Manny Pacquiao tests his chess skills against ‘10-year-old Magnus Carlsen’ in exhibition match

October 4, 2021

Manny Pacquiao can now a

Valiant losing effort: The recently retired boxer, who has filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) to join the Philippines’ 2022 presidential race, fared better than most celebrity challengers during the “Magnus Carlsen Celebrity Charity Challenge,” reported Rappler.

The Philippine senator lasted 41 moves against an app programmed to simulate a 10-year-old version of Norwegian world chess champion Magnus Carlsen.
The charity match was broadcast on Friday during the Finals of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.
In a video of the match, Pacquiao can be seen actively engaging the Play Magnus app before suffering a checkmate.
The boxing legend received $5,000 for participating. This will go to the Manny Pacquiao Foundation, which was “built from Manny’s commitment to giving back and fighting for those less fortunate.”
Pacquiao, an avid chess fan, sponsored the 2013 and 2018 Asian Continental Chess Championships in the Philippines.
Prior to the match, the real-life Carlsen expressed his excitement: “I can’t wait to see how the legendary Manny Pacquiao does against a 10-year-old me on the Play Magnus app. I wasn’t world champion back then, but I was already playing decently so it’s going to be hard!”

Still impressive: While Pacquiao officially lost, he performed a lot better than the other celebrities who have competed.

Against the chess bot, actor Rain Wilson lasted 30 moves, while television presenter Liv Boeree managed 19 moves. Khan Academy founder Sal Khan completed with 13.
Actors Cuba Gooding Jr. and Joe Mantegna lasted 16 and 13 moves, respectively, while Formula E racing driver Maximilian Gunther ended his match with 14.
Pacquiao comes second to Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, who lasted 49 moves against the chess bot.
Carlsen, the current world chess champion, had an Elo rating of 1645 at the age of 10, according to Norwegian records. He became a FIDE Master at the age of 11 with an Elo rating of 2127. His peak classical rating of 2882 is the highest in history.

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