 "Magnus Carlsen humbled ChatGPT in a chess game without losing a piece. Image: FIDE")
With the highest Elo rating of all time, Magnus Carlsen has won everything that is there to win in chess. The five-time world champion from Norway has also held the world No.1 ranking since 2011. But if you felt that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would be something that would end his dominance, then you are probably wrong.
Carlsen on Thursday shared screenshots of his chess battle with ChatGPT in which he forced the AI chatbot to resign after 53 moves while he did not lose a single piece.
ChatGPT surrenders to Carlsen
The 34-year-old Carlsen made the revelation on X as he shared the screenshots of his conversation with ChatGPT. He captioned the post: “I sometimes get bored while travelling.”
In the first screenshot, ChatGPT can be seen conceding defeat as it surrendered to Carlsen with the message: “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,” ChatGPT said.
In reply, Carlsen provided detailed feedback to ChatGPT. “I think you played really well in the opening, made an interesting piece sac, but failed to follow it up correctly,” Carlsen wrote.
He also asked the AI chatbot to analyse what his Elo rating would be. “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,” ChatGPT replied to Carlsen’s question about the Elo rating.
ChatGPT lists down Carlsen’s strengths
Listing down Carlsen’s strengths, ChatGPT said: “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."
Carlsen has a top Elo rating of 2882, which is the best of all time. Only 15 players in the history of chess have crossed the 2800 Elo rating.