Why chess can't be solved: an EXPTIME-complete problem, not math

firasd · x · 2026-09-05

A technical clarification amid the Elon Musk chess debate: 'possible games' vastly outnumber 'legal positions', and solving chess requires mapping the former — an EXPTIME-complete problem beyond any computer's reach. Chess victory from a given position is an empirical phenomenon, not something provable like a math theorem.

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