A fun and educational video posted on YouTube by chess streamer Anna Cramling, 21, shows how someone can be sitting in the presence of greatness and have no idea. It’s also an excellent explanation of chess from a passionate street player.
In the video, Anna sits down in Washington Square Park in New York City with a street player named Johnny, who thinks she and her mother, Pia, are beginners. In reality, Anna is the daughter of Juan Manuel Bellón López, a five-time Spanish champion, and her mother is Pia Cramling, the fifth-ever female grandmaster.
“You want me to show you some basic stuff?” Johnny asks the mom and daughter, who happily sit at his board. The street player then goes into a passionate speech about how chess is a warlike game and that there are two “fundamental things” grandmasters teach.
He had no idea that he was sitting in front of one.
Johnny then challenges Pia to a game, and in just a few moves, she has him in double-check, winning the game. Johnny can’t believe that he was beaten so quickly by a beginner. “Do you want to know something, Johnny?” Anna asks. “I’m going to tell you a little secret.”
Pia then reveals that she’s been playing for 50 years. “My mom is a grandmaster,” Anna says excitedly.
The great thing about the big reveal is that Johnny doesn’t get mad when he learns that he was fooled. Instead, he’s excited to keep playing. “I want to play you one more!” Johnny says. What a great sport.