When relativity destroyed the atomic bomb - at chess!

Two of the greatest minds in all of history – Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer

“Chess grips its exponent, shackling the mind and brain so that the inner freedom and independence of even the strongest character cannot remain unaffected.” – Albert Einstein

Chess is a sport with a rich history and over the centuries that have passed, we have seen some of the greatest human minds being put to the test on this 64-square battlefield.

Right from the genius of Paul Morphy, to the enigmatic Bobby Fischer, and finally to the Mozart of Chess, Magnus Carlsen, the sport has seen some truly remarkable players who have changed the way it is played. But what happens when two geniuses from the world of theoretical physics decide to face off in this game of wits?

The year was 1933 and the location Princeton, New Jersey. Albert Einstein, the father of relativity, played a game of chess against Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. Einstein was actually a decent chess player himself, but hated the competitive aspect of it. He was a close friend of former World Champion Emanuel Lasker and even wrote the foreword to the German master’s posthumous biography!

Einstein proceeded to demolish his opponent with some incisive moves and great tactical vision. Einstein was playing with white pieces and forced Oppenheimer to resign after just 24 moves.

As the great man himself once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination!”. Einstein surely displayed some great creativity and skill on the board to outwit his fellow physicist.

He was an excellent chess player, but he chose not to devote too much time to it and instead spend all that time studying science. It is scary to imagine how different the world would be right now if Einstein had decided to focus on becoming the world chess champion.