Man 'trash-talked' woman in street chess — then got served with a checkmate before he even knew it

Street chess is part strategy, part performance. Spectators lean in as moves hit the board, and sometimes, the conversation is louder than the play itself. One game between a confident man and a quiet opponent followed that pattern, until it ended with a quick, unexpected checkmate. The video was originally posted on YouTube by Anna Cramling (@AnnaCramling), a chess creator with over one million subscribers and the daughter of two grandmasters. In the video, she plays a casual match against a man who begins the game with jokes and light "trash talk."

"So now you're going to bring your A-game?" she asked. The man replied, "No, I'm bringing my C-game. I don't need my A-game. It's women's month. I'm being charitable." As the game progressed, he continued talking throughout the early moves. "I gave back to women," he said. Cramling didn’t react, letting him fill the silence. At one point, when she said she was going to be kind to him, he replied, "Don’t be kind. Don’t be doing kind stuff." He also laughed and said he had "so many things to do" and called himself "the strongest '750' player you’ll ever meet."

Cramling continued to play without reacting to most of it. The man started to realize she was building toward something. "You’re trying to use your brain. I can't do that, bro," he said. When Cramling told him, "You almost fell for [the move]," he agreed, saying, "Actually, I almost did." Then, the man pulled a move, getting a knight out, saying, "That was free. I gotta get that out of here." Cramling placed her queen and calmly said, "You know what’s also free? A checkmate. And a beautiful one." The man looked at the board and seemed impressed by Cramling. The game ended with a handshake and a smile.

Although Cramling shared the video a year ago, it recently gained attention after its small clip was reposted on Reddit by u/ansyhrrian. Viewers praised the game and the dynamic that unfolded. u/jacksawild wrote, "That's Anna Cramling. The daughter of two grandmasters. Lol." u/SandiegoJack added, "It seemed like friendly trash talk to me. Glad to see people can still have this kinda fun." u/silentt_86 added, "When you get the lip and the handshake, that’s a good game." u/AccordingSelf3221 commented, "That is a pretty dominant checkmate indeed. He didn't see it, but in the end, when it happened, he was truly impressed. I've seen a lot of videos of Anna; she is super good at chess and an endearing character. That was lovely." 

Others appreciated how it ended on a positive note. u/Pattern_Is_Movement said, "He was a little much in the beginning, but he did acknowledge being outplayed at the end. Good sport." u/neoadam penned, "Okay, I was wishing for him to shut her down a little but damn, that checkmate was gorgeous. u/South-Bank-stroll quipped, "Yes, girl! That got me snapping my fingers with respect! 'But you know what’s also free?' Friendly competition is the best." u/Parkinglotfetish said, "It's crazy to think the guy is probably much better than your average Joe chess player and she wipes him. Then, Magnus can beat her blindfolded. Levels to this sh**."

You can follow Anna Cramling (@AnnaCramling) on YouTube for more chess-related content.