The "hand and brain" multiplayer variant features pairs facing off; in each pair, one player is designated "hand" and the other "brain". The game features limited communication, with the "brain" player only able to call which piece to move. Aside from this, no other communication is permitted as the "hand" player then chooses which square to move the piece.[2][3] Time controls can also be implemented for the variant.[4]Chess.com wrote that "usually, but mainly for entertainment value, the stronger player takes the brain role and the other one plays the hand."[5]
Ludwig (left) andRobert Hess (right) won the 2021 Twitch Rivals: Hand & Brain event
Alexandra Kosteniuk blogged about the variant being played during the 2013Reykjavík Chess Open.[6] In 2016, EnglishgrandmasterMatthew Sadler wrote about playing the variant withNatasha Regan during a4NCL weekend.[7] Due to the multiplayer nature of the variant, it is often played by chess players onstream.[8][9] The variant is also common in matches featuring celebrities or figures popular outside of the chess world. Chess.com andPokerStars organized a joint event in 2019 featuring professional poker players playing the chess variant.[10] Chess.com also organized hand and brain matches during their firstChessKid Games tournament in 2019.[11]
In the 2020s, the variant gained traction and its play in tournaments increased in coverage. In April 2020, Chess.com organized a Hand and Brain match onTwitch under the theme "Zoomers Play Chess", highlighting topGeneration Z chess players.[12] Popular Twitch streamerLudwig and grandmasterRobert Hess were the winning team of the variant at the 2021 Twitch Rivals event.[1]
As part of the 2022FTX Crypto Cup's opening ceremony,Levon Aronian andFTX Vice President Avinash Dabir played againstMagnus Carlsen and KidSuper founder Colm Dillane in a hand and brain match, with the former pair winning.[13]
