That tweet from Magnus will cover Levy's expenses for the rest of the year 😂.

1. Rules should be consistent; 2. Smartphone use by spectators should not be allowed in the playing hall while any game is in progress; 3. Some form of broadcast delay should always be in place.

At this point i get the feeling you could absolutely destroy magnus if you simply looked at him before a game and said "im going to cheat"

I think Magnus' problem is that there was recently a cheating scandal that put the effectiveness of rules into question but instead of strictening it, arbiters being lax about existing rules. So, he's being distracted by the fact that nobody learned anything from the previous case.

Chess never fails to speak for itself

i can definitely understand how THINKING your opponent MIGHT be cheating would effect your own gameplay / strength.

This reminds me an old story which occurred in a game between Nimzovich and Lasker. Nimzovich was very sensitive to smoke. Lasker, on the other hand, used to smoke one cigar after another while playing. However, he had agreed not to smoke his cigars during the game. After a few moves, Lasker pulled out a big cigar, bit off and put it in his mouth. Then Nimzovich protested to the umpire, the umpire looked and said: "Well, he is not smoking, the cigar is not lit" Nimzovich replied, "But he threatens to smoke! and you know as well as I do that in chess the threat is often stronger than the execution."

The Dutch GM Maximiliaan Euwe used to smoke cigar in the playing hall. He said it distracted his opponents. When it became prohibited to smoke at events he used to bring his cigar and put it beside the board. He said that worked just as well.

L arbiter...

Levy never fails to clickbait me, any ways i love his channel

The problem is Magnus has now openly admitted his play is affected when he is concerned about cheating. He was obviously concerned when he played Hans. Hans clearly has a checkered past but it does lend credence to the fact that Hans didn't need to cheat to win that match.

My new goal in life is not to be so good that people think you’re cheating when you win. Its to be so good that people accuse others of cheating when they win against you.

"He is threatening to smoke, and as an old player you must know that the threat is stronger than the execution." - Aaron Nimzowitsch (allegedly) This episode plays quite along that line.

I can totally see Magnus being the type of guy who sees a guy who is clearly breaking the rules (although may not be cheating) and is just 100% distracted for sure.

Magnus is one of those obsessive types. He couldn't stop obsessing over the watch, which is something he wasn't used to and it got the better of him. His obsessiveness with chess is also why he's the GOAT. You win some, you lose some.

The spectators with smartphones weren't even subtle. They were practically waving them in Magnus's face, taking pictures of him, while the arbiters stood by unconcerned.

Levy: *Points out blemishes in wall* Me: *glances at wall consistently for the rest of the video*

Magnus literally said he wasn't accusing him of cheating

One of the most effective attacks in chess is outside the board; disturb your opponents ability to concentrate. Everyone who played knows how important the setting around the table with the board is.

Magnus losing to Hans and now Alisher is probably proof that he's entering the twilight of his career. The Hans game was more suspicious, but in the Alisher game, Magnus simply played a bad opening and middlegame, which makes it harder to suspect cheating.

DO IT JIGGLE?

Levy never fails to mate from the back

13:34 I won't recover from that flashbang until the next cheating scandal comes to pay Levys rent

Magnus and Levy both misinterpreted the FIDE rulebook. Watches are listed as an example of electronic devices that are prohibited. Many watches are not electronic at all but mechanical--just springs and gears inside.

Magnus before he wins: watch Magnus after he looses: watch

you know... Bobby Fischer complained a lot at tournaments. Cameras, lights, audience etc.

I think the problem is that Magnus gets this urge that he needs to justify every loss because he's the best.However, this is not the case at all.If someone plays well congratulate them and stop insinuating that they cheated somehow.

4:22 there is also Bg5 after Ng4 attacking the Queen, f6 Bh4 defending f2 and your knight is awkwardly placed. Your engine dept is also incredibly low at times

I would not want my opponent being able to look at a watch on his wrist if I were a high stakes chess player.

This seems super clear. How is it so confusing. "...any electrical device not specifically approved by the arbiter in the playing venue." The arbirter at the venue approved it. How is that event not "following the handbook" when the handbook leaves it to the arbiters discretion?

Fantastic recap Levy. Can't imagine how much time you put in those but you are a natural.

This will now become a precedent whenever a high rated player loses to a lower rated opponent. Accusations of cheating can be done because the GOAT of chess started the trend. Kramnik already followed suit.

I don't know what list you pulled up, but the FIDE website says Anton Smirnov is rated 2586 in classical (and Australian). Which would make him 2 points higher than Temur Kuybokarov. So your memory was on point. Until the end of the game anyways. I imagine he gained more than 2 points for winning.

Magnus's opponent plays the watch gambit!

The thing is when you feel like your opponent is cheating,your own game decreases by more than 50% .

The arbiter is entirely at fault here, I don't think anyone thinks Alisher cheated but if anyone does think that, it's the arbiters fault. Why let something as simple as a watch cause such controversy? I think most people are in agreement anti cheating measures are a good thing and being lax about them at the top level in particular, is terrible for the game.

SpaceUK in chess 💀

Magnus gets absolutely crushed Finds excuses😂

They should also ban chefs hats, just in case that dude from ratatouille pulls up to the chess competition

Once again... the GothamChess commentary is as good as any of the old-time prize fights on the radio! Awesome.

There should be ABSOLUTELY no devices allowed, regardless of their nature. It is trivial to insert a vibrating mechanism inside a mechanical watch that will alert the user when the opponent made a suboptimal move.

Imagine being the player who has literally mastered a mental game and still gets thrown away by a wrist watch

So entertaining Levi. Looking forward to getting your book. C’mon the 24th of October….you are still so faraway!!!

Great feed bro! Make another one tomorrow! Thanks

When I saw a breakdown of this game earlier I immediately thought "that chess spoke for itself" 😂 couldn't wait for Levy's commentary for sure.

Magnus taking his first steps toward Bobby Fisher levels of paranoia

That last checkmate was freakin unbelievable 😂 I will never ever see the solution to a puzzle like that

Magnus is simply making excuses as to why he lost and is really just insulting his opponent with a back-handed compliment. "You played an excellent game, but I lost because I was distracted by your watch".

Magnus: Shows up 20 minutes late half dressed with a snack Also Magnus: Your watch is distracting me

These chess scandals really are a pain in the ass. ...Too soon?

I’m so glad Levy never would stoop to the level of clickbaiting us like other channels.

Levy Never fails to include magnus in his video

Hi Levy, I just want to say thank you for your content. You are currently helping me through a hard time with a lot of anxiety. When I watch your videos I can actually relax and flew from the anxiety for the short time. It means a lot to me. Your kidness, happines and character spreads so much positivity which for sure not only me values a lot. Thank you

i wanna bring some attention to point in FIDE rules, where it says "ELECTRONIC" devices. If watch was analog, how it is under that rule?

There seems to be a theme now of magnus getting whooped and him not taking a loss like a man.

Doesn't the handbook say "not specifically approved by the arbiter". - Magnus brought it up to the Arbiter, who said it was ok. Surely that means it's allowed because the Arbiter has approved it?

The moment I saw Magnus’s tweet I would’ve bet my life savings this would be the next levy video. Turns out my money is safe

Basicly the organizers were running on the first part of the regulation and probably didnt notice the anti cheating regs mentioned watches as a example since the first rule said it banned smart watches and the arbiter actually quoted that rather than the anti cheating regs. Its abit sad that magnus got tilted and played badly and his opponent actually played well enough to crush him and this is somewhat ruining this, cause defeating the best chess player in the world as a relativly new gm is a massive deal especially in classical chess.

That 6:30 analogy with Izzy v Pereira got me double checking what channel I’m watching. Love to see it ❤

I think the arbiter's position may be that the adjective "smart" applies to all three nouns, not just the first, so that only smart pens and smart watches are banned. English is a funny language.

I think FIDE rulebook meant "No wallets, smart glasses, smart pens or smart watches", but it was simply written in withourt repeating the wordd smart. An extra hint is that pens obviously are allowed and used during matches, and the specification of the rule was under a rule about electronics, and analog watches do not use any electronics

I agree with Levy that at this level, the FIDE rules should be adhered to. It brings consistency. As this kind of thing has the potential to sour a great game.

It would not be surprising to learn that local tournament organizers are MORE strict when it comes to anti-cheating than the big money tournaments.

Completely savage if alisher gifts his watch to Magnus

When xqc was playing in the twitch tourney showed this is a glaring problem and other of the like. Enforce and run all the same rules cause uniformity is key.

Without metal detectors or delay it's actually so easy to cheat. Hide a receiver anywhere and get moves transmitted by someone nearby.

Alisher sounds like a bully at a private prep school.

Bro is talking in 20m more than I can in 24hours

One more interesting thing that happened here was apparently Fedoseev leaving the playing hall with more than 1 hour on the clock and a completely lost position

13:05 it says "not specifically approved by the arbitor"

I never thought flexing a diamond watch against magnus would be super effective against him during a game.

The fact it's Already one year since the scandal is astonishing 😂

So every time magnus gets embarrassed in competition the opponent is cheating. Got it.

I agree, no watches and I would even introduce metal scanning for events that are important.

Chess pro tip: trick Magnus into thinking you might be cheating and he'll self-destruct.

Being a Kazakh, I am very glad that Alisher showed such a level of play and our country is developing in terms of chess. I will root for my country. Thank you Levy! 🇰🇿

I think it wouldn't be hard to design a device to wear inside a shoe that was connected to an engine and gave the user the engine move as a sequence of "tics" given that the position could be sent to the engine somehow. I'm sure if there were a competition for cheating devices we would see some crazy stuff

Much like when I am playing in a pool tournament. if people are constantly walking behind me when i am shooting or the music is too loud so everyone has to yell to talk it completely tilts a guy.

As a fellow human being (allegedly), I get it. Other people not following established rules that you're used to can put you on tilt pretty easily, and Magnus was right to acknowledge it has own failing. It is weird that the "no watches" rule isn't being enforced in this post-Hans era though. Just ask the guy to put it in his pocket.

What i don't understand is people like Hikaru, Fabiano,Ian , ding , Anish ,Alireza struggle to play n win against magnus and I don't understand how Magnus manages to lose against people 300 points lower than him.

26:00 the player threaten us with a repition of moves is such a cool line

19:10 CD? CDeez nuts!!!

I love how chess players always use words like "throwing shade at Alisher's BRILLIANCY today" and things like "chess GENIUS". They never say skill, or talent, because they are so obsessed with the idea of chess being some kind of grand display of a person's intelligence when in reality it's the same as every other talent in life; you practice, memorize, get good, and you win. Just like playing darts or anything else.

My question is, What is the difference between someone potentially having a cheating device in their watch that they are wearing on the wrist, and having a cheating device hidden on their person? Feels to me like if someone wanted to cheat, banning the watch wouldn't really hinder that at all.

Hello? No mention of the ring he was wearing? Smart rings are becoming increasingly commonplace now. When I saw the clip of him with the watch my eyes immediately went to the ring because it looked very similar to a smart ring I saw an ad for.

the only honest way to beat Magnus now is to play completely naked with a colonoscopy cam up your arse because otherwise he’s already composing the tweet he’s going to send to ruin your career once the game is over.

13:48 To me that FITE handbook rule means smart watches not watches in general, as it says "smart glasses, pens, watches" like they are triplet of smart devices they are referring to, not just one. Because if it means watches in general that would mean pens in general are illegal, which is obviously nonsensical unless they think your plan is to st ab your opponent with it to cheat.

If you beat Magnus then you must be cheating, but he doesn't want to be in big big trouble LOL.

hello can you make an video about middelgames i don't now what to do after my opening

Levy's insistence for a photo really reminded me of how much chess has become a sport again in the last 5 years, during my childhood it was sooo much more of a nerdy interest.

When you're in a lying competition and your opponent is a gothamchess title 😂

I mean, I could see someone on youtube make a watch that looked like analog, where the "hour arrow" would point at a rank and the "minute arrow" would point at the file. This would be used to either show the position of a piece that would be best to move, or to show a position where some kind of piece must move to. So while I believe there wasn't any cheating, it certainly is possible that the watch which would look like analog could potentially help to choose best moves

In every aspect of life when people get suspicious about something, many of them start overthinking, which leads them to make wrong decisions... Whether or not you are strong mentally... it's been a long road...

“TAKE THE DAMN WATCH OFF”-Levy Rozman 15:45

GOTHAAAM! Last month I played against a CHEATEER! I was 1450 and got DESTROYED. I believed he was a cheater so I reviewed the game and he played at an accuracy of 96!!! I reported him multiple times and today, a month later from my game, he still never got banned. He wins like 10 games in a row all at a 90+ accuracy and then loses a few where he plays normally. He literally plays like a 300 and makes 1 elo blunder. Not a surprise, he lost to a 300 once to the scholars mate! The reason nobody's reporting him is because he befriends his opponents during the game in the chat. He talks in a friendly way and explains his moves while playing. I believed he was legit for that reason but he then explained a move incorrectly which made me suspicious. He was like "i DoNt MiNd SaCkInG tHe QuEeN aNd LoSiNg MaTeRiAl aS i'M wInNiNg". Bro ended up playing a tactic that won him material. I then told him "you're cheating aren't you?", to which he rospended "nO i'M 2100 fIdE, tHiS iS mY sMuRf AcCoUnT". He's still free to this day and he's almost 1700. His username is Rockpaperscisoor and mine is JamilHassiba. Hope you can bring back justice. Edit: he got banned, didn't get my elo back :/

Love your videos

It says "not specifically approved by the arbiter of the venue" and what did the arbiter of the venue say? Why wasn't that addressed?

There are plenty of "Analog watches" (metal needles) with built-in bluetooth connectivity. Fun fact: Bluetooth name is after a Viking warrior 😊

Let's all be real, Magnus is clearly moving out of his prime

gotta admit, simply watching GM games through game recaps has slightly made me better.. Not that i still dont blunder my queen on the 20th move but hey progress