did Gauss or Euler play chess?
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GJF_2000
Nov 29, 2017
0
#1
If so, how good were they? Are there any recorded games?
Nov 29, 2017
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#2
Not that many would even be aware of (at least seriously) - it wouldn't be surprising if they didn't since they were arguably the most productive mathematicians of their time. Even if they did, I doubt it ever crossed anyone's mind to have their games recorded.
Nov 2, 2021
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#3
In 1700s Euler released a systematic method of finding a Knights tour on a chess board 8x8. In order to understand the knight’s tour you have to know how the knight moves in chess. So it is quite likely Euler knew how to play chess, however Euler was blind for most of his life so he would have had to play blindfolded, so his skill level may not have been as high as someone like Philidor who was alive in the same time period.
Nov 2, 2021
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#4
As for Gauss no idea. There was also reasonable evidence that Leonardo Da Vinci knew how to play chess. Benjamin Franklin definitely knew how to play chess, he talks about in frequently and even met philidor to get his copy signed. Unfortunately non of Benjamin Franklin’s games survived and it is quite likely he was better than Philidor at chess.