Is there such a thing as luck in chess?

Question

My friend says you can get lucky in chess. I say no way! That is the most skilled based game out there!

Answer 1

You can be fortunate based on your opponent's skill level, but luck in the full sense of the word isn't really applicable seeing as it's against another human. If you ask me, it boils down to skill - although you could think yourself lucky that the other person didn't spot one of your moves - It's a grey area if you ask me.

Answer 2

If there was no luck in Chess, a human player could not beat a computer. The computer would win every time.

But there's too many combinations of moves.

Luck can be defined as your opponent choosing a certain strategy that you are unfamiliar with.

A person can open a game randomly with any sort of move, and your next choice is also random as far as the opponent is concerned.

If there was only one choice then I would say there's no luck. Even then I would argue that. Because luck is always involved.

It's the random factors that are impossible to predict. Such as a giant meteor crashing into the middle of the chess board.

Anytime you have two choices, even if they lead to the same place, a certain random factor is involved.

The random factor is on the opponents end. At this point it turns into a game of luck. Depending on your opponents random reaction, luck is determined by whether or not that person's choice was beneficial(lucky) or not beneficial (unlucky) to you.

Now that is where perception comes in. In reality any situation can be "lucky" or beneficial if looked at in the right perspective.

One chess strategy might be bad luck for one guy because he doesnt know how to counter it. Whereas the same strategy might be good luck for someone else because they do know the proper counter.

It's very subjective.

"Luck favors the prepared mind"

Answer 3

I'd argue that there is luck in chess, even though it lacks dice and cards or other mechanisms for producing random results. The reason is that we don't know all the different permutations when we make a move. We can see ahead 2-30 moves depending on our skill levels, but what is the best move may depend on what's going to happen 40 moves ahead. A lucky player may make the best move without realizing it because neither player can see 40 moves ahead, only say 15 moves ahead, but then in 25 moves whoever made the luckier moves will realize he's in a better position, then play to win.

It is noteworthy that in top championships that it's common to see the champ win 11 games to 10, or 12 games to 9. If there was no luck, I'd expect the better player to win more consistently then that.

Answer 4

No there isnt any true luck in chess. chess is a game of skill. no you can not see all out comes of a game but that isnt luck but being unprepared for that line. about half of all grandmaster games end in a draw. it is because they have prepared for the lines they played. when a players tries a new line and scores a win it is because they researched it before hand.
players will never know all possible lines they can play, but that dosnt make it luck its just a limit to how much we can remember. There is a limited number of moves in a chess game and given enough storage a computer could get to the point it would never lose a game, the best a human could hope for was a draw.

Answer 5

A chess instructor once said "never assume your opponent is an idiot". You can only rely on luck when he makes mistakes. Otherwise, you'd have to be REALLY lucky and hope for one of the following:
-s/he gets something like stomach flu or some other condition that keeps him/her from playing the game.
-he doesn't record his moves properly so he can't really contest things like declaring stalement
-a USCF standard approved timer gives you extra time and/or your opponent less time.

Again, otherwise no dice... speaking of which games that have dice are those that tend to be luck (or more) luck based

Answer 6

You need to define luck. If you are saying that luck is defying the odds then there is no luck in chess. I say this because there is no randomness in the game. You or your opponent not playing a specific move is not governed by dice or cards but by ones own action.
However, if you are playing in a tournament there is an element of chance in the pairings themselves. Due to a coin flip you make get lucky and be able to play either a specific person or get white in an important game.

Answer 7

You can be lucky if your opponent doesn't see what you are trying to do. That is all the luck there is in chess.

Answer 8

Yes and know unlike say monopoly where it is a role of the die chess is skill. Of course there are times where an opponent makes a stupid move and you cruise to victory, or you mess up and they do not see it.

Answer 9

Luck is a preception at best, anyway !!
The "luck" factor in chess
comes into play when your opponent screws up big time OR when YOU don't get the absolute snot beat out of you by someone you know to be less of a player !!

Answer 10

I dont think u can have luck in chess.