a huge chess fan, the 284 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: game really didn't catch on until the mid nineteenth century. 285 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,360 Speaker 1: And what turned the tide was that this American chess 286 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: player his name was Paul Morphy. He managed to beat 287 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: all of Europe's chess champions in this international tournament. It 288 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: was the first time this had ever happened. So people's 289 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: patriotism just kind of kicked in at that point and 290 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: it did its thing, and from then on chess became 291 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: super popular in the US. Of course, not everyone was 292 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: happy to see the game takeoff. And why is that? 293 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: I mean, I read this hilarious old article from this 294 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty nine edition of Scientific American, and the author 295 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: basically treats chess like the sinis de corrupting influence, almost 296 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 1: like it's the fortnight of its time. And so this 297 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: is how the author describes this very real danger of chess. 298 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: A pernicious excitement to learn and play chess has spread 299 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: all over the country, and numerous clubs for practicing this 300 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: game have been formed in cities and villages. Why should 301 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,480 Speaker 1: we regret this, it may be asked. We answer, Chess 302 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: is a mirror amusement of a very inferior character, which 303 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,840 Speaker 1: robs the mind a valuable time and might be devoted 304 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 1: to nobler requirements, while it affords no benefits whatever to 305 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: the body. A game of chess does not add a 306 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: single new fact to the mind. It does not excite 307 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: a single beautiful thought, nor does it serve a single 308 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: purpose for polishing and improving the nobler faculties. You know, 309 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: those were really the good old days when the greatest 310 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: threat facing the youth of America with the pressure to 311 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: join a chess club when you talk about it. Alright, well, 312 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: now that we've heard from the critics, let's talk a 313 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,440 Speaker 1: little bit about some of the game's biggest proponents, which 314 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: of course are the Russians. So but before we get 315 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: to them, let's take a quick break. You're listening to 316 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: part time Genius and we're talking about the enduring appeal 317 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 1: of one of the world's oldest games, chess. So well, 318 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 1: one thing I noticed this week is that it's suspiciously 319 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: large number of top ranking chess players all hail from 320 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: Russia or some other Soviet republic, and that includes chess 321 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:36,880 Speaker 1: grandmasters like Anthelie Karpov Gary Kasparov, And it really made 322 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: me wonder, like, why do the Russians have such a 323 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: dominance for chess. Well, it's interesting, and so of course 324 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: was digging into this in our research for this week. 325 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: But chess first spread the Russia along the Persian and 326 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 1: Indian trade routes. And that was way back in the 327 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: seventh century or so, and it was popular from the start, 328 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 1: but it didn't really become a national pastime until much later. 329 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: More we're talking like the nineteenth century or so. Now, 330 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: this was during the Russian Revolution when Lenin and the 331 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 1: Bolsheviks took power, and Lennon was a big player. I mean, 332 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: he really loved the game, and Stalin would be after him. 333 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:12,320 Speaker 1: But the real mastermind behind the country's chess movement was 334 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: Lennon's commander of the Soviet Army, this guy named Nikola Krelenko. Now, 335 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 1: he opened these dedicated chess schools, he organized competitions and 336 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: really paved the way for these first state sponsored chess tournaments. 337 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:28,879 Speaker 1: And this was back in So you fast forward a 338 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: decade and you've got roughly half a million amateur players 339 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:35,440 Speaker 1: that have signed up for these state chess programs. It's 340 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: pretty remarkable how quickly it grew. Yeah, so it sounds 341 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,440 Speaker 1: like there's this big push from the state and that's 342 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:44,120 Speaker 1: what sort of kick started Russia's love affair with chess. 343 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,239 Speaker 1: But why were all those Soviet leaders and think are 344 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:48,399 Speaker 1: so into chess in the first place, Like, was it 345 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:50,959 Speaker 1: just because it's a strategic game, and and they were 346 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:54,919 Speaker 1: kind of seen as great schemers. You know, I'm guessing 347 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,240 Speaker 1: the strategy involved was a big part of the appeal 348 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: for them, so that that's probably true. But I also 349 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: read this article in Slate that suggested there might have 350 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:04,879 Speaker 1: been a little bit more to it, so I just 351 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:06,879 Speaker 1: will read a little bit of this. The author of 352 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: the piece was Chris Beam, and he was describing the 353 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: appeal of chess. So he writes, the Soviets saw chess 354 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:17,119 Speaker 1: as embodying their revolutionary ideals. It was a game of skill, 355 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: and the USSR prided itself on intellectual talents. It was 356 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: also cheap, which meant anyone could play it, and it's 357 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: back and forth dynamic reflected that dialectical concept of history 358 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,920 Speaker 1: espouse by Marxism. You know, never mind the irony of 359 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: playing with imperialist symbols like kings and queens. That is funny, 360 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: you know. I I and thought about that. But I 361 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: know chess is hugely popular in Russia, even if it 362 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 1: no longer has state money behind it. And there's actually 363 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,439 Speaker 1: this one famous chess supporter in particularly who I want 364 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:49,800 Speaker 1: to talk about not only because he's done a lot 365 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:53,080 Speaker 1: to keep the game relevant for Russian citizens, but also 366 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 1: because he's just a super weird guy. His name is 367 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,400 Speaker 1: kirsn uh illiams in Off, which I know I mispronouncing. 368 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: He was president of the World Chess Federation from all 369 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: the way up until just last year, and that's when 370 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 1: he was finally ousted in favor of a new president. 371 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: It's a pretty impressive run those of what makes him 372 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:14,920 Speaker 1: such a weird guy. So there are actually a bunch 373 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,399 Speaker 1: of things, but honestly, they all kind of hinge on 374 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 1: one in particular, which is that Kirsen claims that he 375 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: was abducted by aliens, and I'm just gonna let him 376 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:25,959 Speaker 1: explain what happened. And this is what he said an 377 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 1: interview about a decade after the abduction. It happened on 378 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: September sevent I was taken from my apartment in Moscow 379 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:35,840 Speaker 1: and taken to the spaceship and we went to some 380 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 1: star and after that I asked, please bring me back 381 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: because the next day I should be back and go 382 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: to the Ukraine. They said, no problem, Kirson, you have time. 383 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 1: Oh no, no problems, I guess he got napped by 384 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 1: some considerate aliens. I mean, not every abductee is so lucky, 385 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 1: is that? Yeah? Usually there's more provings. These weren't just 386 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:00,119 Speaker 1: any aliens. They were the sophisticates that invented che us. 387 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: Apparently that's true. You know, I didn't realize that this 388 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,480 Speaker 1: was even a theory. So do people really think chess 389 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 1: was created by aliens? Well, at least one guy does, 390 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: because in that same interview, Kerson went on to say, 391 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 1: I am not a crazy man. My theory is that 392 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: chess comes from space. Why because the same rules sixty 393 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: four squares black and white, and the same rules in 394 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 1: Japan and China and Qatar and Mongolia and Africa. The 395 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 1: rules are the same. Why I think maybe it is 396 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: from space. I mean, I don't want to challenge somebody 397 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: that was in power for that long, but I have 398 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,119 Speaker 1: to say his evidence feels a little bit thin to me. 399 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:37,919 Speaker 1: I mean, we just tracked the spread of chess across 400 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 1: different continents, so I feel like jumping straight to the 401 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: aliens theory it feels a little off to me for 402 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:46,159 Speaker 1: some reason. So Kirson did leave the door open for 403 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: at least one other possibility, and in this interview with 404 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: The Observer, he admitted that there were actually two options, 405 00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 1: and this is how he put it. Each year archaeologists 406 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: find evidence of chess in America, India, Japan, or China 407 00:20:57,320 --> 00:20:59,879 Speaker 1: played under the same rules from a time without playing 408 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: or the internet. Look, the chess board has sixty four squares, 409 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,159 Speaker 1: and ourselves are made of sixty four pieces. All the 410 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:09,440 Speaker 1: shows that chess comes either from God or from UFOs. 411 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's basically a toss off. Like, the only 412 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:15,880 Speaker 1: thing we know for certain is that chess wasn't invented 413 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,719 Speaker 1: by humans. Is such a strange story. I mean, why 414 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,040 Speaker 1: even tell people about this? I mean, the aliens just 415 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:23,200 Speaker 1: kind of took him on this joy ride through the 416 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: Solar System and then dropped him off in time for 417 00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: a meeting. It seems pretty uneventful for what it could 418 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:30,439 Speaker 1: have been. Yeah, but you've got to remember he remained 419 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: president of the Chess Federation for another twenty years after 420 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,640 Speaker 1: the incident, So I guess the story really didn't bother people. 421 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: And as for the trip being uneventful, there was at 422 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 1: least one part that had some real and lasting consequences. 423 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, what what what's that? At some point during 424 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: the journey, the alien suggested to Carson that it would 425 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: be a really good idea for him to build this 426 00:21:50,600 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: extravagant city dedicated to all things chess. And so he 427 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,560 Speaker 1: went home and did that. But he built an actual 428 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,920 Speaker 1: chess city. Yeah. So at the time Kierson had the 429 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: second job, he was president of the Republic of Calmakia, 430 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 1: which I guess it is a subject of the Russian Federation, 431 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:10,359 Speaker 1: and using his cloud as leader, Kierson was able to 432 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:12,440 Speaker 1: build his chess city on the east side of this 433 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: Buddhist town called Alista, and he went all out right, like, 434 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: the city has a chess museum, this huge open air 435 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 1: chess board, it's got a swimming pool, enough chess sets 436 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: to host year round tournaments. It's actually hosted several championships 437 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,360 Speaker 1: in the year was built, I guess in But Kirson's 438 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,399 Speaker 1: real goal was to use Chess City to boost the 439 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:34,960 Speaker 1: popularity of the game so that the total number of 440 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 1: chess players in the world would rise from six hundred million, 441 00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: which I guess is where it is approximately now, to 442 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,800 Speaker 1: a full billion. Wow, I mean, that seems like a 443 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: big goal. So what was so important about hitting a 444 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: billion players? Apparently that's the number of players needed to 445 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 1: stop aliens from destroying the planet. I mean, it just 446 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:56,680 Speaker 1: gets weirder and weird. So how did this guy stay 447 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:01,159 Speaker 1: in office for multiple decades? I know, oh, I I 448 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: guess he was just really serious about it, And like, 449 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,040 Speaker 1: I don't know. I found this interview that he did 450 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:08,120 Speaker 1: with Independent This is back in two thousand and ten, 451 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,640 Speaker 1: and he kind of just flat out says that playing 452 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,639 Speaker 1: chess is the key to preventing this alien attack. And 453 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:17,720 Speaker 1: he writes, above us, they're all looking at us, and 454 00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 1: maybe they will get tired of us. And suddenly he 455 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: tails off, making dramatic gesture of destruction. How can we 456 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: save ourselves from them only through intellect, concentration, and spiritual energy. 457 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: If a billion people are in these chess centers playing chess, 458 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:35,879 Speaker 1: the world will still have positive energy. All right, Well 459 00:23:35,880 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 1: I meant it. I mean, I'm invested in this now 460 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,399 Speaker 1: if the fate of the world is at stake on 461 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 1: all this. But I have to know, did Krison get 462 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 1: to a billion players? Like, did the Chess city work? 463 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: It did not, so, and the whole thing is mostly 464 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 1: vacant today and it barely gets any use. And what's 465 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:53,480 Speaker 1: particularly sad about it is that Kirrison actually cut the 466 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:56,879 Speaker 1: town's food subsidies to help pay for this fifty million 467 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,119 Speaker 1: dollar complex. So now Chess City is is really just 468 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,160 Speaker 1: a monument to the local government's disregard for its citizens. Yeah, 469 00:24:04,320 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: that's kind of a bummer, But you know, I don't 470 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:09,200 Speaker 1: want to dwell on all these neglectful politicians or even 471 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:11,920 Speaker 1: the alien invasions. As weird as that story was, and 472 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:13,960 Speaker 1: I feel like we should talk about a few chess 473 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: stories that are a little more upbeat. What do you 474 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:34,639 Speaker 1: think I'm for it? First? A quick break? Okay, Well, 475 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: so chess may not be your best hope for a 476 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:39,880 Speaker 1: stemming off this alien invasion, but the game still has 477 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 1: a whole lot going for it. Like plenty of studies 478 00:24:41,880 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: have shown that playing chess can improve your focus, it 479 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,280 Speaker 1: can help you hone your decision making skills, and of 480 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: course it's a great way to strengthen your memory, especially 481 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: if you play it blindfolded. But before we get to 482 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 1: the mental benefits, let's talk about some of the more 483 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: surprising things we found out about the game, and and 484 00:24:57,280 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: maybe we've never noticed before. You know, one thing that's 485 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,240 Speaker 1: stood out to me is how resilient the game is. 486 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:04,600 Speaker 1: Like it stands up to scrutiny more than just about 487 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: any other game out there. You know, people over the 488 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 1: years have tried to, I guess like solve chess for 489 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: for decades and decades, but the game always seems to 490 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,879 Speaker 1: elude them. I mean, there's always another move you never 491 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 1: considered a new way to win or even lose at chess. 492 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: And remember that's true even after we built computers specifically 493 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:28,000 Speaker 1: designed to decode the game and really select the best 494 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: possible move for millions and millions of different scenarios. Isn't 495 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 1: that exactly what it means to solve chess? Like, if 496 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,119 Speaker 1: we're able to compute every possible sequence of moves and 497 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,360 Speaker 1: counter moves and all these different forms of match can take, 498 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,920 Speaker 1: then isn't the game effectively solved? Well, I mean that's 499 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 1: actually the thing, because even if you had the most 500 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: powerful computer in the world, it still wouldn't be able 501 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 1: to calculate all the unique games that could be played. 502 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: And this just seems unimaginable, but the possibilities just scale 503 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 1: up way too quickly. So for example, after both players 504 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,320 Speaker 1: have moved one time in a game of chess, there 505 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:06,560 Speaker 1: are four hundred possible boards setups, but after the second 506 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: of the turns, the number of possible games shoots up 507 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,200 Speaker 1: to just under two hundred thousand. Now after three moves 508 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: there are one hundred and twenty one million possible outcomes, 509 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: and so on and so on until you get to 510 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:22,879 Speaker 1: the current best estimate for the total possible number of 511 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:26,240 Speaker 1: chess games, which is a staggering ten to the one 512 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:29,600 Speaker 1: hundred and twentieth power. So to put that number in 513 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:31,880 Speaker 1: perspective just a little bit, there was a great breakdown 514 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 1: that I found from Popular Science, and here's what it says. 515 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,240 Speaker 1: There are only ten to the fifteen total hairs on 516 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,960 Speaker 1: all the human heads in the world, ten to the 517 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,440 Speaker 1: twenty third grains of sand on Earth, and about ten 518 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:48,200 Speaker 1: to the eighty one atoms in the universe. The number 519 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,399 Speaker 1: of typical chess games is many times as great as 520 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,679 Speaker 1: all those numbers multiplied together. An impressive feat for thirty 521 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:59,960 Speaker 1: two wooden pieces lined up on a board. That is unbelievable. 522 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: You know, uh, when you look back at the kind 523 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:05,960 Speaker 1: of like endless complexity of the game, you know, it's 524 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,520 Speaker 1: really no wonder that it gives our brains such a workout. 525 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,200 Speaker 1: And I actually read the study from a while back 526 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: that found the experts who played chess actually used both 527 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:17,240 Speaker 1: sides of the brain while solving chess problems, and not 528 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: just the analytical right side. Oh wow, but this only 529 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:24,679 Speaker 1: happens and I'm guessing like really experienced players, that's right. 530 00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:27,600 Speaker 1: So the researchers gathered eight international chess players and then 531 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 1: eight novice players, and then they took fm r I 532 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: brain scans while the subjects worked their way through two 533 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:36,119 Speaker 1: different tests. And first they had to identify geometrical shapes 534 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: and then they had to determine whether or not the 535 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 1: pieces on the chessboard were in a check situation. And 536 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,879 Speaker 1: the result from these tests were really unexpected because they 537 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: showed that while the novice players had only used the 538 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,159 Speaker 1: left side of the brain to process this task, the 539 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 1: expert players had used both sides of the brain. So 540 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 1: this is what the lead researcher explained. Quote. Once the 541 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 1: usual brain structures were engaged, the experts utilized additional complementary 542 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,640 Speaker 1: structures and the other have to execute processes in parallel. Wow. 543 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:07,400 Speaker 1: So did this dual processing improve the expert's performance at all? Yeah, 544 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:09,640 Speaker 1: it actually made them much quicker at solving the chess 545 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,440 Speaker 1: problems than novices were, But it is worth noting that 546 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,639 Speaker 1: the parallel processing only occurred during the chess problems and 547 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 1: not during that geometry test. So it really seems like 548 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,160 Speaker 1: all the extra practice that the experts had given their 549 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 1: brains was this nice boost, but only when it came 550 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,720 Speaker 1: to chess. You know, it's interesting to hear that, because 551 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: I was actually reading about how playing a lot of 552 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 1: chess can actually be a detriment to players sometimes, like 553 00:28:32,640 --> 00:28:36,199 Speaker 1: rather than being beneficial to them. And how's that. Well, 554 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,320 Speaker 1: it's because of something called the einste Long effect, which 555 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: Scientific American describes as the brain's tendency to stick with 556 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 1: solutions it already knows, rather than look for potentially superior ones. 557 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,719 Speaker 1: So scientists researching this effect really love using chess players 558 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: as subjects, and that's because they provide a really clear 559 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 1: way to see the effect in action. So as an 560 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:00,640 Speaker 1: example of this, some studies present master chess players with 561 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: a chessboard that has two possible solutions. You've got this 562 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 1: well known maneuver that can win the game in five 563 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:10,960 Speaker 1: moves and a less common but actually much faster, three 564 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: step solution. So the players were told to win the 565 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 1: match in as few moves as possible, but once they 566 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: had spotted this familiar five steps strategy, they actually seemed 567 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,520 Speaker 1: unable to recognize the much quicker solution. And it wasn't 568 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: that the three step move was really obscure or anything 569 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: like that, but because those same players were actually presented 570 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,040 Speaker 1: with a similar setup where the three step move was 571 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 1: the only way to win, and then in that scenario, 572 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:39,200 Speaker 1: the players recognized the strategy right away. So in that 573 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: first experiment, it really was the Einstellung effect at work. 574 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:44,920 Speaker 1: And you know, the players weren't able to see any 575 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 1: of the other options because they had this cognitive bias 576 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: for the move they knew best. That's really fascinating. But 577 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,560 Speaker 1: also like that even chess masters can learn something to 578 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:54,959 Speaker 1: do better the next time around, because like, there are 579 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,280 Speaker 1: that many possibilities, Like I actually think that's why so 580 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: many schools invest in their own chess pro ramsay it's 581 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: one of those rare hobbies that can boost your cognitive 582 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: ability well also teaching you these coping skills like how 583 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: to win or lose gracefully. Although I do have to 584 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,480 Speaker 1: say the one time my son got hit at school, 585 00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: it was in his first grade chess club. He came 586 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 1: home with dirt on his face, and I was like, Henry, 587 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 1: how that happened? And he kind of gleefully said, oh, 588 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: I took the second grader as queen, so he kicked 589 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 1: me in the face. For Henry, it seems like he 590 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,920 Speaker 1: was okay with that. He'd rather win and take the face. Oh. 591 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: You know, And there are so many places where they're 592 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 1: teaching it really young to kids, like in Armenia, for instance, 593 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:39,000 Speaker 1: Chess is actually a required subject for every kid who's 594 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,920 Speaker 1: six years and older. And that's kind of awesome, even 595 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:43,760 Speaker 1: though it probably means the poor matth teachers wind up 596 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: pulling double duty and teaching chess as well. Right, yeah, 597 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:48,760 Speaker 1: but I have a feeling it's worth it to them anyway, because, 598 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:53,000 Speaker 1: you know, as one Armenian teacher explained, chess trains logical thinking. 599 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:56,960 Speaker 1: It teaches how to make decisions, trains memories, strengthens willpower, 600 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:00,240 Speaker 1: motivates children to win, and teaches them how to deal 601 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:03,240 Speaker 1: with defeat. It's the only school subject that can do 602 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 1: all of this. Oh, I really love that idea. Well, 603 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:08,560 Speaker 1: how about we knock out this fact off and then 604 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: get Tristan the show. As some of his opening moves 605 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: he's been perfecting. Yeah, so for a while now, we've 606 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 1: known that elite athletes tend to live longer than the 607 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: rest of us, and that's really not the big of 608 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: a surprise. But research now shows that elite chess players 609 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,040 Speaker 1: also have a survival advantage over the general population. A 610 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: team of Australian researchers looked at players from twenty eight 611 00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 1: countries and specifically over a thousand players who reached international 612 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 1: chess grandmaster status over a period of nearly seven years, 613 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: and then they compared the survival data of those people 614 00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: to fifteen thousand Olympic medalists, and not only did they 615 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: find that both groups had significant survival advantages over the 616 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:55,000 Speaker 1: general population, but that the difference between the two was 617 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 1: not even statistically significant. Oh wow, that's pretty interesting. All 618 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:01,560 Speaker 1: well years ago, iron remember reading about how, you know, 619 00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:04,040 Speaker 1: before the age of the Internet, people used to play 620 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:07,680 Speaker 1: chess by mail or what's called correspondence chess. So you'd 621 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:09,360 Speaker 1: make a move, put that move in the mail, and 622 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,320 Speaker 1: then your opponent would do the same, and you'd go 623 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: back and forth and games could take years to play. 624 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 1: And actually this kind of sounds fun to be able 625 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 1: to do this with a friend who lives, you know, 626 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 1: across the country or whatever. But what surprising is that 627 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,520 Speaker 1: even today, the US Chess Federation estimates they have about 628 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 1: three thousand members still playing correspondence chess. Don't now for 629 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,640 Speaker 1: some play by email, and there are even tournaments for 630 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 1: correspondence chess with rules like each player is given thirty 631 00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: days of reflection time over ten moves, you know, to 632 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: really speed things up. I guess. So I was reading 633 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:45,680 Speaker 1: recently about how chess became popular among captured or wounded 634 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: soldiers during World War Two, and you know, the rules 635 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 1: of war is so interesting to me sometimes you remember 636 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 1: learning about the Geneva Conventions, which are often thought of 637 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 1: today is sort of the way war crimes are defined. 638 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 1: But the Third Convention set out how prisoners of war 639 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:04,080 Speaker 1: would be treated, so in addition to how prisoners would 640 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: be treated physically, it also had sections on recreation and 641 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:10,240 Speaker 1: stated that the captors should encourage the intellectual diversions and 642 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:13,760 Speaker 1: sports organized by prisoners of war, which makes it not 643 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,360 Speaker 1: that surprising that a quiet game that could take hours 644 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:18,920 Speaker 1: of days to play and was understood around the world 645 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,720 Speaker 1: could take off at a time like this. So organizations 646 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:24,360 Speaker 1: like the Red Cross would even send chess sets around 647 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 1: the world to prisoners where there were even organized chess 648 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 1: tournaments and were so weird. But I do think that 649 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 1: one aspect is pretty cool. Yeah, all right, we mentioned 650 00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:37,400 Speaker 1: earlier the similarities between elite athletes and chess players. Well, 651 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:40,280 Speaker 1: did you know that the World Chess Federation actually conducts 652 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 1: drug tests and they do this pretty routinely, and this 653 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: is because there's a push for it to be part 654 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 1: of the Olympics and so this is actually required by 655 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 1: the IOC. But there's some interesting studies around the effects 656 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,960 Speaker 1: of you know, so called smart drugs on the ability 657 00:33:56,080 --> 00:34:00,600 Speaker 1: to play chess. Now specifically drugs like modafinil and riddling. 658 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 1: So Madefanil is a drug we've talked about actually in 659 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:05,960 Speaker 1: an episode. I guess it's been quite a while, but 660 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: it's commonly used to help with sleep disorders, and riddling 661 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:12,520 Speaker 1: is commonly used to treat things like a d h D. 662 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,279 Speaker 1: And the findings from some of the studies on these 663 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:19,439 Speaker 1: players was really interesting because weirdly, players on these smart 664 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: drugs were often losing more games than those who were 665 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:26,160 Speaker 1: not taking these but this was actually because the players 666 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,040 Speaker 1: on them, We're taking more time per move and just 667 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:32,120 Speaker 1: running out of time. So once they took the time 668 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:34,439 Speaker 1: out as a factor, they found that these players were 669 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:37,759 Speaker 1: actually playing better. So it's one of the researchers put it, 670 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:40,920 Speaker 1: these substances may be able to convert fast and shallow 671 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:46,719 Speaker 1: thinkers into deeper, but somewhat slower thinkers. Huh, that's really interesting. Well, 672 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,000 Speaker 1: we talked about how long chess has been around, and 673 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:51,040 Speaker 1: I was reading about some of the oldest strategy books 674 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,279 Speaker 1: on chess, and this one from way back in one 675 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,719 Speaker 1: had some pretty awesome advice. The book suggests strategies such 676 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:00,760 Speaker 1: as playing with your back to the sun. Why because 677 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:04,239 Speaker 1: that could blind your opponent. It also suggests that if 678 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,560 Speaker 1: you're playing by a fire at night, you should use 679 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:08,600 Speaker 1: your hand to create a shadow over the board so 680 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,959 Speaker 1: that your opponent won't be able to see his pieces clearly. Wow. 681 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:14,479 Speaker 1: You know, I had a couple of facts about weird 682 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,040 Speaker 1: chess tournaments and a couple of other things. But looking 683 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,480 Speaker 1: over there at Tristan and seeing the size of the 684 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:22,040 Speaker 1: smirk on his face, I've never seen him smirk that 685 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 1: big because I know he loves this fact, because he 686 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,480 Speaker 1: loves to play dirty. Whenever he competes, he plays so dirty, 687 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,920 Speaker 1: such a dirty guy. But anyway, I'm gonna have to 688 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:34,479 Speaker 1: stop us there and give you today's trophy, Mango, thank 689 00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:36,520 Speaker 1: you so much. Well all right, well, if you've got 690 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:39,359 Speaker 1: any great stories about chess or any facts about chess 691 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,160 Speaker 1: that we may have left out today, we always love 692 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:42,880 Speaker 1: to hear those from you. If you can email us 693 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 1: part Time Genius and How Stuff Works dot com, or 694 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:47,280 Speaker 1: you can always hit us up on Facebook or Twitter. 695 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 1: But from Gabe, Tristan, Mango and me, thanks so much 696 00:35:49,960 --> 00:36:05,719 Speaker 1: for listening. Thanks again for listening. Part Time Genius is 697 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,000 Speaker 1: a production of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible 698 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,640 Speaker 1: without several brilliant people who do the important things we 699 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:14,080 Speaker 1: couldn't even begin to understand. Tristan McNeil does the editing thing. 700 00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:16,320 Speaker 1: Noel Brown made the theme song and does the MIXI 701 00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:19,759 Speaker 1: mixy sound thing. Jerry Rowland does the exact producer thing. 702 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:22,400 Speaker 1: Gave Bluesier is our lead researcher, with support from the 703 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,800 Speaker 1: research Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown and Lucas Adams 704 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:27,760 Speaker 1: and Eve. Jeff Cook gets the show to your ears. 705 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:29,800 Speaker 1: Good job, Eves. If you like what you heard, we 706 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:31,920 Speaker 1: hope you'll subscribe, and if you really really like what 707 00:36:32,040 --> 00:36:34,080 Speaker 1: you've heard, maybe you could leave a good review for us. 708 00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:36,319 Speaker 1: We did. We forget Jason, Jason who