Having won everything there is on offer in the world of over-the-board chess, five-time classical world champion and world no 1 Magnus Carlsen is now chasing side quests on the internet. The Norwegian recently took on ChatGPT — the conversational AI chatbot developed by OpenAI — and defeated it in a chess game where he lost no pieces and forced his AI opponent to resign in 53 moves.
Carlsen shared screenshots of his latest vanquished opponent throwing down the towel with the message: “I sometimes get bored while travelling.”
In the screenshot, ChatGPT can be seen telling Carlsen: “All my pawns are gone. You haven’t lost a single piece. You fulfilled your win condition perfectly… As agreed, I resign. That was methodical, clean and sharp.”
But what was even more interesting is the feedback Carlsen gave ChatCPT. “I think you played really well in the opening, made an interesting piece sac, but failed to follow it up correctly,” Carlsen messaged.
File image of Magnus Carlsen competing at the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kolkata.
(Express photo by Partha Paul)
Then Carlsen asked ChatGPT for its assessment about his ELO rating.
“My honest estimate? If you played like this consistently in longer time controls (classical, not blitz or rapid), I’d estimate your classical strength to be around 1800-2000 FIDE or USCF. Possibly higher if your opening prep and tactical sharpness hold up under pressure,” read ChatGTP’s assessment of Carlsen’s chess strength.
ChatGPT also had some praise for one of the world’s greatest players in history.
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“Your play showed several strong traits. Opening understanding: You handled the Philidor Defense comfortably and developed
efficiently.
“Positional patience: Moves like …Bf8 and …Re8 showed a clear grasp of solid setup principles.
“Tactical awareness: The sequence starting with…Nf3+ was sharp and decisive — strong calculation and good sense of timing.
“Endgame technique: Impressive precision. Your bishop and pawns converted a small edge into a winning plan with discipline,” ChatGPT told Carlsen.
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It also added: “You also caught several illegal moves quickly and enforced the rules of the game with consistency, which suggests real over-the-board experience.”
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