Chess by YuC

Champion(s):

RautY
The machines are winning


Runner(s)-Up:

PetersonGG


Quiz Description

General trivia about chess, on and off the board. Last names only are generally OK.

Full Results:

Rank Player Total %ile 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Money Value (% Incorrect): 24 39 43 15 81 58 67 53 96 96 39 39
1 RautY 544 97 15
15
15
15
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81
00
15
67
15
15
96
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96
15
15
39
2 PetersonGG 419 92 15
15
39
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15
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81
15
58
15
67
00
00
00
15
15
39
3 helitzur 414 88 15
15
39
15
15
15
81
00
15
67
15
53
00
00
15
39
15
4 RubensteinM 375 83 15
15
00
15
15
15
81
00
15
67
15
53
00
00
15
39
15
5 IngramB 333 78 15
24
15
39
15
15
00
15
58
15
15
53
00
00
15
39
00
6 BruceM 318 73 15
24
15
15
15
00
00
15
15
67
15
53
00
00
15
15
39
7 Jockosaurus 303 69 15
24
00
15
43
15
00
00
15
15
53
00
00
15
39
15
39
8 NeffJ 289 64 15
24
15
39
00
15
00
15
58
00
00
00
00
15
39
15
39
9 UllspergerA 284 59 00
00
15
39
15
43
15
00
15
58
00
15
00
00
15
15
39
10 WangS 279 54 15
15
39
00
00
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00
15
58
00
15
53
00
00
00
15
39
11 ChengB 241 50 15
15
39
00
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15
00
15
58
00
00
00
00
00
15
39
15
12 MercureT 239 45 15
24
15
39
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43
15
00
15
58
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
13 SpraragenM 195 38 15
00
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43
00
00
00
00
15
53
00
00
00
00
00
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39
13 KleinJ 195 38 15
24
00
15
43
15
15
00
00
00
15
53
00
00
00
00
00
15 RosenbergR 172 30 15
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00
00
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00
15
58
00
00
00
00
00
15
39
00
00
16 McClellanS 147 26 15
24
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
15
39
15
39
17 KonkelT 142 21 15
00
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43
15
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
15
39
00
00
18 PolinskyL 138 16 00
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15
39
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15
15
00
00
00
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00
00
00
15
39
19 orwant 73 11 00
00
00
15
43
15
00
00
00
00
00
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00
00
00
00
20 twarner50 15 7 00
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15
00
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00
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00
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00
21 rarebitfiend 0 2 00
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00
00
00
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00
00
00
00

Questions:

I like to start with an easy one. How many moves must the winning side make in the shortest possible game ending in a win by checkmate?

Click to Reveal Answer
2

In 2016, we saw a match to decide the World Championship that was all even after 12 games, after which defending champion Magnus Carlsen won a rapid tiebreaker match 3 points to 1. Who was the runner up in this match?

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Sergey Karjakin

Let's talk Broadway. "Chess" was a short-lived musical created by Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA, and what lyricist, also (probably better) known for his work with some Disney films?

Click to Reveal Answer
Tim Rice

In 1993, the Professional Chess Association (PCA) was formed as a rival to FIDE, the international governing body for chess. Along with Nigel Short, his challenger for the World Championship, what player, the FIDE World Champion at the time, formed the PCA?

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Garry Kasparov

The 1993 film "Searching for Bobby Fischer" tells the story of Josh Waitzkin, a young chess prodigy in New York. Ben Kingsley plays Josh's coach, a real-life master. What is his name?

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Bruce Pandolfini

"Fischer Random" chess is a variant where pawns start on the second rank (as they normally would) but pieces are semi-randomly arranged on the first rank, subject to the constraints that the King must start between the Rooks, and the Bishops must start on opposite-colored squares. Black's pieces will always "mirror" White's, as they do in a traditional game of chess. This variant is also known as "Chess ___." What number, equal to the number of possible starting positions in this game, fills in the blank?

Click to Reveal Answer
960

A queen sacrifice on g8 followed by a smothered mate delivered by a knight on f7 for white is a mating pattern named for what French player, considered the best player of his era?

Click to Reveal Answer
Francois-Andre Danican Philidor

Another variant, using a 10x8 board and adding two new pieces, usually known as a Chancellor (combining a Rook and a Knight) and an Archbishop (combining a Bishop and Knight) was named for what former World Champion, the only undisputed champion other than Bobby Fischer born in North America?

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Jose Raul Capablanca

One more variant- perhaps a bit too cost-prohibitive to have hit the mainstream, Leonard, Howard, Raj, and Sheldon, of Big Bang Theory fame, played a variant of chess involving navigating a field of laser beams before making a move. What was this game called?

Click to Reveal Answer
Secret Agent Laser Obstacle Chess

A 2001 Super Bowl commercial featured a former world champion defeating a computer in a chess match, and proceeding to say that machines are stupid by nature. The champion then meets his match against an elevator, floor waxer, and a machine bearing the name of what company, who sponsored the ad?

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Pepsi

What does the French term "j'adoube," sometimes used in tournament play, translate to in English? It is sometimes used to temporarily suspend the touch-move rule.

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I adjust

Finally, White to move and mate in 2. As your answer, write down the first move in the sequence.

Click for additional information

Click to Reveal Answer
Rh6