16 Personalities as Types of Chess Player 

Fascinating!

0:02 ESTP - Barbarians 0:36 ISTP - The Assassin 1:05 INFJ - Anacondas 1:31 ENFJ - The Genius 2:03 ENTP - Escape Artists 2:42 INTP - Mad Scientists 3:15 ISFJ - The Grinder 3:49 ESFJ - The Naturals 4:15 ENTJ - The Champion 4:47 INTJ - Masterminds 5:15 ISFP - The Romantic 5:41 ESFP - Surgeons 6:04 ISTJ - The Professional 6:33 ESTJ - The Prodigy 6:56 ENFP - The Magician 7:27 INFP - Technicians

Just to clarify, the examples of chess players given refer to the archetype, not the personality type of the chess players. The archetypes were taken from this website which has a really cool personality test that I'd recommend for any chess players out there! www.chesspersonality.com

This is such a niche crossover of two very large interests of mine lol

Love who makes every mbti sound badass

As an INFP, I do okay at Chess and enjoy it, but I also get far too invested in getting at least one Pawn across the entire board and really dislike losing all of any type of piece.

As ENTP, this was pretty accurate. I somehow always end up having really exciting games where 1 mistake means the end of either player. Even if I lose I have fun and learn the most from these games.

INTJ Shogi (Japanese chess) enthusiast here. I highly recommend all INTJs (and others) to look into it. Due to much fewer long-ranging pieces, the openings are slow and very intuitive, almost wargame-like, one army moving against the other. Castling is actually about building and moving into a castle, not some arbitrary-looking gimmicky move. Due to the drop rule (the biggest difference between Shogi and all other chess types), the midgame is very dynamic. All pieces are in play for the duration of the game, so the endgame is often dramatic. Draws are almost unheard of. It has the same cult following in Japan (chess celebs, huge tournaments, tons of theory, clubs in every village etc.) as Western Chess has in the West. I just love it.

ENFP 😂. The last time I played chess against my INTP bf, I made it a drinking game so I wouldn’t get bored.

As a 2000+ INTP, I'd consider myself a mix between the Assassin and Mad Scientist Nice video!

As an INTJ who is also rated chess player, I run into time pressure (like all the time) because whenever there are 5 equally good moves, there is no pressure that a bad move will be made so it frees the mind to “safely” explore which of the 5 moves is really the best, then I eventually don’t figure it out, pick whatever feels best, give away my queen for free when I run out of time, and then convince myself on the drive home that I really was the winner because I achieved some theoretical accomplishment in my head, and then when I get home to analyze the game with a computer, I was shown there was no mastery to my plan, I accomplished nothing, I was losing the whole time, I didn’t see obvious moves in front of my face, and everything I imagined was an impossibility. Then I go back to not practicing in the meanwhile while I nurse myself by ruminating about my “potential”.

I'm an INTP. My playing style is largely innovative and experimental, and my strengths are my adaptability and improvisation. My weakness is my inability to easily see patterns on the board. Many people would assume that this would be an INTP strength, and maybe for some it is, but for me, my SE blindspot means that I overlook things and am prone to making stupid mistakes. Having a high level understanding only goes so far if you make frequent mistakes and blunders. Chess is a sensory game in ways that many people don't acknowledge. Strong theory can trip up when the details are overlooked.

INFJ here - I don't play chess, but your description does fit for other strategy games I play (namely Settlers of Catan)...and even if I lose I can be proud of how far I do get with my strategy LOL.

As an ENFP, I warn my opponents that it will not be an enjoyable game - warning them that we'll probably end up in a stalemate. Just like you said, I go headfirst into ridiculous situations, which sometimes goes ok, but usually results in me losing pieces at a phenonmenal rate. Once I start losing I just start attacking with my king, sacrificing all my other pieces so I can slowly pick them off with the king. The end result is usually me with a king left, and them with two or three pieces chasing me around the board forever.

Magnus is an intuitive player, he has stated it directly in interviews. He intuitively knows the move he should play, then uses direct thinking to run the sequence, which always just tells him his intuitive response was right in the first place.

The fact that Garry Kasparov is an ENTJ makes his chess archetype freakin accurate

I haven't played a good game of chess in a really long time; I used to be methodical and determined when I was younger but last time I visited a chess club they had those silly timer boxes with super short games and arbitrary rules about which hand you are supposed to play with which just doesn't work for me AT ALL. Also, the organiser was hovering over me and pulling faces which took me back to being a young girl and all the boys hanging round his mates and making up 'fake rules' on the spot so I would lose. To me, a game of chess should be revered as a quiet, introspective game between TWO people - not some overly-bureaucratic federation sport which takes all the fun out of it.

Interesting, I too got the "Anaconda" as an infj. SN: To anyone (especially with strong Ni) who's interested in strategic prospicience and self-development, I highly recommend Garry Kasparov's book of How Life Imitates Chess. It is PACKED with insights! (No chess knowledge needed).

I am INFP, and it was completely right! I love having small advantages, a small pressure to put, and winning in almost equal endgames I don't really draw that much because I still take some risks sometimes, depending on the opening played, but yeah pretty accurate

As a sidenote, I always found the chess symbolism for INTJ fictional characters (eg Lelouch, Moriarty) a very improper one. Chess is a game with near infinite possibilities, whereas Ni narrows down outcomes to show only one conclusion.

Besides describing the archetypal playing styles, the types' mentalities are touched on in these descriptions. Their dispositional quirks determine their advantages or disadvantages within the game.

:O Man, This comes as a pleasant surprise.. I've been obsessed with Chess recently.

As an ENTP who has played chess my whole life I approve of this message. I can’t even tell you how many times people around me have said I should give up but don’t and end up “ escaping” and win.

Yeeeeeeeees i waited for this topic for soooo long, the moment that you explain the entp!

Capablanca and "The Genius" is such a good comparison, great representation of his intuitive playstyle

Wow this video was a treat! I never expected chess content from this channel but I love it. I'm an INTP and I would say that in most of my games I am constantly seeking tactics but still play defensively until I'm absolutely sure it will work. I also much prefer longer time frame games. 10min or less and I somehow am always short on time compared to my opponent. Keep in mind im a pretty amateur player like ~1000 haha

My favorite thing in chess is messing with people psychologically and watching people lose their composure

As an ISTP who also loves chess, this is so accurate.

INTP, and you nailed it as usual 🙌🏻

This chess personality test was terrifyingly spot on. I am apparently a grinder and in the end of the explanation recommended me openings for white and black : queens Gambit and caro kann and guess what? Those two are literally what my entire repertoire is based around. If I'm playing u and i know ur a good player i will play only those two!

That is absolutely true of me as an ENTP. I play very dirty when it comes to video games or competitive play. But I'm not playing aggressively dirty, but rather like you say, I'm obsessed with predicting my opponents play, game theoretically outmatching what they are about to do but setting myself up not just for a quick easy win, but for a total dominating win where I can get all the dominoes in a row or all the bars of the prison I construct. Honestly, I get kinda weirdly sadistic in my own head about how much I want to control the battle, whether it's a card game like Magic the Gathering or a MOBA videogame like DOTA 2, I don't like fast games, I don't like easy wins, I don't like predictable wins, and I don't like fighting an opponent that can't present a challenge or puzzle for me to fix. If I'm not playing against something that genuinely intrigues me or lets me "perform" with my prowess, then I may actually just end up losing out of sheer boredom because I start missing important cues about what my opponent is doing because it all becomes so predetermined. I absolutely live for the thrill of a tense competition where I have to absolutely go pedal-to-the-metal with my wit and use super fast logic problem solving to find a creative solution out of the bind. It's partly why I also find most movies to be utterly boring...I can see how it's going to end or I can see all the pieces lined up before they occur. I want an opponent who makes me reconsider my strategy and yet I can hide my own strategy from them all the while because I am just building momentum constantly until the right moment where my "win condition" is absolute, aesthetic, and artistic. Short little example of precisely the "Escape Artist" archetype you drew on there for the ENTP. In the video game DOTA 2 on PC, there is a hero named Nyx Assassin. Very special hero in my opinion and my absolute favorite. He has 4 abilities/moves. 1 is Impale which deals quick high magic damage to any opponents hit by the attack in a straight line area of attack AND it stuns any of them hit by it as well so that they cannot move or react for the duration. Number 2 is called Mind Burn which deals quite high direct dmg to the opponent based off of how much damage they have done to you in the past few seconds. Number 3 is easily my favorite which is called Spiked Carapace which when activated produces spikes all around your hero and reflects the damage of "1 instance" of any spell or physical damage while the spikes are active from each source. In other words, enemies could be chasing you or trying to initiate against you the kill you and they could use any number of skills/abilities such as a large stun attack or a "nuke" attack which is any attack that deals HEAVY damage near instantly from afar and is typically magical damage. The ultimate ability, number 4, is called Vendetta which turns Nyx Assassin invisible, increases move speed heavily and makes the next attack you do on an opponent deal HUGE bonus dmg and is perfect for either escaping, faking out an enemy to make them think you've escaped only to run right at them, OR just plain initiating to attack enemies whether the enemy players are alone and easy prey or just going into a big team fight. Then you add on the different items that you build for your hero. In each DOTA 2 match, you have a HUGE selection of items to build and 6 slots to equip them in. What I like to do is kit Nyx Assassin out to be very very tanky and have lots of health and LOTS of armor and magic resistance. This way, people often assume I am squishy and easy to kill, they'll attack me and waste tons of damage on ME and then I throw up Spiked Carapace or the item called Blademail which when activated causes enemies to take the majority of damage they direct at you back at their own faces for the duration. Basically, I take this hero and make him THRIVE on conflict and opponents not knowing whether they should attack me or run from me because I make either choice very costly and in that turmoil, I have already made my decision and weighed the odds and only engage when I KNOW that I am going to make a kill on the enemy player or players. It's the PERFECT playstyle for my ENTP brain. It's high risk, high reward and it all comes down to how quickly I can judge my chances and how well I can read the game and the moment as I pull in my opponents to strike me before making them quickly regret it. The BEST part for me is when I can FORCE them to hit me because I give them no other option but as they try to kill me, I only force them to invest more into the battle until it's too late for them and they can't get away in time meanwhile, because I have built in ways to save myself, to heal or to dissuade further attack on myself, I can go in, take out my target (or become the target so that my team can clean up the battle) and then get out still alive.

Been expecting this for a long time.

Man you’re good. (ISTP). Good work!👍👏👏👏

As an older player I try to be the Technician (good way to go for average players), but often revert toward my youthful tendency to be the Escape Artist or the Mad Scientist which is very fun but reckless and impractical way to play at the class level.

Hey, I must say, I will be reaching out to this man soon. Because his analysis are incredibly accurate and I feel people may be sleeping on his ability to accurately discern personality types. I play chess probably 11 times per day maybe more.. .likely more lol for about 13 years. And I have a friend who is master 2200 rank and plays competitively. He wants to teach me but I refuse to have him teach me and it's been that way for 13 years lol But I've gotten incredibly good at understanding the game and how it works the creative mind... I see my personality in the game all the time but I couldn't tell why I was like this. If I let him teach me, I would just be getting answers that do NOT exactly tell me what the underlying purpose of the game was supposed to be. I finally found my play style and it is definitely a risky style but it's 100% to force the opponent to make sacrifice plays. This is when I learned what "zugzwang" was . It was time to kill when I found that it's what I've doing. I was playing this way for so long that now I understood how to use it in creative ways. I can see most patterns coming a mile away, therefore it's easy to escape what's coming and allow the opponent to take a piece that I clearly want them to take but they have no idea that it's bait. lol love this game... He is spot on with his analysis... I need my opponent to stop playing the formal game and force them to hurt themselves in order to have a chance. BUT if they last to the end , I typically struggle. The end game is very much a more calculated formula when doesn't have enough pieces for my style to flourish.

Ohhh this one is interesting, I think I like these niche type of personality exploring just a bit more It feels more intimate with how specific it is even within the short bursts of insight. I’m curious which plays or types would have more of advantage/disadvantage with other types/playing styles At least what they may think on the matter, frustrating or intriguing? Boring or terrifying? I don’t play chess but Ik mind games is very important in the play

Nice video ❤this is a great satisfying crossbow of the two hobbies I have. Have been watching Anna Cramling’s streams lately, do you guys have any ideas on what her type is? I’m thinking ENTP but her Fe is so strong too

ISFJ - The Grinder (Anatoly Karpov) is the archetype computers have the most trouble playing well against. ISFP - The Romantic is a whole historical school of Chess players, which is kind of ironic when you think about it because actual introverts are the rarer personality.

This is very intresting. As a beginner this is helpful for my intj personality.

i love this so much

I am an infp chess player, i can tell i see some similarities in my playstyle in all types but infp described here xd Technician is totally not my playstyle

Good stuff, although as an infp and an over 20 year player with a decent rating, I think I fall more under magician than technician. Basically everything you said about magicians, and I mean everything, is my style completely. Although I might not be as tactical as a raw magician, I use positional advantage to play off of tactics, but above all I appreciate the beauty of romantic (style) play and have known to throw it all on an intuitive guess just to see what happens and what comes out 😂. To me, the idea and ingenuity, is the art form, not raw calculation and tried and true paved roads (opening theory, common tactic motifs). The shock on an opponents face, the unease of their look in uncharted waters, the look of “how can this be” is the fun for me even if I lose.

You're video just saved me from getting into my INTJ Ni-Fi depression loop. thanks :)

got my intj bf to take the test, he got prodigy, but said it didn't sound too accurate and that he related the most to Anand, Kasparov and Tal when he plays at his best.

i got enfp on the chess personality test aka magician and it is definitelt how i feel, i love a lot of tals games and how absurd some moves he played were and ive even played some moves that looked as absurd as his moves that weren't deemed good by stockfish like a random bishop sacrifice for nothing by moving 1 square into a square guarded by a pawn and knight allowing my opponent to capture and develop a knight but i get my rook on the 2nd rank and shortly after was able to sacrifice another piece to fork the queen and king, making me up a queen and pawn for 2 pieces with a way better position

as an INTJ here, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE type of chess game IS the one where i am able to amass a few types of attacks on my opponent and; while my opponent tries to halt one of my approaches, i swing in to CHECK or CHECK MATE them with one of my other options. again - INTJ -

I play for a club and my rated elo where I have performed at is 1719, highest opponent I have beat is 1608. Attacking is the most fun, even as black I prefer the Dutch defense since it gives attacking possibilities. My favorite player is Rashid Nezhmedtinov and I would say my style is something like his. Mustering all pieces, no reverse gear and trying to find long sought sacrifices that force the opponent to make crucial desicions. We play 90 minute games and in one game I sacrificed a bishop where he had to think for 50 minutes straight, at the end he had 5 minutes and I had 50 left. We have some INTPs and INTJs and they are just so frustrating to crack because their play is often extremely detailed, correct and by the book. Their pieces are moving like a single unit slowly punishing the slighest inaccuracy. My best method to gain an advantage is to play on time and dubious moves that have no obvious response. But it is always like a relief rather than a triumph when you beat them. Start playing chess fellow ENTJs and I highly encourage girls too, I need a chess date🫢

Never been very good at chess, but the magician fits like a glove. Confuse them with seemingly nonsense plays, then they're in their head instead of on the board.

Enfj spot on 👌✅👏👏👏👏🙏

Mans really just took the persomality quiz results for each type and copy and pasted it.

I usually have the ISTP, ISTJ, ENFJ, and ENTP methods depending on who I'm playing against. I am pertaining this to checkers because I don't play chess, I don't have the patience, it takes too long, anything that takes longer than 10 minutes I'm out. I can be winning but if a game is taking too long, I'll start losing on purpose to get it over with faster.

As an INTP and a chessplayer myself, I found this absolutely fascinating. I identified as a chessplayer more as an ISTP, then as an ENTP, third place INTP and fourth as INTJ, but they are all related personalities! Pretty interesting and elaborated work.

INTP Boring safe moves until updated plan is formed. Who's goal is not to win the game but to test out a couple new tactics in specific scinarios. 😎🤺-🙁🤯

I'm definitely the grinder type, mostly because I can't be bothered learning opening theory and therefore frequently find myself in bad positions so against similarly rated players I tend to win if I survive into an equalish end game.

3:55 my boss be like :

My favourite things coming together and @chess even replied!!

Then you realized that all 16 personalities are in one body named Magnus Carlsen 💯

I whish there was a chess app where you can play the computer a couple of time and then it can tell you what typw of chess player you are like the ones stated above

Kasparov, Nakamura and Carlsen are perfect examples of the archetypes.

ENTP playstyle sounds like the most fun to play/watch

I hate chess. I guess some INTJs are not meant to play.

Mastermind is perfectly apt to the INTJ. They're always one step ahead of everyone!

From your description: I'm the romantic :D Nice that the example is Ivanchuk. Back then, when I learned Chess (still not really good at it) I saw my first game of Ivanchuk and thought "Hey this dude plays like me but in a awesome way!". ^^ He's also a great lovely person. 0:)

This is my thought process as a chess player.. I can choose the type of game I want (open, closed, tactical, positional, fighting for queenside majority, maroczy bind positions, etc. depending on how I feel that day) and think of how to reach that future in as pleasant and harmonious a way as I can. If there's something that intervenes, I try to find an issue with their move, because it breaks my harmonious future. So I either punish their mistake if I find it, reposition myself to flow around the intervention, or create a new future that harmonizes with my future, and modify it just a bit to fit my plan. If plans go well, as they usually do, I quietly and cleanly convert without putting too much effort into finding the most precise conversion, and instead change the game into something psychological where I enjoy the process of systematically deconstructing my opponents army. If plans go poorly, and everything stagnates, I try to find a future where I can win a pawn race or promote. If I lose a piece or blunder, which rarely happens, but some people are incredibly resourceful and worth a hard battle, I have a shift in my mind, and I try to justify the loss or create a future where that loss seems as planned as possible, and extract every bit of compensation possible before sharpening the position to the limit and moving to tactics. Ironic since I just lost a piece to what is likely a tactic, however it makes me want to prove that I can come back a piece down, and the idea of taking a win from an opponent that feels like theyve outplayed me turns me on like crazy. These games I typically have my most beautiful checkmates. Strangely enough I derive attributes from all 16 archetypes associated with the personalities in this video and recall having each mindset throughout various games. I'm an INTJ btw, chess elo 2000 (kinda low but its just a hobby for me and I dont have time for theory)

I once read a comment in pdb about why Magnus Carlsen is an ISTP which I found hilarious, so I'll copy it here: >Plays the worst opening > blunders on purpose > half drunk > gets his queen killed > wins anyways

As an ENFP, this is exactly how I play chess lol 😂

As an INTJ I don't even like chess that much because I suck at calculation. If find Go a much more big picture oriented and more enjoyable game.

I am still thinking where I stand

as an INFP, i avoid loosing my queen as much as possible, for lets say "emotional" reasons, not because it's the strongest piece. Like, i wouldnt sacrifice her even if it means getting a reasonable advantage out of it. Also, i'm not interested in competitive chess since i'd play purely for fun.

Strong chess enthusiast here. I am an INFP female, tournament rated about 1300 although I've been to 1500. Stuggling lol. My boyfriend is an INTJ, brilliant mastermind INDEED. He's a Grandmaster in chess, and a 2-dan (almost 3 Dan) in GO. Absolute amazing mind. He loves strategy and thinking and always wins. I would agree with the chess personality type for him although mine is totally wrong. I love attacking and sacking pieces left and right! Going for the throat even if they're wearing a triple layered metal neck shield haha! I actually have to work on creating sound attacks instead. Personality-wise I'm very INFP. I like flowers and leaves and disney lol.

I took a chess personality test and the result was "anaconda". I wasn't surprised cause my idols were Nimzowitsch and Petrosian. But my MBTI test result was INFP, not INFJ 😅 However, I can also confirm that the "technician" described my style of play. I was very drawish. But my style today is pretty sharp

As an ISTP i have a few opinions on this. Yeah my main route is the Assassin route. Cold calculated emotionless attacks when I see a good chance to pounce on my opponent. I won't needlessly attack or do rash sacrifices, but if it seems to me i have calculated chance at gutting the enemy king, i might throw positional advantage and long-play over a quick execution. It so satisfying when it goes according to plan. But here's the thing about Assassinations. Sometimes they're assassinations attempts and they don't work out as i have thought they would. That's when Grinders(ISFJ), Escape Artists(ENTP) really get to shine against me. It is infuriating when Grinders just slowly do their thing and don't succumb to the pressure i've put on them or when Escape Artists somehow manage to wiggle out. GAH! But such is chess. Also.. there's a bit of a Romantic(ISFP) and the Magician(ENFP) in me, so i can often enjoy unconventional creative play from time to time, just enjoying the endless beauty of chess. And this is why perhaps, Barbarians (ESTP) are most insufferable to me, as they present a vulgar, but effective approach to chess. Or maybe because we are alike in some ways, but totally different in execution... Anyway i rambled enough. Just felt like sharing this, dont mind me.

yep, as an intp... this is pretty accurate

As an intp, I play like an entp

As an Infj, I agree that we have traps everywhere 😂

you forgot the one who shout the rookkkkkkkkk!!!!!

As an ISTJ that was spot-on ☝️

That was interesting :)

ENFP is so accurate. I love Tal

As a 2000 elo ENFJ yeah. Can confirm

Technician with the occasional tactic is how i play - INFP you were right bit off topic but last game i beat my dad by offering a choice of me checkmating him or him losing his queen (he didn't see the checkmate and moved his queen)

As an INFP i love tactics and risk taking. Playing based off my intuition first and foremost. Ding liren may be INFP i am not sure though

INTJ chess nerd here. My main problem in chess is that I get frustrated or prideful. I keep almost getting a super high rating and then losing a few games to keep my humble. 1528 rapid rating.

I am an ENFP but apparently as a chess player I am an assassin. Which makes some sense I really like to play aggressive and I am very calculating. I see most of the possibilities on the board. I'm a casually good player but not really really good.

INFJ here : I'm not fond of competitive games in general. But when I do play such games, I'm more like the INTJ with the powerful attacks : let's get this over with ! (Although I do enjoy competitive games that entail lies and manipulation. Most people I know have really obvious tells...)

I haven't played chess in forever but as an INFP yeah i never took risks my win rate is 50/50 though

Hmm .. I have recently (late last night) settled into being an ESTP. I am considering ... I used to play chess with someone. I did, indeed, make him squirm and create carnage. I don't know if I was hunting his king from start to finish. But, I know I was freaking him out because I was playing fast and rather belligerently and when he said that I needed to take time to think of strategies (because, he realized I was acting and reacting to the moment) and do what is actually most prudent for winning the game, I kicked over the board. Not every time.

Woah this is interesting! I'm an ENTJ and I got the Champion lol

INFP here. The description is the polar opposite of my playing style. I hate quiet positions and do way more poorly in those than in dynamic ones.

Which one is the dude who just finds a random move and thinks "yeah, that looks good." XD

Is it possible for someone to fall under more than one category

as an istj i am more the assassin or surgeon .

ENTP Yes I like to tell my opponent come and attack me I invite you . Then proceed to lock up positions try stay calm let my opponent bleed his clock leave him with the task of figuring out how to open up a file . Its a very defensive style . I thrive when playing as black .

based on chess personality, i am a champion type of player.

yess, ENTPs are defiitely Escape artists

You forgot about the caveman which represents myself. - a player who blindly runs around the board with minimal understanding of his own actions and the consequences that await him

Hey Love Who, or anyone else that wants to add an opinion. Very random thought. I haven’t google it or anything, but I personally think Bill Hader is a hidden INFJ (possibly ENFJ) he admitted he still gets nervous if he hosts snl or is always fidgety with his hands or legs. He prefers sitting at home and watching true crime shows and I think he’s a genuinely good person. Like when he did the roast of James Franco (??) he had to come out in character (king of holly wood) because he couldn’t roast someone as himself. He had to be a different ‘person to roast someone’.

I am a Magician

Love chess but I love it for playing and watching not for winning, so as an ENFP I agree

For the life of me, I can not imagine an ESFP playing chess.