Chess - classic or dud?

A couple of people in my band are excellent chess players. On our last out of town gig they were telling me about the latest Kasparov/Deep Blue Jr. thing, that shit is fascinating.

Now Go, on the other hand, that I like. I wish I was a lot better at it, but it has an organic beauty that chess just doesn't. Less logic, more intutive. And it looks sexy and elegant.

I can think of a few people who might have something to say about that one...

I love chess, and wish I had more talent for it; the taste of success I've had at a handful of tournaments is enough to make me want more, but alas, I'm not a visual thinker, so that limits me severely. Still, I'd like to get a master's rating someday; judging by the difference between my rating now, and the one I had when I started playing tournaments, I'm about two-thirds of the way there. I haven't played a tournament in several years, though, and I suspect the advent of Internet chess is hitting the world of OTB (over-the-board) tournaments pretty hard...

1. e2-e4 e7-e5
2. g1-f3 g8-f6
3. f1-c4 d7-d5
4. e4xd5 f6xd5
5. f3xe5 d5-f4
6. o-o d8-g5
7. e5-g4 f8-d6
8. f1-e1+ c8-e6
9. c4xe6 f7xe6
10. d2-d3 g5-d5
11. g4-e3 d5-g5
12. g2-g3 o-o
13. e3-g2 f4-h3+
14. g1-f1 f8xf2++

Go is very beautiful to play. Your mind is expanding two ways at once (defense/offense), yet the board and pieces form a minimalistic pattern and the clicking noises as you make a move are so peaceful.

classic. I've always meant to join the chess club at uni but ILX stops me.

Searching for Bobby Fischer is one of my fave movies evah

Or just the giant pieces in general that they have someplaces in Europe. They are fun to play with.

Also in "Alice Through the Looking Glass"

And also all the many different kinds of chess sets like civil war pieces or other themed sets are classic:

http://www.war-art.com/images/f602.jpg

http://www.sapart.freeserve.co.uk/aa.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/dovshuk/jjppga/krig11.jpg

http://chess.com.ru/img/opposition-13.jpg

(From the Weekly World News, May 24, 1994)
MOSCOW - Doctors are blaming a rare electrical imbalance in the brain for the bizarre death of a chess player whose head literally exploded in the middle of a championship game!
No one else was hurt in the fatal explosion but four players and three officials at the Moscow Candidate Masters' Chess Championships were sprayed with blood and brain matter when Nikolai Titov's head suddenly blew apart. Experts say he suffered from a condition called Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis or HCE.

"He was deep in concentration with his eyes focused on the board," says Titov's opponent, Vladimir Dobrynin. "All of a sudden his hands flew to hi temples and he screamed in pain. Everyone looked up from their games, startled by the noise. Then, as if someone had put a bomb in his cranium, his head popped like a firecracker."

Incredibly, Titiov's is not the first case in which a person's head has spontaneously exploded. Five people are known to have died of HCE in the last 25 years. The most recent death occurred just three years ago in 1991, when European psychic Barbara Nicole's skull burst. Miss Nicole's story was reported by newspapers worldwide, including WWN. "HCE is an extremely rare physical imbalance," said Dr. Anatoly Martinenko, famed neurologist and expert on the human brain who did the autopsy on the brilliant chess expert. "It is a condition in which the circuits of the brain become overloaded by the body' own electricity. The explosions happen during periods of intense menta activity when lots of current is surging through the brain.

Victims are highly intelligent people with great powers of concentration. Both Miss Nicole and Mr. Titov were intense people who tended to keep those cerebral circuits overloaded. In a way it could be said they were literall too smart for their own good."

Although Dr. Martinenko says there are probably many undiagnosed cases, h hastens to add that very few people will die from HCE. "Most people who have it will never know. At this point, medical science still doesn't know much about HCE. And since fatalities are so rare it will probably be years before research money becomes available."

In the meantime, the doctor urges people to take it easy and not think too hard for long periods of time. "Take frequent relaxation breaks when you're doing things that take lots of mental focus," he recommends

So was it any good? I saw the preview, but I thought maybe it would be difficult to get much on-screen drama about chess.

have you seen Rosenbaum's review?

I had a brief chess phase when i was a kid during which i played in tournaments like those shown in the movie (i think waitzkin may have been at them), but in the lowest division and i don't think i ever won more than one game - at best, i think i got a rating in the 1300s. fun stuff, but i think you need to start reading about chess and memorizing tactics to get anywhere and i didn't have the patience or the interest.

I used to be fairly good at Othello, which I guess is kind of "Go, jr." Now Go, I have always found very aesthetically appealing, but I've never played it. Chess seems sort of ugly to me somehow. It's not just the pieces, since I've seen that I like (especially those from Man Ray or Arp, or whoever it was that designed those chess sets you see Marcel Duchamp sitting next to.)

(not work-safe)

I've started playing a Facebook version of chess with a friend lately, and I'm getting better. (Where better = very slightly above totally clueless.) I know some ilx people used to play on RedHotPawn.com, and I much prefer that interface to the Facebook one. For instance, on Facebook, there's no submit button -- all moves are final. And some other stuff that makes it more difficult for a beginner.

Anyway, who still plays? Dan Perry is schooling me pretty good right now (I had him a pickle a few moves ago, then I blew it big-time).

What version is it? Hit me up on it if you'd like.

I am pretty bad at chess if only bcz I cannot concentrate lately. I was pretty good when I played it a lot but not HS chess club levels. My boyfriend is so paranoid that if he leaves the room I will mess up the pieces that I have to take a digital camera photo while he's there to compare. It's the one 'trust issue' he has.

I am very bad at chess - I like to be aggressive, 'trade pieces' etc. and it never works out well.

Do not really understand the whole 'openings' thing about chess - doesn't that mean certain moves are basically scripted and both sides should know how to counter? Is black always on the defensive in that case?

The version Bobby Fischer made up where the back pieces are semi-randomized seems interesting.

yeah, so does naziism

i havent played in years but yeah openings are 'scripted' to a longer & longer length the higher you go; typically yes black is going to be on the defensive but can counter white in ways that make him unfamiliar; immediate & simple ex being the sicilian defense (instead of e4-e5, e4-c5). some opening variations run into the teens & twenties amongst the really really schooled guys.

Ding now clearly winning!! Defended Caruana's preparation like a beast

Pretty much over now. Caruana's a Bishop down with no counter-play.

bit disrespectful spinning it out that long tbh

Nepo leading the tournament. Would be a good challenger for Carlsen; he wouldn't win of course but there might be some fun games

I think Nepo has a pretty good record against Carlsen so it could be interesting. I still think Caruana will come through in the end - he's got experience winning the big tournaments.

6th round, Nepo in a winning position against Ding

FIDE stops #FIDECandidates

Official announcement - Starting March 27, 2020, Russia interrupts air traffic with other countries without indicating any time frames. In this situation FIDE President decided to stop the tournament.https://t.co/bnDDJhFuiG pic.twitter.com/YYo3SMidqj

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) March 26, 2020

They're taking everything away from us lads

ffs this has been keeping me going

Sad times!

maybe we can just give it to MVL lol

They're taking everything away from us lads

― Le Bateau Ivre, Thursday, March 26, 2020 11:10 AM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

ffs this has been keeping me going

― strangely hookworm but they manage ream shoegaze poetry (imago), Thursday, March 26, 2020 11:27 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Magnus tasted what it was like to have the world's eyes on chess, and liked what he saw

https://chess24.com/en/read/news/magnus-carlsen-launches-online-chess-super-tournament

As a non-expert, I'm curious how they're going to prevent cheating in an online tournament like this. Wouldn't it be extremely easy for someone to use a computer to suggest moves? Or would that be easy to detect?

they will probably have to reveal everything in their room and share screens etc. odd behaviour can be easily detected by ppl who play a *lot* i think?

also there's the matter of pride and reputation, these people don't want even a cloud of suspicion over them.

also, if someone went through a tournament playing computer first and second choice moves with the occasional suboptimal that maintains advantage then idk there'd be questions

enjoying hikaru’s rapport with the streamers

Candidates is on again and Fabi has already sacked 3 pawns and a piece

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-candidates-2020/8/1/1

Ok they have the same number of pieces now at least. Must have been an inbetween move!

anyone watching the World Championship match at the moment? Looks like Carlsen is edging it

I'll tune in, but this (who is doing better) is one of those things I cannot possibly have an opinion on. Pure spectacle

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/carlsen-nepomniachtchi-world-chess-championship-2021/1/1/1

judit polgar and anish giri arguing is all part of the fun

me, an idiot: 'nepo is up a pawn, he must be winning'

oh that's absolutely my level too, but that's why the theory chat is so fascinating

game 6 looks like being more exciting

and is

carlsen dicing with the clock to unveil something that could be spectacular

but nepo has blundered under pressure to help

aaahhh the counterblunder!

Now its a bullet game.

magnus won it, then lost it, and may be winning it again now. what an epic

wooooow

GAME OVER

136 moves

awesome

gg