A Study of 215,000 Chess Moves Reveals When Intuition Beats Slow Thinking

Magnus Carlsen, current chess world No. 1. Image credits: Frans Peeters. The cliché says good decisions take time. But in professional chess, the opposite pattern keeps appearing. When elite players took longer, their moves were less likely to match the best move recommended by a powerful chess engine.

A Study of 215,000 Chess Moves Reveals When Intuition Beats Slow Thinking. Magnus Carlsen, current chess world No. 1. Image credits: Frans Peeters. The cliché says good decisions take time. But in professional chess, the opposite pattern keeps appearing. When elite players took longer, their moves were less likely to match the best move recommended by a powerful chess engine. In a sweeping analysis of more than 215,000 moves from roughly 3,600 professional over-the-board chess games, researchers found that top chess players were more likely to make the best move when they moved faster. But that doesn’t mean you should always trust your gut. Rather, players tend to think more when the pattern isn’t clear or they feel in danger. Your Move Chess is the thinker’s sport par excellence. There’s no lucky bounce, no teammate to bail you out; it’s...