Oftentimes, I think we forget how good the best of the best really are – in any profession, but especially in the world of sports, chess, and other forms of competition.

The best of the best golfers – Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, etc. – are truthfully better than they are given credit for. Instances like John Rahm skipping the ball over the water for an albatross was treated as an amazing feat, only still not given the credit it really deserved.

The athleticism and skill of basketball players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo really is mind-bending, as he is way too fast with way too skillful of footwork for someone almost 7 feet tall. Watch his highlights.

The same can be said of baseball players who can hit over a .300 batting average and competitive runners who consistently break unthinkable world records.

However, especially, it is true for chess grandmasters – some of the most intelligent people in the whole world.

The current era of chess is blessed with two grandmasters who are capable of achieving unreal feats. They not only set the bar insanely high – with some of the highest ELO scores in history – but they flex their muscles with their ability to see things and do things no one else on Earth can.

This column is going to talk about the latter, where Magnus Carlsen and Hikari Nakamura have both recently done something that would be unthinkable to even many skilled chess players.

Blitz of all blitzes

First is Magnes Carlsen, widely regarded by some as the greatest chess player of all time, who did something unthinkable at a recent blitz chess competition.

Blitz chess is exactly how it sounds – fast-paced and requiring a level of intelligence incomprehensible to others.

It is also played on a timer, where if it hits 00:00, the game is over and the other player wins. Magnus would show up multiple minutes late to play against one of his opponents, only to swiftly wind up with more time than his counterpart … ending in a victory for a Top 2 chess player in the world.

Hikaru sits back and relaxes

Then, there is Hikaru Nakamura, who would defeat Magnus in the most impressive and improbable of ways.

Hikaru would use a feature on the chess.com app that allows him to preset his moves.

In a match vs. Magnus, Hikaru would do something many never thought they would see – setting up each move in advance, never having to touch his screen as he would defeat Magnus on all preset moves.

Think about how crazy that is to do to an average player, let alone one of the best of all time. Truly astounding.