Does Elon Musk play Chess? Everyone is interested in what Elon Musk does and doesn’t do! Who is Elon Musk? Why is his lifestyle constantly making headlines?
Elon Musk is one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth of $238 billion as of September 2022. He is the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, and many more companies. He is a massive business magnate and investor.
But his wealth is not the only factor that makes him famous. Elon Musk is also known for some of his controversial viewpoints. Some love or hate him.
So Does Elon Musk Play Chess?
Contents
Elon Musk was a member of the A Grade chess team in his high school. You might have expected that he would continue to play as an adult.
Wrong.
Elon Musk does not play chess anymore. Let us see why.
Why Does Elon Musk Not Play Chess Any More?
Elon Musk has lost interest in the game and does not play chess anymore. When asked why, he says, “found it too simple to be useful in real life: a mere 8 by 8 grid, no fog of war, no technology tree, no random map or spawn position, only 2 players, both sides exact same pieces etc.”
So according to Elon Musk, he has lost interest in the game because it’s too simple in terms of the number of grids because there are no hidden or surprising.
He also says that it does not have ‘a technology tree’, which most other strategy games have. Chess does not have level upgrades or sequences. And there is also nothing random in a game of chess. Everything is calculated and planned. And this supposedly makes chess too boring for Elon Musk.
Elon also cites the fact that there are only two players and the exact same pieces on both sides of the game as another reason why he does not play chess anymore.
Are the claims of Elon Musk valid?
People consider Elon Musk as one of the smartest men on earth. As the mastermind behind the incredible Tesla technology, Elon Musk is definitely not stupid.
What he says about chess being a useless game may be true in a way. It does waste a lot of time. Maybe he prefers to spend his time in better real-life video games trending today.
But his reasons that he does not like chess because there are only two players and the same pieces on both sides seem a bit silly to me. Many strategy games are mostly played with two players. And imagine a game of chess with different types of pieces on both sides?!
So has Elon Musk insulted the chess-playing community by calling their game ‘simple’? Chess may be a simple board game, an 8 by 8 grid with limited pieces to play with, but it includes a lot of skill and expertise. A lot of critical thinking and intelligence goes into playing a game of chess. Not everyone can be a chess player. So is Elon Musk shying away because he does want to lose a game of chess? Is he really not as good at chess as he once claimed he was?
I have found that most people who claim not to play chess because they don’t like it are actually bad players.
Chess does not have card additions or level-ups to spice it up. It is the same old game every day. But it has many variants and strategies that make the game very interesting every time you play.
Some of these clever moves include castling, en passant and knight moves. Another important part of the game that makes it more interesting is pawn promotion. And the knight’s moves are incredible. It can jump over other chess pieces and land up to eight squares away. And how it can fork two chess pieces at the same time is interesting.
Personally, I have always seen chess as much more than a game. The pieces are real-life kings and queens and their brave soldiers that strive to protect their kingdoms from attack. I play with passion to defend the king I own. Chess is never ‘simple’ for any of us.
Does Elon Musk Play Chess? Conclusion
Elon Musk did play chess during his high school days, but he doesn’t anymore. When asked why he says that he has abandoned the game because it is too simple and monotonous compared to computer games of today.
Also read: Do Chess Players burn calories while playing chess?
*All pics are take from Pixabay.com
