Chess and Jiu Jitsu....

I know the comparison has been made a millions times but chess are really to sides of the same coin. I recently listened to the Open Mat Radio podcast with Adisa Banjoko. He goes into depth about the benefits of learning about and playing chess and how it helped his jiu jitsu game. I also know that Josh Waitzkin over at Marcelos is a chess ninja. My question is, does anyone here play chess and if so, how, if at all, has it impacted your jiu jitsu game? I used to play a lot with my dad when I was a kid and Im thinkin about pickin it back up again. Thoughts?

I play chutes and ladders.

I actually play chess with one of my instructors sometimes. I used to feel bad beating her so bad, well that was till I started rolling with her. Now not so much. :)

Chess is cool.

I was a pretty serious chess player for a spell in my life. Still play it from time to time, but nothing serious anymore. In addition, I have been practicing and preforming magic since I was 19 as a professional. The psychology from the magic learned, as well as the subtleties, and the timing of the misdirection; plays a huge roll in the way I teach and play the game of JiuJitsu. All of the studying and reading I did before each chess match I played. Learning how professional chess players approached the game of chess, and learning to see patterns 20-30 moves a head, has helped me develop a keen eye for repeating patterns from multiple positions in jiujitsu. Factor in a football back ground as a player and coach, and you know have the foundation and determination to be a top level jiujitsu competitor and instructor. Its of my opinion, that who you were before you started learning jiujitsu will make a gigantic impact on your jiujitsu game, and what you chose to do in the sport. You just need to recognize how to put the pieces together.

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Originally Posted by Chris Herzog

I play chutes and ladders.

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Love it...must do wonders for your game

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Originally Posted by Brent Alvarez

I was a pretty serious chess player for a spell in my life. Still play it from time to time, but nothing serious anymore. In addition, I have been practicing and preforming magic since I was 19 as a professional. The psychology from the magic learned, as well as the subtleties, and the timing of the misdirection; plays a huge roll in the way I teach and play the game of JiuJitsu. All of the studying and reading I did before each chess match I played. Learning how professional chess players approached the game of chess, and learning to see patterns 20-30 moves a head, has helped me develop a keen eye for repeating patterns from multiple positions in jiujitsu. Factor in a football back ground as a player and coach, and you know have the foundation and determination to be a top level jiujitsu competitor and instructor. Its of my opinion, that who you were before you started learning jiujitsu will make a gigantic impact on your jiujitsu game, and what you chose to do in the sport. You just need to recognize how to put the pieces together.

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Beautiful.

Try this, set the chess board next to the mat. Use your round timer for 3 minute rounds 30 sec break. roll for the 3 and then you have 30 sec to make your chess move. If you don't move in 30 sec you lose. If you submit your opponent on your turn, you have the rest of the 3 min and the 30sec to make your move. When you're exhausted it takes great mental strength to make a good move. Save the game from session to session. Some games can take a month!!

Now that is some deep stuff there :)

I've just gotten into chess and just started training with a little consistency at 10th Planet SF. Chess has been really helpful for my Jiu-Jitsu journey.

I play chess with my friends on an app called SocialCHess and I've found it to be really helpful for enforcing the concept of consistency. I've played so many games since New Year's that I've been able to see progress (I'm still a super novice), and that (among other things) inspires me to keep showing up on the mat, even when things are frustrating.

Also, I just started reading Josh Waitzkin's The Art of Learning, and it's a good read. The premise is essentially that maintaining joy and bringing body and mind into alignment by practicing a physical and mental skill will cause both to improve faster.

My username for SocialChess is Chadfredlott if anyone wants to play. I'm not affiliated with the app in anyway

Jiu Jitsu makes chess look like checkers

Edgar Aleen Poe on chess vs checkers:

"To calculate is not in itself to analyze. A chess player, for example, does one without effort of the other. I will therefore take occasion to assert that the higher powers of the reflective intellect are more decidedly and more usefully tasked by the unostentatious game of draughts than by all the elaborate frivolity of chess. In the latter, where the pieces have different and bizarre motions, with various and variable values, what is only complex is mistaken for what is profound. The attention is here called powerfully into play. If it flag for an instant, an oversight is committed resulting in injury or defeat. The possible moves being not only manifold but involve, the chances of such oversights are multiplied and in nine cases out of ten it is the more concentrative, rather than the more acute player who conquers. In draughts, on the contrary, where the moves are unique and have little variation, the probabilities of inadvertence are diminished and the mere attention being left comparatively, unemployed, what advantages are obtained by either party are obtained by superior acumen".

Give checkers some love! :)

I prefer the Chinese game of Go its much more efficient

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Originally Posted by ryanboor

I know the comparison has been made a millions times but chess are really to sides of the same coin. I recently listened to the Open Mat Radio podcast with Adisa Banjoko. He goes into depth about the benefits of learning about and playing chess and how it helped his jiu jitsu game. I also know that Josh Waitzkin over at Marcelos is a chess ninja. My question is, does anyone here play chess and if so, how, if at all, has it impacted your jiu jitsu game? I used to play a lot with my dad when I was a kid and Im thinkin about pickin it back up again. Thoughts?

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Hi Ryan, here's something I put together that kinda explains the relationship of JJ and Chess:
Attachment 2567

Essentially, it boils down to lookahead moves and capitalizing on the moment, while setting up your army(your body) to defend while attacking, and attack while defending.

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Originally Posted by Slick Rick

Hi Ryan, here's something I put together that kinda explains the relationship of JJ and Chess:
Attachment 2567

Essentially, it boils down to lookahead moves and capitalizing on the moment, while setting up your army(your body) to defend while attacking, and attack while defending.

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Adisa would love that! Can you send it to me so I can share it with him? paul at openmatradio dot com

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Originally Posted by OpenMatRadio

Adisa would love that! Can you send it to me so I can share it with him? paul at openmatradio dot com

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Doing that now Paul.
Talk soon.

Nice Rick. And Paul love the podcast, keep up the great work man!

The difference is, in chess were both players start dead even, a bishop will only move diagonal. In jj, you have the potential to make every piece a queen. If I lined my board up with Marcelo's, they would look radically different. I doubt he would have many, if any, pawns.

Rick thanks for the everything! Will be getting that to Adisa later today. If you're able to make the KO FInisher in Anaheim Adisa is also having a speed chess tournament. Rza is going to defend his title there! So Wutang, Kurt Osiander and Adisa? How do you not make it out for that?

Ryanboor, thanks man, I really appreciate the kind words. What is 5th Rd Fitness? I was born and raised in Buffalo and still have ties to WNY. I didn't realize there was a moon in Elmira. I know there's a great one in Rochester.

There isn't a moon in Elmira (sigh), but 5th Rd Fitness is a small MMA gym run by John Franchi (who fought briefly in the WEC) and Pat Audinwood (who fought briefly in the UFC) They have ties to Ultimate Athletics/ Team Bombsquad (not the west coast Eddie Bravo version)/ CNY MMA....all central NY based teams. Elmira, Binghamton, Cortland, Ithaca, Syracuse. Im the lone 10P dude in my gym but I do everything I can to rep the system!

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Originally Posted by ryanboor

There isn't a moon in Elmira (sigh), but 5th Rd Fitness is a small MMA gym run by John Franchi (who fought briefly in the WEC) and Pat Audinwood (who fought briefly in the UFC) They have ties to Ultimate Athletics/ Team Bombsquad (not the west coast Eddie Bravo version)/ CNY MMA....all central NY based teams. Elmira, Binghamton, Cortland, Ithaca, Syracuse. Im the lone 10P dude in my gym but I do everything I can to rep the system!

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Cool. If you ever make it to Buffalo check out WNY MMA, it's an alliance academy. Two of my best friends train/teach there. If Rosco is around he has a sick RG. When he lived with me in Vegas I saw him use it rolling with Fredson Paxaio. Fredson basically resorted to try and slam him to pass it. Rosco is one of the most technical people I've got to train with.

Awesome good to know!

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Originally Posted by OpenMatRadio

Rick thanks for the everything! Will be getting that to Adisa later today. If you're able to make the KO FInisher in Anaheim Adisa is also having a speed chess tournament. Rza is going to defend his title there! So Wutang, Kurt Osiander and Adisa? How do you not make it out for that?

Ryanboor, thanks man, I really appreciate the kind words. What is 5th Rd Fitness? I was born and raised in Buffalo and still have ties to WNY. I didn't realize there was a moon in Elmira. I know there's a great one in Rochester.

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So Awesome! I look forward to this. RZA on chess! Sounds amazing!!! Thanks for the heads up.

Good thread. Look up the Hip Hop Chess Federation... It combines martial arts, hip hop, and chess. Also, anyone who would like to get some games in, I'm down. Download the "Chess Time" app on android or iphone and send me a game. Same username - "Solicit"

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Originally Posted by Solicit

Good thread. Look up the Hip Hop Chess Federation... It combines martial arts, hip hop, and chess. Also, anyone who would like to get some games in, I'm down. Download the "Chess Time" app on android or iphone and send me a game. Same username - "Solicit"

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I'll be interviewing Adisa this weekend on my podcast with Nic G., if you've got any questions let me know. Email or facebook work best. Paul at openmatradio dot com or http://www.facebook.com/openmatradio

Here is the interview I did with him on OpenMatRadio
http://www.openmatradio.com/2013/11/...adisa-banjoko/

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Originally Posted by OpenMatRadio

I'll be interviewing Adisa this weekend on my podcast with Nic G., if you've got any questions let me know. Email or facebook work best. Paul at openmatradio dot com or http://www.facebook.com/openmatradio

Here is the interview I did with him on OpenMatRadio
http://www.openmatradio.com/2013/11/...adisa-banjoko/

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Thanks Paul! I would love to know whether or not he trains jiu jitsu or any other martial art. Take care.

I got into chess pretty early in life and I still play every now and then. I won a couple of tournaments back when I was in high school but nothing intense as a typical tourny you'd see from legit regular players. I'm still very green to bjj but I can definitely see similarities. Responding to setups and frames while being able to think of future moves is a huge tool in both of these games.

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Originally Posted by OpenMatRadio

I'll be interviewing Adisa this weekend on my podcast with Nic G., if you've got any questions let me know. Email or facebook work best. Paul at openmatradio dot com or http://www.facebook.com/openmatradio

Here is the interview I did with him on OpenMatRadio
http://www.openmatradio.com/2013/11/...adisa-banjoko/

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Dope! I will check it out. I would really like to find out more about getting invloved with HHCF. We need local clubs or spots that run tournaments. I book a lot of hip hop shows in San Diego and would love to help out somehow to get HHCF more active in SD.

The troll is strong in this one but I can't resist......

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Originally Posted by Black Grandmaster

Chess is a universe more complex than jiujitsu. In fact, there are more possible chess positions than there are atoms in the known universe. This is not an exaggeration. And it is not just about calculation, but also deep strategic knowledge and skill. It involves great imagination and creativity as well as memory...... The names of every maneuver in jiujitsu wouldn't even half complete the names of a single opening variation in chess. And within each opening variation there are countless sub-variations, and even secondary and tertiary sub-variations, such as in the example of a king pawn opening known as the French Defense, Classical System, McCutcheon, Janowski Variation....".

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WRONG! The moves and combinations in a chess game are limited to the board and rule set (a massive number no doubt) but possible jiu jitsu positions are only limited by the participants physical abilities.

There is still a finite amount of positions in both. The amounts of positions are huge but it's not infinite.
I love chess, played it a long time. There is certainly a huge cross over in many respects.

There is only so many places your limbs can be. If you were to assign points to lots of places on your body and
then map it out in a 3-dimensional grid you could think of moving your limbs like moves in chess.
There is not infinite combinations of where your limbs are.

Also similar to chess there will be many positions where there is essentially no difference even though
there could exist thousands of slightly different versions. Eg - King and Rook v Rook, you could place
these three pieces on the board many ways but the eventual outcome for almost all these positions will
be checkmate. No real difference. Same kind of thing where you might hold a side control with your leg one
inch to the left etc, different coordinates but essentially the same position, unless of course this extra
inch has made some other move available that wasn't before etc.

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Originally Posted by Brent Alvarez

I was a pretty serious chess player for a spell in my life. Still play it from time to time, but nothing serious anymore. In addition, I have been practicing and preforming magic since I was 19 as a professional. The psychology from the magic learned, as well as the subtleties, and the timing of the misdirection; plays a huge roll in the way I teach and play the game of JiuJitsu. All of the studying and reading I did before each chess match I played. Learning how professional chess players approached the game of chess, and learning to see patterns 20-30 moves a head, has helped me develop a keen eye for repeating patterns from multiple positions in jiujitsu. Factor in a football back ground as a player and coach, and you know have the foundation and determination to be a top level jiujitsu competitor and instructor. Its of my opinion, that who you were before you started learning jiujitsu will make a gigantic impact on your jiujitsu game, and what you chose to do in the sport. You just need to recognize how to put the pieces together.

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I can't wait until I get to a level where I can see patterns like you. I know I just gotta keep at it !

My instructor always hated the analogy of BJJ with chess. He would say that in chess the contestants make moves in turns. In BJJ, multiple moves can be made at the same time by both combatants and that they are very different fields.

Id love to be better at chess, but If chess were ranked, im not even white belt