Elitism in chess

When I'm looking my fellow OTB players elitism is NOT the first word in my mind

Kasparov played against David Letterman on national TV.

once carlson said he always tries to ignore who he is playing against, a kid or a gm. that is something i cant do but i still am against elitism

I see the whole situation in the opposite way.

I don't understand how playing big streamers is _opposing_ elitism? And Hikaru IS doing it for the views. There is a reason why he is teaching esports streamers with huge fanbases instead of some random 800s or streamers with smaller fan bases. The reason he praises how fast they have learned is that makes him more popular. Now I am not critisizing him for doing it. Streaming is part of his job, he wants more viewers, it's all good. But he is not leading a fight against elitism, nothing like that. Some of the others are doing the same because allying with popular streamers -> more viewers -> more income.

Also. Who has tons of teaching vids on youtube? Who runs a chess center with lots of beginners as members? Who has taught thousands of people at chess clubs and privately as well? I'd say Ben has better track record at helping low rated players than all the other mentioned players combined.

Ben shouldn't have mocked people he doesn't know, and he admitted it afterwards. I'll give you that. But he definitetely isn't a chess elitist.

One more point.

People are focusing on wrong kind of ratings here. It's viewer ratings instead of chess ratings that matter. On Twitch these esports streamers - not Ben or even Hikaru - are the elite, and Hikaru is allying with them because it's a smart way to gain viewers.

That if anything was Ben's point. He wasn't saying Hikaru shouldn't play low rated people (that is what Ben himself does every day), he just did not think what Hikaru does is genuine, and choosed the wrong way to express his opinions.

So there's my 2 cents on this matter.

Good to Hikaru. The fact these big streamers are playing chess with GMs explaining strategy exposes a wider audience to chess and its deep richness. I gave up chess for over a decade and got back into it after a single game with an old friend reminded me how much I loved it. Certainly a few of BoxBox’s million viewers will have similar stories.

Ben has no right to criticize anyone and he just comes across as a bitter and arrogant jerk. 

what did Ben say to hikaru?

Anyone who tries to say exactly what Ben said will get a ban for foul language, but he said that Hikaru was a “rider” of certain male reproductive parts for streaming and playing with Boxbox and some other streamer

that's what I thought. Ben even looks like someone who would say that. he doesn't deserve the attention he gets or his title, new players should be welcome or chess will die.

i mean not the edited post

the real one

Naw, he really did. So, if you like Mr. Finegold and if you want to improve in chess, you should seriously take his advice.

He just said Hikaru isn't teaching the esports streamers for the sake of chess, but rather for his own sake. He was propably right, but obviously it would have been smarter to say nothing.

He also added some trash talk regarding the esports streamers, which started the whole drama.

I think this whole thing is really about Ben and Hikaru not being good friends. The esports streamers just ended up on the firing line.

It's a strange turn-around of things I guess. Hikaru, who doesn't have the best of reputation in chess world, is now the good guy while Ben is the villain.

On a more positive note, whether you like it or not, controversy sells So I don't think chess streamers or chess in general are getting hurt by any of this.

Ben Finegold is insufferable. His videos are very annoying, and he threw XQC under the bus for no good reason. 

Lol you edited that I wrote 'XQC'.. Ben probably loves AOC though 

he even looks like a butt hole

XQC will propably survive.

I don't know much about him honestly, but I know he is really popular and at least according to wikipedia page, no stranger to controvery or using foul language

It's just internet WWE. After everybody has moved on Hikaru has more viewers, XQC has more viewers, etc. Ben, he'll be around too. And we'll still play chess.

Elitism in chess is definitely a problem, and should not be facilitated, especially by influential figures. Chess should be accessible to everyone who wants to learn the game. Since it has brought a lot of joy to my life, I don't let my title feed my ego and get in the way of simplifying things I talk about in YouTube videos. In fact, I love it when beginners say they found my videos to be really instructive. The more people we can get playing the game, the better.

If you're interested, I just uploaded a video on the "Road to National Master," with advice on how to improve your chess! Here’s the link:

https://youtu.be/BxgWwim6vPE

I also have other instructional, educational content on the channel that can help you improve your game, so please check that out as well. Make sure to subscribe and turn on notifications to join the Tower of Power and get the latest content.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpRYz_ElTJC-FUq4unehOfg/

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/giraffe_chess/