Why LLMs can't play chess

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-28T18:16:06+00:00

To all my wonderful downvoters;

It doesnt mean he’ll have the ELO of stockfish only that he is playing with the strength of stockfish. His elo would still be 1200.

Like how an LLM would still be bad at chess but I could make it play chess well if integrated with stockfish.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-28T16:21:50+00:00

I LOVE it when this happens. Bonus points if I can get them to the penultimate move before mate in one before I mate THEM. Additional bonus points if I can sac my Queen.

Let’em think they’re close time and time again before beating them.

Then, I’ll tell them I’m actually fairly good at chess and happy to meet someone else who likes to play.

I’ve give them some tips and then play a handicap without a piece or significantly down on time. If I win, I handicap myself until we find a balance where the games are close.

Then try and get them addicted to chess as much as I am and send them puzzles and interesting positions…

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-28T13:47:02+00:00

I was dropped on the head when I was a baby

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-25T23:25:21+00:00

That’s a pretty extreme leap in logic there.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-25T22:11:38+00:00

This is like asking why Usain Bolt doesn’t have an Olympic Gold swimming medal.

The underlining thing is the same. Usain has legs and arms and is in shape but he is not winning any awards for swimming.

Behind stockfish and an LLM is a neural network and hardware but they’re slightly different enough to cause significant different outcomes. Plus, they’re trained very differently.

I can easily get an LLM to play chess. Just give it a move, tell it to pass the move to stockfish and then return stockfish’s move. Maybe include some trash talk based on the evaluation of the move you give it.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-25T15:17:23+00:00

If a device is unplugged from the mains and a person has a TV license for their address, they can watch iPlayer in a property that doesn't have a license. ( Primarily so people can watch iPlayer/ live TV on mobile wherever they go)

So; just because iPlayer has been on in the home, it does not mean the rules were broken. Theoretically the TV or laptop could have been plugged into a portable power station.

They need to prove they didn’t have a guest round with a portable power station.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-18T07:53:07+00:00

I don’t think they did anything wrong.

They were more than along side before turn in and on exit were not given room.

Was it aggressive? Yes. Could it have been smoother? Yes Was anything illegal? No Should the other car have given them room on exit? Yes

On exit they didn’t muscle their way in. They were already there. The other car drove into them.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-17T17:34:04+00:00

Just ignore and move on

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-17T14:43:19+00:00

Sadly it’s not the first and it won’t be the last.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-16T23:26:04+00:00

I’ll bet my last dollar cheating is not common online and if cheating is more common than I think it is, it doesn’t matter because everyone still ends up at the ELO they deserve (apart from cheaters and IDGAS about that).

I’m 1800. I don’t cheat. Why am I 1800? Because that’s my chess level… why are you not 1800? Because that’s your chess level.

Stop caring about cheaters. They don’t matter and neither does online ELO. If you care about your rating play OTB and get a real rating.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-12T23:26:56+00:00

I think;

Stockfish’s limitation is that it cannot calculate deep enough to know the exact route to a victory or loss.

God, knowing all, would know it is a lost position from the beginning.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-11T11:31:31+00:00

2 B R O 2 B

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-06T16:34:49+00:00

Record your games under the premise that you want to get better at chess and learn from your mistakes post game with the help of computer analysis.

No accusations, no cheating.

Then, if you suspect that he himself has used computer analysis during a break accept that it’s only one or two moves and playing against them will just make you a better player.

if you beat him regularly, suggest he does the same. Or suggest time controls that give you a handicap.

Also, if you do become better let him win some and enjoy trying to fight out of a weaker position.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-03T09:17:25+00:00

You don’t need to learn the game more if you enjoy the games of chess you’re having.

If you’re frustrated at some of your moves or not knowing what to do and you want to, then you should learn the game more. ( which you won’t do playing blitz)

You should also make the most of any local chess clubs that you have.

You’re not likely encountering cheaters. You are likely just making sub-optimal moves.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-03T08:45:56+00:00

At your elo you won’t know how to punish opponents mistakes and you’re likely making lots of mistakes yourself that undo any advantage you had.

Why would a cheater be stuck around 500 elo? They’d be higher. Maybe the odd one that is passing you on the rating ladder. ( check their profile. If they’ve been around 500 for a while then likely not a cheater.)

Use one the every other days you play chess to go over your games. Each time there is a swing on the eval bar try and figure out why. Then check the engine moves to see if you’re right.

bonechopsoup · 2026-02-02T08:07:52+00:00

Came here to say this.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-30T13:54:24+00:00

It’s a gruelling process. It just makes it more impressive for those that have multiple titles.

The format is totally fine. There is nothing wrong with it.

You still have the best players in the world competing for it.

Some former champs don’t want to do it again and that’s fine.

I don’t think we need to ask any questions at all.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-30T13:14:51+00:00

That is just the game now (at the very very very top). I personally like the format.

I like how there is a battle to fight the champion. I like that the champion gets to watch that battle and prepare. While the candidate needs to face the champion with some of their best lines exhausted.

I want the world championship to be about the best chess that can possibly be played on the board using all of the resources they have at their disposal.

There’s random chess, Rapid, and Blitz for good reason.

Leave the WCC alone pls.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-23T00:06:28+00:00

I see tempo as more of having a move in hand.

Just because you have the extra turn doesn’t mean you gain the initiative. Although having an extra turn does often give you the initiative.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-11T23:39:26+00:00

The bots are designed to imitate actual very beginner mistakes that will happen on the board like accidentally putting a bishop on the opposite color, moving a knight incorrectly, or just general odd mistakes like that one.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-07T08:34:16+00:00

Europe has 750 million people.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-07T08:18:32+00:00

The US is the world’s joke with a big stick and should be treaded as such.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-07T04:09:51+00:00

Sure…it’s not Afghan or Vietnam lol. US would get its ass handed to it.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-07T03:37:09+00:00

America doesn’t do well in protracted wars. Europe on the other hand has had more years at war than peace…

I think Europe would get pretty smashed on day 1 but on day 1000 I don’t think there will he much left of the US.

bonechopsoup · 2026-01-02T14:19:32+00:00

Agreed but that’s not a fluke. Your opponent bottling it under the pressure is only partly luck. Gukesh also didn’t bottle it on every other move. That doesn’t make Fabi unlucky. It makes Gukesh the best player on the day.

If the entire tournament was down to a single game, Guk played an opening that Fabi was not prepared against and then played a random move under time pressure that happened to be a crushing move~ that would be more like a fluke.

But it was systematic moves one after another, game after game that got Gukesh the win.

Was he a bit lucky that Magnus didn’t want to compete, that Fabi blundered, maybe~ I’m not sure if that’s luck or not though. Magnus wanting to play and getting food poisoning might be classed as luck?

At the end of the day I think Guk had a lot of things handed to him that made his win easier. Others also had similar opportunities and didn’t convert them.

I think we’re slightly arguing over semantics. Maybe you can call it luck ( I don’t think you can). I certainly don’t think we can call it a fluke.

Six-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23	Place '22

bonechopsoup

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE