The Most Secretive Chess Master
Rey Enigma has been at the peak of chess conspiracy for the past few years. His impressive chess skill and mysterious identity quickly gained him international recognition, playing with popular content creators such as GothamChess, Hikaru, and even former world champion Anatoly Karpov in what is considered to be one of the most watched chess matches of all time. With very few people knowing who's behind the checkerboarded mask, get ready to put on your tinfoil hats because we're going to take a closer look at who Rey Enigma really is.
Rise to Fame
Rey made his first major appearance on Spain's Got Talent back in 2021, where he played GM Anatoly Karpov in a 3-minute blitz game promising that he would reveal his identity if Karpov won. Off course, many people tuned in to hopefully see the chess master reveal his face. In fact, the chess match was broadcasted on Spain's national television, and broke the record for the largest live viewership in history, peaking at nearly 2.5 million viewers! This record was previously held by Dewa Kipas, in his controversial match against Irene Sukandar.
Unfortunately for the chess fans who were eager for Rey to take of his mask, he ended up tying the game by flagging Karpov in an insufficient material endgame. The game had a culminating ending, with Rey just barely flagging his opponent.
Who Is Behind the Mask?
Many chess detectives were at the case for many years, trying to figure out the real identity of Rey Enigma, but can we narrow it down to a specific set of chess players? Well, we know that he isn't GothamChess (Levy Rozman), Anthony Levin, Hikaru Nakamura, Anatoly Karpov, Magnus Carlsen, and any chess master who doesn't speak Spanish. Some have even narrowed it down his body weight and compared him to other chess players.
In his interview with Anthony Levin, he states that he currently has an active chess.com account, formerly under his real identity. We also can't necessarily narrow down his title. Most people speculate that he is a GM, but he could also very well be an IM, FM, or even a National Master. Rey has done a very good job keeping his secret, as he has extra pre-cautions set up in place, such as a reversed robotic voice and misleading tricks.
Despite world recognition, the popular chess master still gave us no clue about who he is, and we will likely not find out, at least in the near future. Personally, I don't think that Rey is anything more than an International Master, because as seen in his play, he didn't perform very well against Gotham Chess and Anatoly Karpov. What do you think?
Where did Rey Enigma Go?
Recently, we haven't been hearing much from Rey. In fact, many of you have probably never even heard his name before. He went from being one of the most famous chess players to being somewhat 'irrelevant.' What happened? First off, it's pretty obvious that many people got bored of his "secretive identity" after a while, and what set him apart from everyone else wasn't so unique anymore.
However, this definitely isn't the end of his era. Rey himself said that he has many exciting plans for the future, such as major collabs and matches. We also can't forget that Rey is a competitive chess player beyond his mask, and has an entire career built apart, so he likely didn't stop playing chess. Do you think that we'll hear more from him in the future? Let me know in the comments.
Conclusion
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