# In Chess vs. In Real Life In Chess vs. In Real Life is a two-panel comparison meme that spread on Reddit in late May 2020, placing a chess piece's in-game abilities next to a reaction image or absurd real-world depiction. Redditor eyooji started the trend on May 20th with a queen-themed post, and within 48 hours variants covering knights and rooks drew hundreds of thousands of upvotes across r/memes and r/dankmemes[1]. ## Origin The earliest documented example appeared on May 20th, 2020, when Redditor eyooji submitted a queen comparison to r/memes under the title 'Eats a horse all by herself.' Within a few days, it collected over 50,000 upvotes and 214 comments[1]. Instagram account spongebob_memepage reposted the image soon after, where it drew more than 28,000 likes[6]. - **Platform:** Reddit (r/memes) - **Creator:** eyooji (earliest known poster) - **Date:** 2020 ## Overview Most entries follow a strict two-panel layout. A top panel describes a chess piece's in-game powers, say that a queen can move any number of squares in any direction, while the bottom panel pairs that fact with an unflattering or surreal real-world reaction image[1]. A queen version from the earliest batch traded on the irony that a human queen cannot literally 'eat a horse,' riffing on the knight's horse-head shape[1]. Variants rotated through nearly every piece on the board, and no fixed caption structure was required beyond the panel contrast. Knight entries leaned on the absurdity of a real horse jumping sideways over obstacles[3], while rook entries pictured castles racing across fields or roads[4]. Tone stayed absurdist, and most posts carried a single short title above the two panels rather than a written punchline[5]. ## How to Use A typical entry names one chess piece, states a short fact about its movement or capture rules in the top panel, and then places an exaggerated real-world image or reaction photo in the bottom panel. Common conventions include a one-line Reddit title that previews the gag (e.g., 'Jumpy boi' for the knight) and leaving the bottom image to carry the humor without caption text[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is In Chess vs. In Real Life? It is a two-panel image macro that compares a chess piece's in-game abilities with an absurd or ironic real-world depiction, usually a reaction photo[1]. ### Where did In Chess vs. In Real Life come from? The earliest known entry was posted by Redditor eyooji to r/memes on May 20th, 2020, and depicted the queen piece[1]. ### What does In Chess vs. In Real Life mean? The humor comes from contrasting the exaggerated powers chess pieces hold on the board (a knight that leaps, a queen that moves anywhere) with how silly those traits look applied to real objects or people[3]. ### How do you use In Chess vs. In Real Life? Pick a chess piece, state one of its in-game rules in the top panel, and pair that line with a real-world reaction image or absurd photo in the bottom panel, usually under a short Reddit-style title[4]. ### Is In Chess vs. In Real Life still popular? Peak activity ran across a single week in late May 2020 on r/memes and r/dankmemes before posting cooled; the format is still recognizable as a documented Reddit trend[5]. ## References 1. [https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/gn6r2t/eats_a_horse_all_by_herself/]() 2. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/gnscq1/wouldnt_surprise_me_if_she_invented_it/]() 3. [https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/go47r5/jumpy_boi/]() 4. [https://www.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/gohbuk/haha_rook_go_zoooom/]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/in-chess-vs-in-real-life]() 6. [https://www.instagram.com/p/CAa27Gol4lu/]() 7. [https://www.facebook.com/2309728869043731/posts/3571088229574449]() 8. [https://www.facebook.com/1566638640040361/posts/2997418983628979]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/in-chess-vs-in-real-life Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library