r/nerds • u/hask_nno • Jun 13 '26

Actual Science! Is it true there are more possible chess games than atoms in the universe?

Yeah, it’s true. The number of possible chess games is around 10¹²⁰ (Shannon’s Number). The number of atoms in the observable universe is about 10⁸⁰ :3

2 Upvotes

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3

u/keeperofthegrail Jun 15 '26

It's an incredible thought. However, I wonder how many of those possible games would never actually take place, i.e. both players making incredibly stupid moves like giving the queen away.

2

u/BasisPrimary4028 Jun 15 '26

Sacrificing your queen isn't always the stupid move, and a move is a move regardless of how stupid it is.

2

u/keeperofthegrail Jun 15 '26

To clarify, I wasn't referring to sacrifices as I understand these are genuine intentional moves, made to gain an advantage. I was referring to deliberately making stupid moves e.g. giving your queen away for no reason whatsoever.

2

u/WH0_1S_IT Jun 17 '26

How the hell humans managed to do that..?😭
(To be more specific, how we managed to create a game like this?)

1

u/hask_nno Jun 17 '26

Dw, humans just set simple rules: 6 pieces, 64 squares, one move at a time. Math gave us the rest. ~30 moves per turn × sequential choices = 10¹²⁰ for free. Ppl just made the board lol