Is there such a thing as luck in Chess?

Question

I can appreciate the argument that there is no luck in Chess because there is a logical necessity to the way the game unfolds. Nothing is left to chance. There are no dice, no cards, nothing random. So far so good.

But let's compare Chess to Snooker. In Snooker there is nothing left to chance. The balls occupy their respective positions, the players can clearly see them. Everything is thenceforth entirely dependent on the force, spin and direction of the ball. Let's, for the sake of argument, ignore the 'kick' that is sometimes observed in snooker. Nothing is random.

Why then do sports presenters talk of players (sometimes very good ones) being 'unlucky'. What random factor has produced their bad luck? Or are we inadvertantly employing a definition of luck that might have an applicability in Chess?

Surely if the Snooker player was 'skilful' when he potted the black ball, why was he not unskilful when the white went in in unusual circumstances afterwards?

Answer 1

There is a small degree of "luck" in chess.  A player may not have had the rest they needed the night before they played you.  You could be a higher rated opponent playing a weaker opponent, so when a blunder is made by you, the weaker opponent may not capitalize thinking that you made that move on purpose.  I've been a weaker opponent playing the stronger player and I've been overlooked as a pushover until proven otherwise.  However, "luck" should never be relied upon in the game of chess.  As Bobby Fischer once put it, "I believe in good moves."

Answer 2

There is not luck.Its all skill.

Answer 3

I believe there can be an element of luck in chess.

I say 'luck' because the way I have seen it emerge is when somebody has calculated a combination and only when they play through the next two or three moves do they then spot something which is better - something which they had not thought about prior to going down that route.

Answer 4

there is luck like the opponent's stupidity is luck or if your opponent's condition is having a crappy day then its your luck. but other than that theres no luck its all about how much and how perfectly you planned your game and understanding your opponents moves.

Answer 5

if a run of good or bad decision making, can be considered good or bad luck,  then anything is possible,  don't go much on your analgy, sorry, snooker, yes, if robotic arm, shooting on a level table, repetitively should get same results, but takes so little varience, to make a mammoth difference in the outcome,  chess however, is direct, and only affected by your mind, strategy etc..  totally up to you, no matter how unlever the board is!, or how long since it was cleaned last!

Answer 6

What was the question? Snooker sounds like a dogs name. Only if the one you're playing is unfamiliar with the game and still beats you, when the don't have a clue. That could be luck.

Answer 7

Sure there is luck involved... you could be lucky to get a novice opponent! Merry Christmas!

Answer 8

Yes, you could make moves at random - you would require luck to win the game. It is possible to get  a 147 clearance in snooker if you're lucky.  If you're not that lucky all the time then you'll have to rely on some skill as well.

Good luck!

Answer 9

Many times I have been lucky enough to get an opponent who is a real moron.

Answer 10

No or yes depending on partner.

Answer 11

when the commentators say that, they are mistakenly referring to chance, when they should say that the person is just having a bad game.

Answer 12

It is not luck.  It is called skills

Answer 13

There is no luck in chess, but there is luck in your opponent making a mistake that you can capitalize on.

Chess is a game of pure skill, but it's a game of mistakes also.

Answer 14

if u are bad at it then yes

Vikram

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Answer 15

it's all luck, like monopoly

Answer 16

"Luck in the sense of environmental factors, yes. As a chess player in tournaments you can be lucky in who you play, you can be lucky if they get distracted, or are tired or hungry. And you can be lucky sometimes in that you are very prepared for the type of game you play. For example, if you are well studied in the queens gambit opening and you play black, but your opponent plays the Queens gambit (White usually decides the course of the game), you would be lucky to get that rather than, say, the English Opening.

But as for the game itself, as for moving pieces and the true outcome of the game if two players were robots, statically looking at a chess board, making moves, then no, there is no luck involved in chess. It's all analysis and logic. Those things come from your brain. It's a skill.

Answer 17

Most, if not all, two-player games depend on the perfect mix of luck and skill. You need to be able to read your oppenent and wait for the slightest oppurtinity and then exploit it. Chess requires a lot of concentration from start to finish and some people consider themselves lucky when they notice something. Given the vast amounts of possiblities in a single game of chess, luck can often be the deciding factor

Answer 18

There is a little bit of luck involved sometimes, it can be considered as luck when your opponent misses the fact that your queen is about to take his/her pawn thus calling checkmate and then does something to threaten a checkmate on you which fails to protect the checkmate that is about to befall them, so there is a little bit of luck involved but it is mostly skill

Answer 19

I have won my country's championship for many years and been in the national team since 1999.... honestly I won many championships I shouldn't have won.. they all say I'm the luckiest guy in chess for winning impossible games... but I think that it's not luck.. it's all just a psychological war.. the way u look at the board... the way u sit.. the way u move the pieces ... just a psychological war against ur opponent