Video summary
In this impromptu chess match between RZA and Lex Fridman, the conversation begins with a playful acknowledgment of their contrasting approaches to the game. Lex admits that he deliberately avoided playing chess as a child due to his mathematical nature, fearing an inability to practice in moderation like one might eat oatmeal raisin cookies; instead, he chose to embrace the game only on rare occasions while intoxicated and ready to blunder aggressively. He frames this low-level play not as incompetence but as a celebration of the human element, arguing that chess is about two minds solving puzzles together rather than just mastering openings or tactics. RZA agrees with this sentiment, noting that for beginners, having fun and talking trash are valid parts of the experience, setting the stage for their fast-paced, chaotic game where they prioritize entertainment over strict adherence to grandmaster standards. The gameplay quickly devolves into a humorous exchange characterized by rapid moves, aggressive piece sacrifices, and constant banter about fatigue and timing. RZA employs an unusually energetic style, bringing pieces out immediately—such as deploying his queen early—which Lex initially finds shocking but eventually accepts as part of the fun dynamic. They discuss how psychological factors like anger or patience influence performance more than raw time control, with both players acknowledging that they are essentially ruining each other's concentration to keep the energy high. At one point, RZA threatens a "rampage" by taking pieces without regard for position, while Lex attempts to paralyze his opponent with overwhelming choices and complex traps derived from famous openings like the Fischer Defense, which he uses to pay homage to Bobby Fischer despite acknowledging the controversy surrounding him. As the match progresses, the tension shifts between friendly rivalry and genuine strategic threats, culminating in a critical moment where RZA makes what appears to be a significant blunder by taking the wrong rook instead of trading for his knight. Lex seizes this opportunity not with immediate checkmate but through a discovered attack that has been set up over several moves, forcing RZA into a defensive scramble. The commentary highlights how even in a "friendly match," mistakes on camera can feel embarrassing and high-stakes, yet both players maintain their composure by treating the errors as part of the narrative rather than failures to be lamented. They joke about trading pieces like food at a party, with RZA offering Lex something to eat after conceding material advantage, reinforcing the idea that the game is a social interaction first and foremost. The conclusion of the match sees Lex securing victory by capitalizing on RZA's misplaced aggression and tactical oversight, though he insists it was all in good fun rather than a display of superior skill. They reflect on how applying philosophical concepts to chess takes time, noting that while their conversation has been filled with correct ideas about strategy and mindset, executing them perfectly is difficult even for experienced players. Ultimately, the video serves as an ode to the beauty of chess when stripped of rigid formalism, showcasing two humans engaging in a weird little puzzle while chatting up life's absurdities. The segment ends on a high note, with both expressing hope that the audience enjoyed their unique blend of trash talk and tactical maneuvering, leaving viewers wondering if they will see more videos of Lex playing chess or simply talking trash about it in future discussions.
Read the full video transcript
bringing the queen out oh that's my girl
this girl is crazy
oh no don't do that don't bring stuff
out let me get some other people in the
party i'm gonna like sacrifice pieces to
make you
make you thank you you're doing good
ponder me right but since you're gonna
do that and i figured you was gonna do
that i'm gonna i'm gonna let you i'm
gonna let you do what you want to do so
i could do what i wanted thank you this
is good
a few months back i did a podcast with
rizza and we played an impromptu game of
chess afterwards i wasn't sure if anyone
wants to see that but a few folks asked
me about it so here it is
let me know if you want to see me play
chess
have fun and of course talk a bit of
trash with folks in the future
i should also say that when i was a kid
i deliberately decided to not play chess
because given my
generally mathematical mind and
interests i would be pulled all in
moderation would be impossible
i'm the same with fresh oatmeal raisin
cookies
i don't know how to eat just one
instead i chose to avoid the game
playing maybe on a rare occasion every
few years at a party probably drunk
and have lots of fun blundering all over
the place and talking trash
i do think chess is a beautiful game
and i do want to celebrate it and
perhaps
my
low level of play and my approach of fun
is a good way to do so
because if you're a beginner
we're in this together my friend
chess is not just about
opening lines positions tactics
it's also about two humans using their
mind to solve weird little puzzles while
chatting it up and having fun
in this life dear friends
you have two approaches to choose for
each activity
have fun trying to be good or have fun
being bad
for me i try to do a bit of both
for chess i choose the latter
so let me know if you want to see more
videos of me playing chess
now
i give you
rizza
and chess with reza i'll do the same
thing and just
see what you think about that all right
we're replaying the match ah it was
already a great match
yeah it was getting theirs
i don't know about this
yeah
what's the strongest part of your game
the opening the middle
i think uh
i don't know because i've been weak
lately but
i think that um
if you give me the time
no we can't take the time this is gonna
be fast and i told you i'm terrible i
said if you give me the no but if i get
the time i don't practice i think i get
pretty good at chess if you give me the
time but
it ain't just time it's your own fatigue
your own feeling you could be
angry
and patient
ah
let me just ruin it for you hyper
i see it take pieces
very aggressive play here what are we
even doing
not just attacking
what's the worst that can happen i'll go
one
and not be shy
that's a bit losing tourism is not the
worst thing in this world
i'm telling you i'm just gonna
go on a rampage
just taking pieces wow this is a
horrible position for you for me
why did you do that then
you just wanted to fuck with me because
i want to move fast oh okay i want to
fuck with you for sure
let me try this one dude
bringing the queen out oh that's my girl
oh
this girl is crazy
that's a real queen's game but
there's a couple of counters here's one
counter
that may just start the energy between
us
yeah
this could be a big problem
so i would need to uh there's no options
right yeah you got to make a move
i'll stay off the weight
and then for me
okay i see what you're doing there i
have to
hit you there
for protection
bring this guy out
that's good i actually didn't want you
to bring that guy out you know
i got a separate i didn't like the thing
he had going on here that's not gonna
end well for me
yeah i didn't like that guy either i
didn't like him coming outside at all i
just felt like he should have
i was hoping he didn't come outside you
know but he's outside now so
now that he's outside when i told him
not to come outside it reminds you
i got it now
think about my own problems
the queen the rooker dancing in the
middle yeah
i think i'm in way more danger i'm not
sure though
yes it's it's it's pretty peculiar here
we got to keep them distracted i'll take
one more punch at you you can't not do
you got to make sure you do it in time
yeah that's the really this big trick
timing is everything
yeah so in that case since timing is
everything
let me kind of get some time away from
this motherfucker
what do you think about pawns
oh no don't do that don't bring stuff
out let me get some other people in the
party because
you know i'm going to make it i'm going
to make it fun i'm going to like
sacrifice pieces to make you
make you thank you you're doing good
ponder me right
but since you're going to do that and i
figured you was going to do that i'm
gonna come and let you i'm gonna let you
do what you want to do so i could do
what i wanted thank you this is good
he's not taking the quote bait that's
not an actual bait
okay so
let's get this guy out of here yeah
let's get him out of here see this is
not good i gotta threaten you somehow
i'm gonna make you nervous
yeah here we go
oh
that's your kung fu technique
to make me nervous
i don't know if i'm getting nervous from
that one
watch your king that's all i gotta say i
know i see you as you trying to punch me
in my face and shit yeah
we don't play around yeah he can have
the pawns i can have the pawn no you can
have the pawns i'm just going to knock
you out
oh it's going to knock me out
you guys hear this guy
[Laughter]
while we're still even i think i'm down
upon a couple puns
but you know what it's actually
yeah pawns on me shit you're right the
pawns is not the way
for this game to go the way
i wanted to go so that's a fact you have
like so many options it's overwhelming
actually i'm glad you see it that way
because i'm feeling the same
but
you know i still got to be careful right
so since i still got to be careful
this is some grand master level this is
right here
all right so since you're trying to
shoot off my pinky toe i just feel like
they're you can attack so much here and
i got nothing i got no pawns to protect
me i got and these kings just sitting
there yeah we got a couple of tricks up
your sleeve though let me just continue
my party
my way
that's the most important thing you
gotta do sometime
you gotta continue your party your way
keep bringing pieces out
you know what
i'm just gonna
keep
that's nice
everybody who saw that
would say the same thing yeah they would
say what's that that was nice yeah
that move was nice yo you seen that yeah
i'm like yeah i saw it
i said i got to take him you know that
there's no i have no choice
a grandmaster would just uh
forfeit here
but i'm not i'm not that i'm not that i
like that because i'm a higher level i
like well i like the i like the pitch of
that yeah he's like a grand master would
just forfeit here no i'm just i'm gonna
have to give you the bishop of the night
well don't do dudes we're gonna do it
but don't forget we talked about fisher
and spassky and i started the game in
the famous fisher
opening that
you know
it was good at one time yeah and it's
like it's i'm trying to bring it back
the opening or what yeah i'm trying to i
like i really i'm a fan of bobby fischer
i know they say he went crazy
and all the stuff like that but
like i said his his analogy that chess
is a draw
it's something profound in that and i'm
just like i'm going to try to represent
bobby fischer
a little bit
you're the bobby fischer in this all
right
see that
now would everybody agree
yeah
that was beautiful
i think uh you got a problem with too
many choices that's i'm trying to
paralyze you with too many good choices
until you make a mistake
which is good
i mean that's the meaning you should be
scared because you don't want to make a
mistake on camera that'll be
embarrassing
because you're because you're winning
you're dominating yeah and then you can
but he makes a mistake on camera what
would the world think of that
what would they tell him back home i'd
be nervous for you that's all i'm saying
yeah i'm getting a little bit nervous
but not totally
you know why i'm not totally nervous oh
oh why is that
oh you want to know
i i guess i'm just gonna have to wait
and find out
okay so in that case
since this is one of those matches
a friendly match yeah a funny match
i was gonna go for either that or war
but
since i'm losing let's just go for a
friendly match yeah well since this is a
friendly match
this door let's give you something to
eat
and i'll get something to eat you eat i
eat yeah yeah i think i'm gonna do that
i think i i think i'm gonna let that be
the way we eat
you you cool with that yeah you give me
a rook or what yeah why not okay okay
you're going to give me
this
this this is great
because a generous man does okay you
something to eat you gave me something
to eat
i'm gonna give you
something to eat
all right
okay that was good i hope it tastes good
yeah it did i feel good i'm winning i'm
winning i hope everybody liked it
hope the rest of hope the rest of the
audience is feeling it like how about
like this guy
on the official chest point system i'm
up by a
pawn yeah all right one move i was up
well let me get back out of your way
because i didn't like i actually didn't
like
the vibe of that
so i had to get back and detect my other
work because
probably gave him two rooks
yeah i would have gave him two rucksacks
that's fine i'm not that generous i
appreciate that yeah the people would
have been talking about me
for years to come
yeah man
hello look at it this guy is getting
nervous he's like what you doing you got
it
yeah you know 100
percent so let me count my money you
count your money yeah my money oh you
got more money than me i gotta i gotta
make you feel nervous about something
wow that was a bad move right there
brother
the
that one there
uh
what do you want to do with that you
want to zoom in on that
that's a blunder what's the oh it's like
when it's a really bad blunder it's like
super blunder or something like that
yeah what makes this move bad right it's
a couple of things about it well you you
really don't want to bring the
the king out like that right
yeah even if you left one back there
it'd have been a better exchange for you
because
i gave you this rook but you took the
wrong work
yeah you should have took this rock
right yeah but you took that rook which
i was cool with i was hoping you take
that work if you took this book i was
cool cause i would have got the horse
and then i would have still been up two
points yeah
but you took this rook which was
detrimental because i'm gonna lose it
anyway i'm gonna lose the night
and then yes you're saying i should have
taken this that was that would have been
a better shot for you taking that walk
because now this rook just does
something very simple
just goes here
even if it was dead oh
i would have lost the rook yeah which i
thought i was gonna lose
you would have traded it yeah this is
this is roast it's not checkmate is it
no but it's checked but it's a tough
looking check but
you got a noun jet up out of there
and you want you could jet so many
places maybe i i do undo the mistake
because i can't jet forward
you can't jet forward no matter where
you go but anyway i'm not here to tell
you yeah i have to undo the mistake but
the point of this rook check was the
discovery of which was set up since the
beginning yeah this discovery has been
here for almost four or five moves right
yeah yeah yeah and so
i like you know they say white guys love
black women yeah
now i know now i know what that means
thank you
that's a tough looking check yeah i can
trick you into a draw somehow all right
i think that way
let's get in that way yeah
you got all the right philosophies you
know what i mean
that's not the skills well there you
know this this is the application takes
time to apply everything we learn it
just takes time that's definitely the
right philosophy everything you've been
saying for this conversation has been
the right philosophy just the time to
apply it has been uh ducking you yeah
so
i'll just keep this
there
and then you know
you could take this as far as you want
to take it but i i think uh in the
interest of time we're running out of
time you have to go man
thank you man
that was beautiful