A few months back I did a podcast with RZA and we played an impromptu game of chess after. Let me know if you'd like to see more videos of me playing chess. Here are the timestamps: 0:00 - Preview 0:24 - Intro 2:09 - Game starts
I hung out with RZA after a show about 20 years ago when I was 19. He was really cool and respectful. It was such a dope experience because I was a WuTang fanatic and he was a genuinely cool guy and took time to hang out with a fan.
@@getstrongby4038 it’s so crazy when I think back about it now that I’m older. We went behind the venue and caught him before he got on his bus. I remember having a conversation about him about his opinion of Canibus (my favorite rapper at the time), and what he thought about Killa Priest no longer being associated with Wu Tang. He liked Canibus and as far as KP he said something like “Some people in life are magnets and attract energy and understanding. Some people are are only temporarily magnetic, meaning if they’re in contact with a real magnet they can absorb it’s properties but it’s only temporary. That’s Killa Priest”. It was some profound shit to say at the time haha
@Optic Flow the place I seen him at was The Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. It’s a dope spot because it holds less than 2000 people so you can just push your way to the front pretty easily. I actually seen Jay Z, beanie Sigel, and Memphis Bleek there too, which is pretty crazy in hindsight because it was the first show of the Blueprint tour at the peak of Jay’s popularity and I was able to be 15 feet away from him in a really small venue. I didn’t get to meet Jay though but it was still a great time. I miss being young haha
Not to get your story down at all, but I know a story of a guy from Germany, who happened to get the whole of the Wu-tang clan coming over to his house for a after party, and they broke down the whole house partying, LMAO XD, I hope one of the Clan members will one day tell about the story in a podcast or something, but it was probably just another day for them in those days. XD
My first experience with expert Rose Robert gave me profit of over $24,000 and ever since then she has never failed to deliver and I can even say she's the most sincere broker I've know.
Please!!!! Please, please, please do chess videos with those you interview. What a great way to kick off or end a chat of intellect with a battle of wits.
I thoroughly enjoyed this! And I love that there are now chess breakdown videos about this. As an aspiring player (lifelong, mind you), this was so cool to watch compared to traditional matches. I hope you keep them coming, thank you Lex!
@@uku4171 well, he's just saving calories for a big tournament, as you may have heard serious chess players may burn up to 6-7k kcals a game, from just mental activity!
@@uku4171 Stress, which increases metabolism. Sure the heart is pumping, muscles may twitch more. But that does not explain the energetic expense. And I've not really read the studies, but I don't think you can explain it by a stress response alone, and if so that would be a lousy way to calculate the energy expense of mental athletes.
I feel the same way Lex. My uncle would whoop me at chess, but encouraged me to learn and try harder. Chess is a game of foresight, which seems to be lacking for many.
Really appreciate the preface on how addicting chess could have been to a young Lex. Such an admirable self observation. The hard work of your life has been done Lex...you can now afford to play a lot of chess. Very entertaining. Smart way to end the video...leave us all hanging for more. You are a pure Godsend.
One of my favourite people (well, two in this case) playing the game I'm moderately addicted to. It doesn't get much better than this. So yes, please more of this!
Lex your a funny guy. I came here primarily for comp sci and really interesting concepts. And here you are playing chess with Rza. Who I only know about because of my parents. In this universal timeline there is a connection with east coast hip hop and lex Friedman. What a crazy world we live in 😅😅.
Lol you made me go back and check the podcast before I even started the video because of course I want to watch you play chess. I was so confused how I would've skipped this.
Just got done playing the computer! Perfect timing! Fridman makes a good point! Playing chess I found that too many people take it as a marker of intelligence or insert their pride instead of seeing it as a fun game between friends and or another good human being.
I thought the same thing with Lex, when I was a kid, I realized that there are lots of geniuses in the world that were wasted due to Chess, not just plain genius but super geniuses
I think that comment is taken a bit out of context. Fischer was de-crying the innovations in computational chess that were emerging at that time, and that chess was becoming hateful because machines were slowly killing creativity in the game. It sounded like he hated what the thought chess was becoming.
This is how you see chess is such a hard game. Lex is a brilliant person and still funnily blundered his way for quite a few moves in a row. Like Kasparov said once. “You need a plan. Any plan is better than no plan.” And if you try to wing it at chess, odds are you will have some fun losing. Super fun content like always Lex. Much admiration from this side and thanks for another awesome video
I just want to let you know, that you are really man of the people. Your editing, all those memes you do or asking questions, we really want to hear answer to. Love your content
Lex is a smarter man than I'll ever be, but once again this flies in the face of the old cliche of "People who are great at math and engineering are automatically great chess players, and great chess players are automatically great at math" I've been involved with a chess club for a long time and have played against formidable players, with ELOs around 2000, who struggled with High school math. You can of course be great at both, but like I said it's a silly cliche rather than a sensible observation.
@@iorekby Sure. I made the same observation and have 2000+ Elo myself. Sometimes I think it's the sign of a smart person to never actually take chess too seriously and hence get good at it. It's a rabbit hole at the bottom of which there might just not be enough reward for oneself and society to justify the countless hours of studying needed to become any good. People can spend their whole life on chess and still suck in comparison to even the cheapest mobile device. At the highest level, chess involves so much stupid memorization of opening variants, it's ridiculous. The late Bobby Fischer came to the same conclusion I think. A career in science is I think a lot more fruitful and not the least less exciting for somebody searching for the truth.
I am so stoked to see Lex give his platform to someone like RZA, Lex is probably one of the only people in the podcast mainstream that would have a worthwhile conversation with him
At 9:23 you hung your queen to white rook to check on back rank. You'd be forced to take with your rook and then your queen was open to the Bishop. Good content though 👍
Lex I truly love you. I recommend everyone I meet your show. I think you consciously lead an example for humans. I want more videos like this along your serious podcasts. I have grown to care for you as a human being as you constantly show you humanity and care for others. I have learned so many things I would’ve never learned about. Joe Rogan has insightful guests and he is the reason I got to find out about you. You have guests like he does, but less comedians and fighters, and more intellectuals and scientists. I enjoy all that you do. You should have the fun stuff on this channel too because it mixes it up. I truly enjoy the high level, highly specialized guests, do t change that part, but definitely bring more fun type videos. I will also say I consider RZA highly specialized in his field. Much respect to both of you.
I loved your intro, I also deviated away from chess for different reasons. The uncertainty of a variable in a game that I don't have motivational stakes in. That being said it was a 'conversation' between two people. That person just enjoyed the conversation and not necessarily the win. I could recognise that.
I share your obsession with chess...I've been obsessed ever since I was a kid...from playing it to collecting anything that has to do with chess (boards, art, books, films)...to watching movies, tv shows & tutorials associated with chess. Near where I live there is a museum that has an entire area devoted to chess boards...I visit there every summer, & like RZA, I'm obsessed with Bobby Fisher as well...I have his book, Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess.
Really enjoyed the game! Was great fun to listen to you guys chat and play. Hope you will have more of these games! :) Also, there was a really beautiful moment after Lex's move at @9:07 where if RZA moved the castle to check, he could have eaten the Queen and the Knight.
@@pembo333 Rook to f8 puts Lex in check if he captures the Rook to get out of ir(doesn't work if he moved his King). Rza's Bishop can now take the Queen and also puts Lex in check again and his Knight is free for the taking. I hope to be good enough to spot these things during my actual games some day.
@@curlgrey8425 Keep an eye on your opponents pieces. The bishop cannot take the queen as it is pinned to the King. This position is already so good for RZA it wouldn’t have mattered but it’s not a great move.
On my bucket list is to play Rza in a game of chess, get on a track with him, and pick his brain on beat making. Salute to the OG. A true pioneer to the culture. Much love. Peace and Blessings.
A few months back I did a podcast with RZA and we played an impromptu game of chess after. Let me know if you'd like to see more videos of me playing chess. Here are the timestamps:
0:00 - Preview
0:24 - Intro
2:09 - Game starts
Challenge Alexandra Botez, that would be fun!
More of this please!!!!
This would be a great wee series of videos. 👌🏼♟️
Me am struggling to learn Chess. I Like to learn it
More!
I want to see more chess! :)
Never thought I’d see you here 😂 a pleasant surprise
Yes, chess we need more young one
Levy man of culture
So happy to see Levy here ❤️❤️❤️ greatness recognises greatness 🔥
Recap this game!
I swear I had a dream almost exactly like this a while back, except Lex ended up joining Wu Tang Clan and rapping in Russian.
Spoilers for season 3 of Wu-Tang: An American Saga
🤣
I hung out with RZA after a show about 20 years ago when I was 19. He was really cool and respectful. It was such a dope experience because I was a WuTang fanatic and he was a genuinely cool guy and took time to hang out with a fan.
Rza doesn't seem to have any interest in being a "celebrity" so that definately sounds about right
@@getstrongby4038 it’s so crazy when I think back about it now that I’m older. We went behind the venue and caught him before he got on his bus. I remember having a conversation about him about his opinion of Canibus (my favorite rapper at the time), and what he thought about Killa Priest no longer being associated with Wu Tang. He liked Canibus and as far as KP he said something like “Some people in life are magnets and attract energy and understanding. Some people are are only temporarily magnetic, meaning if they’re in contact with a real magnet they can absorb it’s properties but it’s only temporary. That’s Killa Priest”. It was some profound shit to say at the time haha
@Optic Flow the place I seen him at was The Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio. It’s a dope spot because it holds less than 2000 people so you can just push your way to the front pretty easily. I actually seen Jay Z, beanie Sigel, and Memphis Bleek there too, which is pretty crazy in hindsight because it was the first show of the Blueprint tour at the peak of Jay’s popularity and I was able to be 15 feet away from him in a really small venue. I didn’t get to meet Jay though but it was still a great time. I miss being young haha
Both times I saw WuTang, Rza wasn’t there. It was Gza and Method Man starting the show 3 hours late. Just in time to prevent a riot.
Not to get your story down at all, but I know a story of a guy from Germany, who happened to get the whole of the Wu-tang clan coming over to his house for a after party, and they broke down the whole house partying, LMAO XD, I hope one of the Clan members will one day tell about the story in a podcast or something, but it was probably just another day for them in those days. XD
“I lost interest in chess after my brother deep blue beat everyone” -Lex 1010101
10/10
Every interview should include a chess game. Really touch souls!
I second this heavily
Loved everything about this. The editing, the conversation, the trash talk, and of course your guy's play! Again, loved this
I loved it too, but please next time train more 🙏😅
The rich spend less and invest more
Investing in these economic crisis will be one of the best thing to do
@@cryptolove7495 Oh yeah, am also a living testimony of expert Rose Robert
My first experience with expert Rose Robert gave me profit of over $24,000 and ever since then she has never failed to deliver and I can even say she's the most sincere broker I've know.
Lol I LOVED RZA’s distraction technique when he wanted that discovery. 😂
“Gotta protect my other rook” hahahaaa
Great stuff - wonderful to see you play chess :) Cheers, K
The OG chess streamer right here, folks.
@@chrisjernigan1912 yeah before all twitch streamers. KC is the reason i play today
What up kc. Love seeing you on lichess
Two of my favorite people playing one of my favorite games. Great content, I absolutely love it.
Of course we want to see this.
I read a book by RZA that dove into his love of chess.
Damn thats cool
What's the book called??
@@flyingfrogofdeath9616 The Tao of Wu
@@foekist7312 thank you 🙌
@Ali Chaudhry thank you 🙌
I love seeing you have fun and laughing. More please!
One of my favorite creators doing one of my favorite things! Thanks, Lex! ♟🧠
Definitely yes, more videos of you playing chess, please.
Agreed. A whole new sub genre: "Chess with interesting people"
i so badly wanna learn chess
@@areaakhil7266 You should, there are plenty ways you could do it nowadays, youtube is full of good channels you can tune in and learn
If this is the chess level (4 at best)..
DON'T DO IT LEX😄YOU SUCK AT CHESS!! But I like the shit talk so... yeahhh.. more videos!!
I hope you’re doing well, Lex! Noticed you haven’t been posting regularly and wanted you to know that we all love and support you. Chin up brother💪🏼
Please!!!! Please, please, please do chess videos with those you interview. What a great way to kick off or end a chat of intellect with a battle of wits.
yup
“since i knew you were gonna do that”😂😂 sounds like an old head at the park playing chess
This is legendary!! RZA and Lex
I love seeing RZA in his natural element like this. Any extra RZA content I'll take
I thoroughly enjoyed this! And I love that there are now chess breakdown videos about this. As an aspiring player (lifelong, mind you), this was so cool to watch compared to traditional matches. I hope you keep them coming, thank you Lex!
This is legendary! Thank both of you would love to see more of this from all your guests
Farthest thing from content I would have asked for, 💯 content I needed. This was so epic lol. 👐🏽 Wu-Tang forever
I’m a huge chess player. Loved this.
I'm a tiny chess player
And I'm just right :)
@@uku4171 well, he's just saving calories for a big tournament, as you may have heard serious chess players may burn up to 6-7k kcals a game, from just mental activity!
@@uku4171 Stress, which increases metabolism. Sure the heart is pumping, muscles may twitch more. But that does not explain the energetic expense. And I've not really read the studies, but I don't think you can explain it by a stress response alone, and if so that would be a lousy way to calculate the energy expense of mental athletes.
How r u huge and loved this?
I appreciate anyone who explains why they're doing what they do! Kudos to RZA!
not supposed to do it during the game though -_-
@@patrickcox8990 yeah, but it's nice when someone teaching the game does.
Pretty sure he was losing after NC2. But Lex made a horrible move to leave his Queen xrayed
@@andrewbradley3305 Thank you
I feel the same way Lex.
My uncle would whoop me at chess, but encouraged me to learn and try harder.
Chess is a game of foresight, which seems to be lacking for many.
Do more of these!
Love watching anything u do. U give off positive energy and I learn something new with every show. Thanks for what u do.
This is quite profound. Such awesome access we have to the wonderful content you create.
Gawd damn! RZA? Lex knows everybody
RZA is one of the coolest dudes around! Wu-tang forever!
The banter back and forth was thoroughly entertaining lol
Thank you Lex! Your channel is beacon of a light for me in dark times
Of course, I wanna see more videos of you playing chess!!
Oatmeal cookies are insanely good. I respect the lifelong commitment.
More chess please! Love the trash talk too - chess and laughter should be combined more often!
Huge wutang fan. I'm reposting some of this on my IG. This is awesome!
Of course we want to see some chess content. Loved the interview with Kasparov, and looking forward to the interview with Magnus Carlsen.
This is the content I need wow this is amazing!!
This is fucking awesome. Thanks Lex!
What could possibly be better than RZA and Lex? I love this so much
That discovered rook check wasn’t winning the Queen for as long as Rza seemed to think. His bishop was pinned to the king for several moves.
thanks for sharing, i was looking forward to seeing this during the last podcast.
Would absolutely love to see more chess
Loved every bit of it!
Really appreciate the preface on how addicting chess could have been to a young Lex. Such an admirable self observation. The hard work of your life has been done Lex...you can now afford to play a lot of chess. Very entertaining. Smart way to end the video...leave us all hanging for more. You are a pure Godsend.
He didnt do it to leave us hanging, you resign in chess when youre losing as badly as he was.
One of my favourite people (well, two in this case) playing the game I'm moderately addicted to. It doesn't get much better than this. So yes, please more of this!
Lex your a funny guy. I came here primarily for comp sci and really interesting concepts. And here you are playing chess with Rza. Who I only know about because of my parents. In this universal timeline there is a connection with east coast hip hop and lex Friedman. What a crazy world we live in 😅😅.
Rza is amazing. Thank you for the content
Lol you made me go back and check the podcast before I even started the video because of course I want to watch you play chess. I was so confused how I would've skipped this.
Definitely more content like this. It takes down the barrier of the interview.
Just got done playing the computer! Perfect timing! Fridman makes a good point! Playing chess I found that too many people take it as a marker of intelligence or insert their pride instead of seeing it as a fun game between friends and or another good human being.
excellent job fading the the illustration board as needed!
i love seeing lex smile
Definitely need more chess plays man! Loved the banter. Would love for chess to come back
Please play a game of chess against each guest. Truly fun to watch!
Just love this part of the conversation! Makes me glad.
I thought the same thing with Lex, when I was a kid, I realized that there are lots of geniuses in the world that were wasted due to Chess, not just plain genius but super geniuses
That's what Bobby Fischer said. When he retired he said he hated the game and that it was a waste of life/time. Something like that.
I think chess creates geniuses not waste them
@@magnuscarlsen5271 or at least helps discover geniuses.
@@magnuscarlsen5271 Magnus Carlsen, the man who makes 6 or 7 figures a year from chess, does not agree chess is a waste of life ha ha.
I think that comment is taken a bit out of context. Fischer was de-crying the innovations in computational chess that were emerging at that time, and that chess was becoming hateful because machines were slowly killing creativity in the game.
It sounded like he hated what the thought chess was becoming.
Loved it. Hoping for more.
@Admin...... Friend. You're trying to scam people on Computer scientist's podcast. I don't think it's a worth place to do it.
Lex man you have SOOOO FOUND YOUR GROOVE now, and we LOVE it! :) MARCH ON! and the smack talk was awesome in this haha :)
This is how you see chess is such a hard game. Lex is a brilliant person and still funnily blundered his way for quite a few moves in a row. Like Kasparov said once. “You need a plan. Any plan is better than no plan.” And if you try to wing it at chess, odds are you will have some fun losing. Super fun content like always Lex. Much admiration from this side and thanks for another awesome video
More chess! This was fantastic!
This is so wholesome. Dig the vibe and learned a bit about the game.
Love chess 🤣🤣 great video
Would love to see more of this!
LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies! Always thought I was the only one 😂😂😂
I would love this to become a regular feature. Please do more Lex. Keep up the great work!
Episodes were Lex plays chess while talking to guests would be original and entertaining.
Lex, I enjoy so much watching you playing, it was really fun!!! Please, make more videos like this!!!
I loved the banter so I watched the game a second time.
I just want to let you know, that you are really man of the people. Your editing, all those memes you do or asking questions, we really want to hear answer to. Love your content
Seeing Lex play chess makes me feel a lot better about myself :D
Lex is a smarter man than I'll ever be, but once again this flies in the face of the old cliche of "People who are great at math and engineering are automatically great chess players, and great chess players are automatically great at math"
I've been involved with a chess club for a long time and have played against formidable players, with ELOs around 2000, who struggled with High school math.
You can of course be great at both, but like I said it's a silly cliche rather than a sensible observation.
@@iorekby Sure. I made the same observation and have 2000+ Elo myself.
Sometimes I think it's the sign of a smart person to never actually take chess too seriously and hence get good at it. It's a rabbit hole at the bottom of which there might just not be enough reward for oneself and society to justify the countless hours of studying needed to become any good.
People can spend their whole life on chess and still suck in comparison to even the cheapest mobile device. At the highest level, chess involves so much stupid memorization of opening variants, it's ridiculous. The late Bobby Fischer came to the same conclusion I think.
A career in science is I think a lot more fruitful and not the least less exciting for somebody searching for the truth.
@@simon.5 the truth? Neither science nor chess can give you the truth. Wtf?
Okay. This is my favorite Lex Video
This shit is awesome, a game of chess remixed w/ smack talk and thought play.
I am so stoked to see Lex give his platform to someone like RZA, Lex is probably one of the only people in the podcast mainstream that would have a worthwhile conversation with him
At 9:23 you hung your queen to white rook to check on back rank. You'd be forced to take with your rook and then your queen was open to the Bishop. Good content though 👍
bishop is pinned, can't take queen
Michael not giving RZA enough credit. RZA played a good game, 1600+ level is my guess.
Love to see this
What about playing chess with Elon? Guess we all would like to see him again :)
Chess with RZA sounds like so much fun. If ODB were still alive I'd want to play with him.
more chess videos brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
Love this Lex! Subscribed
Lex I truly love you. I recommend everyone I meet your show. I think you consciously lead an example for humans. I want more videos like this along your serious podcasts. I have grown to care for you as a human being as you constantly show you humanity and care for others. I have learned so many things I would’ve never learned about. Joe Rogan has insightful guests and he is the reason I got to find out about you. You have guests like he does, but less comedians and fighters, and more intellectuals and scientists. I enjoy all that you do. You should have the fun stuff on this channel too because it mixes it up. I truly enjoy the high level, highly specialized guests, do t change that part, but definitely bring more fun type videos. I will also say I consider RZA highly specialized in his field. Much respect to both of you.
RZA's comments are very insightful, an allegory for the importance of staying focused on our goals, inspite of circumstances.
a game of chess is like a swordfight.
you must think first, before you move.
@♜ Pinned by Iex Fridman sorry i accidentally clicked on thumbs down when i tried to click on read more. but i countered and undone it
I loved your intro, I also deviated away from chess for different reasons. The uncertainty of a variable in a game that I don't have motivational stakes in.
That being said it was a 'conversation' between two people. That person just enjoyed the conversation and not necessarily the win.
I could recognise that.
I want to see more of this. Yes, please, and thank-you!
I share your obsession with chess...I've been obsessed ever since I was a kid...from playing it to collecting anything that has to do with chess (boards, art, books, films)...to watching movies, tv shows & tutorials associated with chess. Near where I live there is a museum that has an entire area devoted to chess boards...I visit there every summer, & like RZA, I'm obsessed with Bobby Fisher as well...I have his book, Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess.
HELL YEAH I WANT TO SEE THAT!! LOVE THE WU AND CHESSBOXIN TOO!!!
BEAUTIFULLY INCOMPLETE MATCH
Goodness I love this sooo much! Thanks for showing rappers that are knowledgeable and of course from the best group ever!! WuTang 4Eva
Really enjoyed the game! Was great fun to listen to you guys chat and play. Hope you will have more of these games! :)
Also, there was a really beautiful moment after Lex's move at @9:07 where if RZA moved the castle to check, he could have eaten the Queen and the Knight.
Yeah I got so excited when I saw it
How?
@@pembo333 Rook to f8 puts Lex in check if he captures the Rook to get out of ir(doesn't work if he moved his King). Rza's Bishop can now take the Queen and also puts Lex in check again and his Knight is free for the taking. I hope to be good enough to spot these things during my actual games some day.
@@curlgrey8425 Keep an eye on your opponents pieces. The bishop cannot take the queen as it is pinned to the King. This position is already so good for RZA it wouldn’t have mattered but it’s not a great move.
Love this Lex!! Also love the intro! :)
Yes, we do want to see videos like this :).
I'd love to see your grappling jujitsu rolls as well.
RZA playing KINGS GAMBIT like a man :D ahahah so happy to se it on the board
holy shit, that’s The RZA. I’m beyond envious
this is the content we love to see
That alleviated so much of built up stress I’ve had. Don’t ask why. Thank you Lex & Rza
Woww that was amazing shout out the RZA! Yeah this should be a new segment if any guest wants the challenge lol
Yo this made my day yes more chess please this was incredible you amd RZA absolutely amazing bro
On my bucket list is to play Rza in a game of chess, get on a track with him, and pick his brain on beat making. Salute to the OG. A true pioneer to the culture. Much love. Peace and Blessings.
Dude this is awesome!
this is legendary bit, you found your hot wings. this is amazing man thank you