ADVERTISEMENT

In 2017, Spanish news outlet ElPais.com posted a piece called "La jugada mágica de Bogolyúbov" or "The magical play of Bogoljubov." The article recalled a chess match between grandmasters Ludwig Rellstab and Efim Bogoljubov in 1940. In the video attached to the article, Leontxo García, the host of a video series on chess for El Pais, used a chessboard diagram to re-enact the match. At one point in the video, García described a particular move by Bogoljubov as "maravillosa" or "outstanding". Pretty soon, people started using the screenshot of that particular moment as a meme.

The reaction image is often posted to express a genuine or, in some cases, sarcastic response to a well-executed (or poorly executed) plan. The phrase is usually quoted as a caption in an image featuring a man gesturing towards a chessboard diagram. And some of them are as outstanding as Bogoljubov's move!

Discover more in 38 Of The Funniest 'Outstanding Move' Jokes Ever

Click here & follow us for more lists, facts, and stories.

#1

Man presenting a chessboard meme with tweets illustrating a funny outstanding move joke about money offers and reactions.

reddit.com Report

As for the perpetrators who inspired the original video in the first place, Bogoljubov and Rellstab faced off 14 times playing classical chess, and Bogoljubov won 7 to 1, with 6 draws.

Sam Copeland, National Master and Director of Content for Chess.com, told Bored Panda that he really enjoyed not only the 'outstanding move', but the entire game García had analyzed."[It's] a gorgeous 'miniature' (a game of fewer than 25 moves, rare among masters) which shows some very attractive ideas from White to force the early victory."

Copeland also provided us with very interesting details surrounding the game. "Interestingly, it was organized by the Nazis in occupied Poland. The white player, Efim Bogoljubov, a two-time world championship challenger, was actually born in Kiev but lived in Germany after he was interred there during WWI. This happened because he was playing the Mannheim 1914 tournament when war was declared between Germany and Russia, and he was not allowed to leave Germany thereafter," he explained.

ADVERTISEMENT

"The star move is 16.Bg6!!", he said, highlighting that chess players add two exclamation marks to indicate a brilliant move. "It is striking because White offers three sacrifices: the bishop may be captured by two black pawns (either capture allows Nxd6+ as in the game) and the knight on c4 may be captured (when White has the excellent move Rxe6+!). Sacrifices in chess are always attractive, but sacrifices on an 'empty square' such as g6 are considered particularly striking because you are offering up your pieces without immediately gaining anything in return."

RELATED:
    #2

    Woman smiling with bike and text story about stealing bike, handwritten note, and man explaining outstanding move joke.

    IMightBeAPenguin Report

    Candidate Master (CM) James Coleman from England also agreed to take a look at it, saying that his impression is "Black played a risky opening that didn't pay off and never fully equalized the game. Black probably should have tried 10...d6 to stop White from playing e4-e5, although White would have retained the advantage in any case. This was definitely one key moment." 

    ADVERTISEMENT

    As for 16.Bg6, the 'outstanding move', Coleman described it as "beautifully aesthetic".

    "[White put the piece] on a square where it could've been captured two different ways, but neither capture solved Black's problems. It's the sort of move that can be quite hard to see as the brain often filters such moves out as they are counter-intuitive in appearance."

    "Realistically though, the game was just a typical example of a top player dismantling his weaker opponent and the game seems unremarkable with the exception of the Bg6! Bolt from the blue." Coleman said.

    ADVERTISEMENT


    #3

    Person covered with a degree blanket and chess coach pointing to board illustrating outstanding move jokes humor.

    Report

    #4

    Man in white shirt presenting a chessboard showing a clever move, illustrating funniest outstanding move jokes.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #5

    Man explaining an outstanding move joke with a dog on a mattress in a collage of funny outstanding move jokes.

    Report

    #6

    Monkey sharpening rock to break glass enclosure, paired with man explaining chess board in outstanding move joke.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #7

    Carved US Seal with hidden listening device and man demonstrating an outstanding move on a chessboard.

    Report

    #8

    Cat confused by lemon on fish tank, paired with man explaining a chess board showing an outstanding move joke.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #9

    A man wearing pants with multiple shoes attached humorously illustrating outstanding move jokes and creativity in style.

    Report

    #10

    Man in white shirt next to chessboard with pawns, caption highlighting outstanding move jokes and humor online.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #11

    Chalkboard with funny burger deal sign paired with man presenting chessboard labeled outstanding move joke.

    Report

    #12

    Text message joke about buying a bee suit paired with a man explaining a chess board and the phrase outstanding move jokes

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #13

    Man in white shirt beside large chessboard explaining outstanding move joke with Big Mac troll meme above.

    Report

    #14

    Tweets and memes featuring outstanding move jokes with humorous takes on text editing and chess strategies.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #15

    Cartoon showing children teasing over glasses paired with a man explaining a chess move captioned outstanding move joke.

    reddit.com Report

    #16

    Man in white shirt next to chessboard with text overlay referencing outstanding move joke from social media post.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #17

    Man in white shirt next to chessboard with p**n move, paired with a funny outstanding move joke tweet.

    Report

    #18

    Broken phone screen showing a green light saber line with Star Wars images and a man explaining an outstanding move joke.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #19

    Man in white shirt beside chessboard showing outstanding move joke in a video from funniest outstanding move jokes collection.

    Report

    #20

    Meme combining a shocked animation character and a chess player praising an outstanding move in a humorous context.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #21

    Man explaining a chessboard joke with genie wishes, illustrating one of the funniest outstanding move jokes ever.

    Dmoney14 Report

    #22

    Top image showing iPhone boxes and a Yu-Gi-Oh card, bottom image features man explaining outstanding move chess joke.

    j_cash02 Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #23

    A cat playfully attacking a hand and a man explaining a chess board with the phrase outstanding move in a meme format.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #24

    Boy carrying books in a microwave as a school rule prank, paired with a man praising an outstanding move chess joke.

    Report

    #25

    Man explaining outstanding move joke with crab billboards about meat and vegan on a sunny day.

    Report

    #26

    Man in white shirt standing next to a chessboard with text referencing outstanding move jokes and Wikipedia sources.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #27

    Screenshot of a funny pizza Twitter exchange followed by a meme with a chessboard and outstanding move joke.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #28

    Man in white shirt explains chess strategy with board beside him, paired with a humorous outstanding move joke.

    Report

    #29

    Image split in two: top shows a close-up of a cobra, bottom shows a man next to a chessboard saying outstanding move jokes.

    Report

    #30

    Woman wearing a red mask with text and a man presenting a chessboard, highlighting funny outstanding move jokes.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    See Also on Bored Panda
    #31

    Hand holding a computer mouse with battery out and a man demonstrating a chess outstanding move on a board.

    Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    #32

    Meme collage showing Wikipedia medal handoff and chess instructor highlighting outstanding move joke humor.

    Report

    #33

    A man explains chess with a board showing a winning position, paired with a funny rock paper scissors joke about outstanding move.

    Alpharad Report

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT