I made a YouTube channel for Lichess TV Highlights

Hello Internet People,

Lichess.org has become over the last decade an enormous source of chess at all levels, with millions of games being played on a daily basis. This presents a dilemma, however - how can we, at a glance, discover the most noteworthy events of each day, week, or month amid so much, well, noise? Lichess TV helps a bit, allowing us to see the highest rated games in various categories (bullet, blitz, 960, etc.) in real time. But what if we wish to discover the most significant games played on Lichess TV on a given day? No such feature yet exists for this - until now!

OffThePressChess is a YouTube channel that which uploads videos of the three most "important" blitz games on Lichess TV for each day. The criteria for "important" is currently highest rated, largest upset (i.e., rating differential between the losing and winning sides), and most "interesting" as determined by a currently rather crude algorithm that I'll maybe try and explain at some point. Anyhow, that's basically it - with this you can get a quick snapshot of the highlights of the lichess blitz universe on any given day (starting with Jan. 1, 2025). For instance, here was the most "interesting" game played on January 1st, 2025:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvGWpoTRrCw&ab_channel=OffThePressChess

*** FAQ ***

1. What the hell is that music?

   All of the music for each video is generated from the chess game itself via a rather convoluted algorithm. In essence what is going on is the melody is created from musical intervals derived from the distance each piece moves and the accompaniment reflects the current pawn structure. Er, sort of. If there's any interest in the gorier details I'll be happy to provide them via DM or interpretive dance.

2. Why the weird font?

   Good question. I don't know and I'll probably change it eventually. Sorry.

3. Do you plan to include other variants such as bullet, 960, etc.?

   Yes, though it would likely require YouTube granting the channel extra uploading bandwith to do so.

4. Why did you do this?

   To distract myself from the impending collapse of Western Civilization.

5. Wait, aren't you the guy who made ZenChess, that funky new way to watch (and even play) lichess games in real time that's sweeping the planet?

   Funny you should ask! Yes, I created zenchess.online for anyone wanting to experience what lichess would be like on LSD without having to, you know, purchase and ingest LSD. You're welcome, Internet.

Sincerely,

• Zug