Elon Musk has said many stupid things lately, but saying chess is ‘too simple’ takes the cake

Of all the odd, frustrating, and oddly frustrating twaddles Elon Musk has been in the news for lately, none have struck a chord with me to the extent of his dismissive comments on chess. (Okay, the whole “turning off Starlink” thing is a close second.)

Sure, the news cycle has come and gone already, but X Æ A-12 Sr.’s remark left a mark, for it is actually a great conversation starter: What’s the point of playing chess in the supercomputer era? A lot, as it turns out. There’s no other mirror into your soul like putting your thoughts to the test at the board.

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