ChatGPT has no idea how good Magnus Carlsen actually is at chess, even after playing him.
Technology has come a long way since the days of Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue, but even with all its modern advancements, AI is struggling to guess just how good the world’s best chess player really is.
On July 10, Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen posted screenshots of his conversation with ChatGPT, showing that he’d managed to defeat the AI in a game.
The thing is, he didn’t just beat ChatGPT – he crushed it. All of the AI’s pawns were taken, and Carlsen hadn’t even lost a single piece in the process.
As impressive as this was, though, what came next left the chess community baffled.
ChatGPT guesses Magnus Carlsen’s chess rating and fails hard
After the match, Carlsen asked ChatGPT what it believes his classic rating strength is – and the AI ended up insulting the Grandmaster without realizing it.
Despite praising Carlsen’s understanding of the Philidor Defense, highlighting his tactics, underscoring his precision in the endgame, and even acknowledging that he was able to catch several “illegal moves,” the AI underestimated the Norwegian’s true power.
“If you played like this consistently in longer time controls, 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,” it said.
This is way off the mark, with the AI believing Carlsen isn’t even at Master level. Carlsen currently has a FIDE rating of 2839. The last time he had a rating in the 2000s was all the way back in 2001.
The chess community couldn’t help but laugh at this estimate.
“1800 USCF is really strong, really happy for you bro,” joked Chess.com.
“Now THIS is funny. I guess I, as an 1800, am now as good as Magnus Carlsen,” another remarked.
“Opportunity for improvement, Magnus. You’ll get there someday,” someone else chimed in.
Meanwhile, others used the Team Liquid star to test his skills against Elon Musk’s AI, Grok 4, and see if it would be more accurate in nailing down Carlsen’s actual rating.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.