RZA and Lex Fridman play chess

00:00:00.000 | - Bringing the queen out.

00:00:00.960 | - Uh-oh, that's my girl.

00:00:02.880 | This girl is crazy.

00:00:04.120 | - Oh no, don't do that.

00:00:06.960 | Don't bring stuff out.

00:00:08.120 | - Yeah, let me get some other people in the party.

00:00:10.120 | - I'm gonna sacrifice pieces to make you think

00:00:13.920 | you're doing good.

00:00:14.760 | - Ponder me, right?

00:00:15.820 | Well, since you're gonna do that,

00:00:17.400 | and I figured you was gonna do that,

00:00:19.160 | I'm gonna let you do what you wanna do

00:00:22.040 | so I can do what I wanna do.

00:00:23.080 | - Thank you, this is good.

00:00:24.440 | A few months back, I did a podcast with RZA,

00:00:27.880 | and we played an impromptu game of chess afterwards.

00:00:31.480 | I wasn't sure if anyone wants to see that,

00:00:34.040 | but a few folks asked me about it, so here it is.

00:00:38.200 | Let me know if you want to see me play chess, have fun,

00:00:41.680 | and of course, talk a bit of trash with folks in the future.

00:00:45.080 | I should also say that when I was a kid,

00:00:48.120 | I deliberately decided to not play chess

00:00:50.680 | because given my generally mathematical mind and interests,

00:00:55.680 | I would be pulled all in.

00:00:57.400 | Moderation would be impossible.

00:00:59.240 | I'm the same with fresh oatmeal raisin cookies.

00:01:03.360 | I don't know how to eat just one.

00:01:05.660 | Instead, I chose to avoid the game,

00:01:08.400 | playing maybe on a rare occasion

00:01:10.400 | of a few years at a party, probably drunk,

00:01:13.920 | and have lots of fun blundering all over the place

00:01:16.680 | and talking trash.

00:01:18.160 | I do think chess is a beautiful game,

00:01:20.760 | and I do want to celebrate it.

00:01:22.680 | And perhaps my low level of play

00:01:26.320 | and my approach of fun is a good way to do so

00:01:29.520 | because if you're a beginner,

00:01:31.600 | we're in this together, my friend.

00:01:33.760 | Chess is not just about opening lines, positions, tactics.

00:01:38.200 | It's also about two humans using their mind

00:01:41.120 | to solve weird little puzzles

00:01:43.400 | while chatting it up and having fun.

00:01:46.200 | In this life, dear friends,

00:01:48.640 | you have two approaches to choose for each activity.

00:01:51.880 | Have fun trying to be good or have fun being bad.

00:01:56.260 | For me, I try to do a bit of both.

00:01:58.400 | For chess, I choose the latter.

00:02:00.840 | So let me know if you want to see

00:02:02.720 | more videos of me playing chess.

00:02:05.040 | Now, I give you RZA.

00:02:07.980 | Playing chess with RZA.

00:02:11.840 | - I'll do the same thing.

00:02:13.080 | See what you think about that.

00:02:16.200 | - All right.

00:02:17.040 | - Yeah, and I did this.

00:02:19.240 | - We're replaying the match.

00:02:21.360 | It was already a great match.

00:02:23.680 | - Yeah, it was getting there.

00:02:25.540 | - Yeah.

00:02:26.380 | - I don't know about this.

00:02:29.020 | What's the strongest part of your game?

00:02:33.420 | The opening, the middle?

00:02:35.700 | - I think, I don't know, 'cause I've been weak lately,

00:02:40.340 | but I think that if you give me the time.

00:02:45.340 | - No, we can't take the time.

00:02:48.500 | This is going to be fast.

00:02:49.780 | And I told you I'm terrible.

00:02:51.300 | - I said, if you give me the, no, but if I get the time.

00:02:53.180 | - Oh, to practice, to think.

00:02:54.500 | I get pretty good at chess, if you give me the time.

00:02:56.980 | But it ain't just time, it's your own fatigue,

00:03:00.900 | your own feeling.

00:03:02.180 | You can be angry, impatient.

00:03:05.900 | - Let me just ruin it for you.

00:03:09.060 | - Hyper.

00:03:09.900 | - I just gotta take pieces.

00:03:16.080 | Very aggressive play here.

00:03:17.500 | What are we even doing?

00:03:18.820 | I'm just attacking.

00:03:22.780 | What's the worst that can happen?

00:03:24.340 | - I could run.

00:03:25.180 | And not be shot.

00:03:29.140 | That's a big thing.

00:03:30.940 | - Losing to RZA is not the worst thing in this world.

00:03:33.580 | I'm telling you, I'm just gonna go on a rampage,

00:03:37.420 | just taking pieces.

00:03:38.540 | - Wow.

00:03:39.380 | - This is a horrible position for me.

00:03:42.200 | - Why did you do that then?

00:03:44.900 | You just wanted to fuck with me?

00:03:46.500 | - 'Cause I want to move fast.

00:03:47.780 | - Oh, okay.

00:03:48.620 | - I want to fuck with you for sure.

00:03:50.500 | - Let me try this one then.

00:03:53.660 | - Bring the queen out.

00:03:54.500 | - Uh-oh, that's my girl.

00:03:56.020 | Oh, this girl is crazy.

00:04:00.140 | (laughing)

00:04:01.820 | - That's a real queen's gambit.

00:04:03.420 | - There's a couple of counters.

00:04:06.140 | Here's one counter that may distort the energy between us.

00:04:11.140 | - Yeah, this could be a big problem.

00:04:13.780 | So I would need to, there's no options, right?

00:04:17.060 | - Yeah, you gotta make a move.

00:04:19.100 | - I'll stay off the white.

00:04:20.420 | - I'm gonna go for the white.

00:04:22.820 | - Okay.

00:04:24.220 | - And then for me, okay, I see what you're doing there.

00:04:27.940 | I have to hit you there for protection.

00:04:32.940 | - Bring this guy out.

00:04:35.580 | - That's good.

00:04:37.460 | I actually didn't want you to bring that guy out, you know?

00:04:40.420 | - I got a separate, I didn't like the thing

00:04:42.340 | you had going on here.

00:04:43.340 | That's not gonna end well for me.

00:04:45.660 | - Yeah, I didn't like that guy either.

00:04:47.740 | I didn't like him coming outside at all.

00:04:49.300 | It just felt like he should've,

00:04:50.940 | I was hoping he didn't come outside, you know?

00:04:52.860 | But he's outside now.

00:04:54.020 | So now that he's outside,

00:04:57.100 | when I told him not to come outside, mind you,

00:04:59.740 | I gotta now think about my own problems.

00:05:04.340 | - The queen and the rook are dancing in the middle.

00:05:06.460 | - Yeah.

00:05:07.540 | - I think I'm in way more danger.

00:05:09.420 | I'm not sure though.

00:05:10.740 | - Yes, it's pretty peculiar here.

00:05:13.820 | - Gotta keep him distracted.

00:05:14.660 | - He'll take one more punch at you.

00:05:16.220 | You can't not do, you gotta make sure you do it in time.

00:05:20.220 | That's really the big trick.

00:05:21.780 | - Timing is everything.

00:05:23.180 | - Yeah, so in that case, since timing is everything,

00:05:26.580 | let me kinda get some time away from this motherfucker.

00:05:30.220 | - What do you think about pawns?

00:05:32.300 | You're like, "Oh no, don't do that.

00:05:34.500 | "Don't bring stuff out."

00:05:35.780 | - Yeah, let me get some other people in the party because.

00:05:39.100 | - You know, I'm gonna make it fun.

00:05:41.460 | I'm gonna sacrifice pieces to make you think

00:05:45.260 | you're doing good.

00:05:46.100 | - Pondering me, right?

00:05:47.660 | Well, since you're gonna do that,

00:05:49.220 | and I figured you was gonna do that,

00:05:50.980 | I'm gonna let you do what you wanna do

00:05:53.860 | so I can do what I wanna do.

00:05:54.900 | - Thank you, this is good.

00:05:56.780 | He's not taking the quote bait.

00:05:58.300 | That's not an actual bait.

00:05:59.660 | - Okay, so let's get this guy out of here.

00:06:03.940 | Yeah, let's get him out of here.

00:06:05.220 | - See, this is not good.

00:06:06.460 | I gotta threaten you somehow.

00:06:07.620 | I gotta make you nervous.

00:06:09.420 | Yeah, here we go.

00:06:10.260 | - Oh, that's your kung fu technique,

00:06:14.900 | to make me nervous.

00:06:18.980 | I don't know if I'm gonna get nervous from that one.

00:06:22.660 | - Watch your king, that's all I gotta say.

00:06:24.700 | - I know, I see you trying to punch me in my face and shit.

00:06:27.740 | - Yeah, but don't play around.

00:06:29.580 | You can have the pawns.

00:06:31.300 | - I can have the pawn?

00:06:32.300 | - No, you can have the pawns.

00:06:33.900 | I'm just gonna knock you out.

00:06:35.540 | - Oh, he's gonna knock me out.

00:06:38.500 | You guys hear this guy?

00:06:45.460 | - I'm gonna trash talk while we're still even.

00:06:48.140 | I think I'm down a pawn, a couple of pawns.

00:06:50.700 | - But you know what?

00:06:52.580 | It's actually, yeah, pawns don't mean shit.

00:06:55.380 | You're right, the pawns is not the way for this game

00:06:58.740 | to go the way I want it to go.

00:07:01.780 | So that's a fact.

00:07:02.780 | - You have so many options, it's overwhelming actually.

00:07:05.700 | - I'm glad you see it that way, 'cause I'm feeling the same.

00:07:09.460 | But I still gotta be careful.

00:07:12.740 | So since I still gotta be careful.

00:07:15.100 | - This is some Grandmaster level.

00:07:17.140 | - This is not. - Chats right here.

00:07:19.500 | All right, so since you trying to shoot off my pinky toe.

00:07:22.100 | - I just feel like you're gonna attack so much here.

00:07:24.940 | And I got nothing.

00:07:25.980 | I got no pawns to protect me.

00:07:27.500 | I got, and these kings just sitting there.

00:07:29.860 | - Yeah, but you got a couple of tricks up your sleeve though.

00:07:32.420 | Let me just continue my party my way.

00:07:36.700 | That's the most important thing you gotta do sometimes.

00:07:39.220 | You gotta continue your party your way.

00:07:41.540 | - Keep bringing pieces out.

00:07:43.420 | You know what?

00:07:44.660 | I'm just gonna keep.

00:07:46.580 | - That was nice.

00:07:49.780 | Everybody who saw that would say the same thing.

00:07:53.020 | You know what they would say?

00:07:54.100 | - What's that?

00:07:54.940 | - That was nice.

00:07:55.780 | - Yeah.

00:07:56.620 | - That move was nice, yo.

00:07:58.340 | You seen that?

00:07:59.180 | I'm like, yeah, I saw it.

00:08:01.020 | I said, I gotta take him.

00:08:02.140 | You know that.

00:08:02.980 | I have no choice in the matter.

00:08:06.100 | - A Grandmaster would just forfeit here.

00:08:12.780 | But I'm not that.

00:08:14.180 | I'm not that.

00:08:15.020 | - I like that.

00:08:15.860 | - 'Cause I'm a higher level.

00:08:16.820 | - I like, well, I like the pitch of that.

00:08:19.380 | - Yeah.

00:08:20.220 | - He's like a Grandmaster would just forfeit here.

00:08:22.460 | - No, I'm just, I'm gonna have to give you

00:08:24.740 | the Bishop of the Night.

00:08:26.700 | - Well, do what you're gonna do, but don't forget.

00:08:28.780 | We talked about Fisher and Spassky,

00:08:31.340 | and I started the game in the famous Fisher opening.

00:08:35.740 | You know, it was good at one time.

00:08:39.780 | - Yeah.

00:08:40.620 | - And it's like, I'm trying to bring it back.

00:08:44.420 | - The opening or what?

00:08:45.420 | - Yeah, I'm trying to,

00:08:46.260 | I really am a fan of Bobby Fisher.

00:08:47.940 | I know they say he went crazy and all this stuff like that,

00:08:50.980 | but like I said, his analogy that chess is a draw,

00:08:55.180 | it's something profound in that.

00:08:58.220 | And I'm just like, I'm gonna try to represent

00:09:00.620 | Bobby Fisher a little bit.

00:09:03.340 | - You're the Bobby Fisher in this?

00:09:05.020 | All right.

00:09:05.980 | - See that?

00:09:07.180 | Now, would everybody agree that that was beautiful?

00:09:13.220 | - I think you got a problem with too many choices.

00:09:16.580 | I'm trying to paralyze you with too many good choices

00:09:19.740 | until you make a mistake.

00:09:21.660 | - Which is good.

00:09:22.580 | I mean, that's the meaning.

00:09:23.700 | - You should be scared,

00:09:25.100 | 'cause you don't wanna make a mistake on camera.

00:09:26.940 | That'd be embarrassing.

00:09:28.100 | 'Cause you're winning, you're dominating,

00:09:32.820 | and then you could just--

00:09:33.780 | - But if he makes a mistake on camera,

00:09:36.460 | what would the world think of that?

00:09:38.220 | What would they tell him back home?

00:09:42.020 | - I'd be nervous for you, that's all I'm saying.

00:09:44.540 | - Yeah, I'm getting a little bit nervous, but not totally.

00:09:47.500 | And you know why I'm not totally nervous?

00:09:51.660 | - Why is that?

00:09:53.100 | - Oh, you wanna know?

00:09:54.820 | - I guess I'm just gonna have to wait and find out.

00:09:58.020 | - Okay, so in that case,

00:10:00.340 | since this is one of those matches where--

00:10:04.820 | - A friendly match?

00:10:05.740 | - Yeah, a friendly match.

00:10:07.140 | - I was gonna go for either that or war,

00:10:10.220 | but since I'm losing, let's just go for a friendly match.

00:10:13.580 | - Yeah, well, since this is a friendly match,

00:10:15.780 | let's do it, let's give you something to eat.

00:10:18.860 | And I'll get something to eat.

00:10:21.260 | You eat, I eat.

00:10:22.260 | - Yeah.

00:10:23.100 | - Yeah, I think I'm gonna do that.

00:10:24.700 | I think I'm gonna let that be the way we eat.

00:10:28.580 | You cool with that?

00:10:30.580 | - Yeah, you give me a rook or what?

00:10:32.020 | - Yeah, why not?

00:10:32.940 | - Okay, okay, you're gonna give me...

00:10:35.100 | This is great.

00:10:38.140 | - Yeah, I gotta give you something.

00:10:38.980 | - This is what a generous man does.

00:10:39.940 | - I'm gonna give you something to eat.

00:10:40.780 | You gave me something to eat.

00:10:42.220 | I'm gonna give you something to eat.

00:10:45.660 | - All right.

00:10:48.540 | - Okay, that was good.

00:10:51.820 | Hope it tastes good.

00:10:53.020 | - Yeah, it did, it feel good.

00:10:54.300 | I'm winning, I'm winning.

00:10:55.700 | - I hope everybody liked it.

00:10:57.700 | Hope the rest of the audience is feeling it.

00:11:00.420 | Like, I got this guy got a chance to eat.

00:11:02.740 | - On the official chess point system, I'm up by a pawn.

00:11:07.020 | - Yeah, all right.

00:11:07.860 | - For one move, I was up.

00:11:09.500 | - Well, I'm gonna get back out of your way

00:11:11.380 | 'cause I didn't like, actually didn't like

00:11:13.580 | the vibe of that.

00:11:16.540 | So I have to get back and protect my other rook.

00:11:21.500 | - If I would've gave him two rooks.

00:11:23.940 | If I would've gave him two rooks.

00:11:25.500 | - That's too generous.

00:11:26.340 | You're not that generous, I appreciate that.

00:11:28.300 | - Yeah, the people would've been talking about me

00:11:30.940 | for years to come.

00:11:32.100 | (laughing)

00:11:34.980 | Oh, look at this guy.

00:11:36.180 | - He's getting nervous.

00:11:37.020 | He's like, what you doing?

00:11:37.940 | You gotta...

00:11:38.780 | - I'm gonna get a good look.

00:11:39.620 | - Yeah, yeah, 100%.

00:11:41.980 | - So let me count my money.

00:11:43.100 | You count your money, count my money.

00:11:45.340 | Oh, you got more money than me.

00:11:47.220 | - I gotta make you feel nervous about something.

00:11:50.460 | - Whoa, that was a bad move right there, brother.

00:11:56.180 | That one there.

00:12:00.300 | What you gonna do with that?

00:12:05.220 | You gonna zoom in on that?

00:12:06.060 | (laughing)

00:12:08.740 | That's a blunder.

00:12:09.580 | What's the, when it's a really bad blunder,

00:12:11.820 | it's like super blunder or something like that.

00:12:14.100 | - Yeah, well, it makes this move bad, right?

00:12:15.700 | It's a couple of things about it.

00:12:16.780 | - Well, you really don't wanna bring the king out

00:12:20.220 | like that, right?

00:12:21.380 | - Yeah, even if you would've left him back there,

00:12:23.540 | it would've been a better exchange for you

00:12:25.300 | because I gave you this rook, but you took the wrong rook.

00:12:29.380 | - Yeah.

00:12:30.220 | - You should've took this rook, right?

00:12:31.460 | - Yeah.

00:12:32.300 | - But you took that rook, which I was cool with.

00:12:33.860 | I was hoping you'd take that rook.

00:12:34.900 | Even if you took this rook, I was cool

00:12:36.180 | 'cause I would've got the horse.

00:12:37.820 | And then I would've still been up two points.

00:12:39.860 | - Yeah.

00:12:40.780 | - But you took this rook, which was detrimental.

00:12:43.100 | - 'Cause I'm gonna lose it anyway.

00:12:44.580 | I'm gonna lose the knight.

00:12:46.380 | And then, yeah, so you're saying I should've taken this.

00:12:48.620 | That was the mistake.

00:12:49.460 | - That would've been a better shot for you.

00:12:50.740 | Taking that rook, 'cause now this rook

00:12:52.740 | just does something very simple.

00:12:54.700 | Just goes here.

00:12:55.620 | Even if it was there, though, I would've lost the rook.

00:13:00.620 | - Yeah.

00:13:01.460 | - Which I thought I was gonna lose.

00:13:03.500 | - You would've traded it.

00:13:04.700 | - Yeah, but this is worse for you.

00:13:06.220 | - It's not checkmate, is it?

00:13:07.060 | - No, but it's check, but it's a tough looking check.

00:13:09.260 | But you got it now, jet up out of there.

00:13:12.620 | And you only could jet so many places.

00:13:15.780 | - Maybe I undo the mistake 'cause I can't jet forward.

00:13:19.420 | - Well. - I can't jet forward.

00:13:20.620 | - No matter where you go.

00:13:21.540 | But anyway, I'm not here to tell you.

00:13:23.180 | - Yeah, I have to undo the mistake.

00:13:25.140 | - But the point of this rook check was a discovery

00:13:27.980 | of which was set up since the beginning.

00:13:30.140 | - Yeah.

00:13:30.980 | - This discovery has been here for almost four or five moves.

00:13:33.020 | - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:13:34.460 | - And so, I like, you know,

00:13:37.100 | they say white guys love black women.

00:13:38.860 | - Yeah.

00:13:39.700 | (laughing)

00:13:40.540 | Now I know, now I know what that means, thank you.

00:13:43.620 | - Yeah.

00:13:44.460 | (laughing)

00:13:46.620 | That's a tough looking check.

00:13:47.740 | - Yeah, I can trick you into a draw somehow, all right.

00:13:51.260 | - I think that way.

00:13:52.780 | Don't you think that way?

00:13:53.620 | - Yeah.

00:13:54.700 | - You got all the right philosophies, you know what I mean?

00:13:57.380 | - It's not the skills.

00:13:58.540 | - Well, yeah, you know, the application,

00:14:00.540 | it takes time to apply everything we learn.

00:14:02.780 | It just takes time.

00:14:03.620 | That's definitely the right philosophy.

00:14:05.020 | Everything you've been saying for this conversation

00:14:06.740 | has been the right philosophy.

00:14:08.860 | Just the time to apply it has been ducking you.

00:14:12.500 | - Yeah.

00:14:13.380 | - So, I'll just keep this there.

00:14:16.740 | And then, you know, you can take this

00:14:19.660 | as far as you want to take it.

00:14:20.860 | - But I think in the interest of time,

00:14:23.380 | we're running out of time.

00:14:24.380 | You have to go, man.

00:14:25.220 | - Yeah, we should shake hands, thank God.

00:14:26.500 | - Thank you, man.

00:14:27.340 | (laughing)

00:14:28.180 | That was beautiful.

00:14:29.100 | (upbeat music)

00:14:31.700 | (upbeat music)

00:14:34.300 | [BLANK_AUDIO]

RZA and Lex Fridman play chess

Chapters