Elon Musk Forecasts Full Solution To Chess Within 10 Years; Grandmasters React Strongly

CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, Elon Musk, has predicted that chess will essentially ‘be solved’ within 10 years, similar to checkers. However, Musk’s opinion drew sharp responses from some of the world’s top grandmasters and others in the chess community. (More Sports News)

On X, many users disagreed with Musk's prediction, arguing that chess is too complex for computers to fully "solve" in just 10 years. They believe that human creativity and intuition in the game cannot be replicated by machines. So, while Musk's opinion is interesting, it's not widely accepted in the chess community.

After Musk initially shared a photo of a device, which one social media user immediately linked to unsubstantiated rumors, the conversation began on X. It was suggested that Hans Niemann was using a sex toy to cheat in games.

Musk replied to that, stating, “I have to say that if he did use Stockfish butt vibes, he deserved to win. At least once."

"Computers are so much better than humans at chess, it’s absurd. I predict that chess will be essentially fully solved (like checkers) within 10 years,” he said.

Niemann tweeted: “Although my innocence has been proven by multiple official chess organizations, I understand the comedic value behind this conspiracy theory. I look forward to becoming world chess champion, and letting the chess speak for itself.”

In response to Musk’s comment, Emil Sutovsky, the CEO of chess’ global governing body FIDE, said, “Engines haven’t advanced much for few years now. Even the task of solving all positions with 9 pieces can’t be completed. It’ll take years to cover 10 pieces, and you have 32. Engines are incomparably better than humans for 20 years now, but no checkers-type solution expected.”

There were some comments from prominent Chess people supporting Musk's thought. Peter Heine Nielsen, renowned for training both Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen, expressed his agreement with Musk's views on chess from a technical standpoint. He mentioned, "For practical purposes, chess is close to being solved."

Nielsen highlighted that while chess lacks the uncertainty element found in games like poker due to the absence of a "fog of war," it remains a perfect sport from a global perspective.

Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik chimed in, tweeting, "In some sense, agree, 'fully enough' to understand almost everything about the game. But still, humans competing against each other will be interesting for the public if we find a way to ensure no computer assistance during games. The public will wonder who of the two players is dumber."

In 2022, Musk had claimed that he found chess too simple to be useful in real life. He had also taken digs at former World Champion Garry Kasparov, calling him an 'idiot'.