The Third Chess Player

Gianni Dell'Aiuto | WBN News Global - WBN News Nashville  | December 1, 2025

Chess is the purest sport of the mind — a silent duel where two minds battle with patience, intellect, and courage. Think of Spassky versus Fischer, or Karpov and Korchnoi. They didn’t just play; they embodied something timeless. Every move was a thought. Every silence, an idea.

But today, a third player has arrived. He doesn’t sit at the board — the greats wouldn’t allow him — but he hovers, commenting. He’s Homo Googlis, the archetype of our digital age. He doesn't move pieces; he reacts to them. He scrolls, posts, and explains what should have been done — after it’s done. He doesn’t study; he waits for mistakes. He doesn’t think; he performs instant commentary. Maybe you’ve been him.

This third chess player is the perfect product of the algorithm. Not reflective, but reactive. Not a thinker, but a reactor. He believes participation is measured in speed, volume, and visibility. He trades in friction, not facts. His reward is attention, not understanding.

Algorithms thrive on such impulses. They don’t seek truth — only velocity. Reflection is too slow to monetize. Hesitation is seen as absence. In the old world, silence preceded wisdom. In this one, if you don’t post in three seconds, you’re considered gone.

Artificial intelligence doesn’t think. It calculates. It doesn’t ask why, only what spreads. In this match between man and machine, the third player isn’t competing — he’s being sold. He confuses outrage for opinion and visibility for value.

Centuries ago, monks copied books by hand. Today, we copy comments. The marketplace of ideas has turned into a market of reactions. The third chess player spends attention like currency, one click at a time.

Meanwhile, the board changes. The rules shift. Even the players evolve. But the third chess player remains: scrolling, shouting advice no one asked for. The tragedy isn’t that he’s manipulated, it’s that he craves it. He wants provocation. Silence terrifies him.

We don’t lose freedom to machines. We hand it over, eagerly. We tap “Accept all” with pride. And while we believe we’re in the game, the lights go out, the players leave, and the third chess player is still there, talking to himself, still convinced he’s part of the game. And will post it.

Tags: #Digital Culture, #Social Media Addiction, #Artificial Intelligence, #Algorithmic Manipulation, #Modern Commentary, #Chess Metaphor, #Attention Economy

Gianni Dell’Aiuto is an Italian attorney with over 35 years of experience in legal risk management, data protection, and digital ethics. Based in Rome and proudly Tuscan, he advises businesses globally on regulations like the GDPR, AI Act, and NIS2. An author and frequent commentator on legal innovation, he helps companies turn compliance into a competitive edge while promoting digital responsibility. Click here to connect with him.

Sources:
ChessBase, Wired, MIT Technology Review, The Atlantic, Pew Research Center, AI Ethics Journal, The Guardian