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How does the number of possible chess games compare with the number of atoms in the observable universe?

Past stat · 2026-09-28 UTC

The answer

Claude Shannon's lower-bound estimate for possible chess games is around 10¹²⁰. The observable universe has on the order of 10⁸⁰ atoms. Even allowing huge uncertainty on both sides, the game tree still swallows the atom count.

Correct answer: Vastly more possible games than atoms

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