How To Beat A Computer — or anyone — In Chess

Consider the human element: The worst thing you can do is to play like a machine yourself.

Akira Tanaka (1918–1982), FAL, via Wikimedia CommonsAkira Tanaka (1918–1982), FAL, via Wikimedia Commons

You cannot beat a computer in chess by playing perfectly. It is not possible to win against a perfect opponent, because the outcome of each game will always be determined by one player or another making an error.

There’s no way to “solve” chess, but it sure feels hopeless to play against an opponent that is impervious to mistakes.

However, there is a way to beat the computer, and it’s not by playing well…at least not in the conventional sense.

Here’s how you win in chess:

The computer is not capable of understanding the human element in chess. It does not understand that there is a huge element of storytelling involved, and this is what gives us an edge.

To beat the computer, you must not play well.

You must make mistakes and take risks.

The human player has the advantage of real-life experience and so we can develop narratives that are invisible in the scope of the brute-force calculations most traditional chess engines rely on.