What is Mittens? A chess nightmare behind an innocent kitty bot

Just a week into the new year, you might have noticed a commotion in the world of knights and bishops. It seems like the entire Chess world - from the laymen to the world's best - has found one common enemy. Yes, it is the one and only Mittens. But don't be deceived by its sparkling eyes and tiny paws - because Mittens was built to destroy.

On January 1st, 2023, Chess.com introduced a clowder of Cat Bots with different ratings. These Cat Bots have amusing names and personalities, but one of them, Mittens, is haunting the Chess world with its godlike skills and infuriating remarks. Let's first meet the gang.

Though the community was fine playing with the rest of the cat crew, Mittens was different than the rest. The cat, only holding a 1 rating, gives a gaze that hides a more sinister story. Many players that challenged Mittens fail to make it out alive and apparently, it is a super-intelligent chess bot.

But what makes Mittens and its gang more entertaining, aside from their adorable pictures, is their love for talking and snickering. Yes, these puny felines love to taunt their opponents throughout games with lines such as "All chess players eventually crumble under my mighty paws... I mean, meow! Hehehe," or “Meow! I like chess, hehehe.”

Mittens has driven some players mad. GothamChess is suffering and Hikaru Nakamura is struggling. However, we did see Nakamura grapple out a draw against Mittens recently - thus humanity might not at all be doomed.

Mittens has no official rating though on the site, it is stated as 1. We all know that it is impossible as it is very intelligent. It is estimated to be on a Grandmaster level which is above 2500 rating but it also seems to be much smarter than the average GM.

In a video by GothamChess, he pits the world's strongest chess engine, Stockfish, which has a 3700 rating, vs the mysterious unrated Mittens. In two games, Stockfish completely demolished Mittens, and this goes to show that Mittens should be below the 3700 rating.

So you think you can handle the paws? If you're up for the challenge, go to Chess.com to play against Mittens or any of his kitty troops. You can also start slow and play against the lower-rated bots to warm up. But be warned, these cats are not afraid to use their claws.

Here are the links to where you can battle against Chess.com's Cat Bots:

Have fun, but most importantly, try to survive.

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