Elon Musk clashes with Chess.com online over whether AI will 'solve' chess

In a recent online dispute, tech mogul Elon Musk engaged in a debate with the website Chess.com regarding whether artificial intelligence could ultimately solve the game of chess. On Thursday, Musk claimed that the number of unsound chess moves is minimal and that chess will eventually be resolved. However, Chess.com's official account disagreed, stating that the prediction is a matter of skill rather than technology.

Musk defended his stance, asserting that chess is difficult for humans but not for computers, and that it will eventually be fully solved like checkers. He also encouraged people to enjoy games and sports where machines are superior.

Chess.com countered with a mathematical argument, noting that there are approximately 40 orders of magnitude more possible chess games than there are atoms in the observable universe. They emphasized that mapping all these possibilities would be an immensely challenging task. Musk retorted that all legal chess positions are roughly 40 orders of magnitude fewer than the estimated atoms in the Universe and that advanced artificial superintelligence (ASI) would find innovative ways to solve and compress the vast number of positions beyond human comprehension.

The exchange sparked a broader online conversation, with users pointing out that both figures are technically accurate, but the disagreement stemmed from differing interpretations of the terminology. Chess.com was discussing possible chess games, while Musk was referring to legal chess positions. The argument took a personal tone when Chess.com corrected Musk about the identity of the person managing its account, with Musk joking that he was arguing with a "random intern" at a chess website.

Chess.com then clarified that the spokesperson was a full-time employee. A spokesperson for Chess.com later commented that losing a Twitter argument to a self-proclaimed intern must be particularly frustrating for the billionaire. The feud quickly gained traction on social media, with many users siding with Chess.com.