Chess - classic or dud?

chess.com imo

prefer chesstime

people who trashtalk on disconnect from games they're losing on chess.com are the lowest form of human life

chess is classic for the fact that both players are allowed precisely the same resources, must follow the same rules, and can see every move made by their opponent. the only structural inequality is that one player gets the first move. after that it is all applied knowledge.

at least that is the superficial truth about chess. behind that simple phrase "applied knowledge" lies a whole universe of inequalities, based on intensive study of chess problems, memorization, and training. the more rarified the level of play, the more it resembles world-class athletics, where in athletics you must be endowed with the exact body type your sport demands and then train it endlessly, while in chess it is a particular type of mental acuity that one must possess and train for hours each day.

The only games that would be truly egalitarian by your definition are based purely on chance, e.g. Snakes and Ladders.

And even there, there are probably structural inequalities based on eyesight and language skills.

But I mean, definitely. My fiancee basically spent time studying every day after I showed her how openings work and is becoming fearsome less than a year later.

winning a foot race is all about being faster than the other competitors. that is true on its face. the myth is that being good at chess is all about being smarter than your opponent. it isn't. this is what I was trying to address.

it's certainly not a raw intelligence - i know ppl who are v good at chess who don't have a dazzling intellect in other areas, and ppl who are brilliant in their fields and who play crappy chess. there are other important skills involved; memory for sure, pattern recognition, concentration (this is probably the biggest deficit for me - i often want to read something while i'm waiting for my opponent to move & i really should be spending that time thinking about the game bc time is precious but i lose focus), visual intelligence (being able to visualize the board how it looks several moves later - i frequently get caught out trying a sequence and not realizing that 3 moves ago i did something that freed up an additional defender for my opponent that i forgot to account for bc when i calculated the moves i didn't see that eg moving that pawn would give his bishop access to the square in question), etc.

Oh yeah, it's definitely a skill that requires training/practice.

P. sure I'm fucked in both ilx games.

people who trashtalk on disconnect from games they're losing on chess.com are the lowest form of human life

Going 'on vacation' when you're 12 points down is a pretty low move too *raises eyebrow at matt dc*

Oh yeah, it's definitely a skill that requires training/practice.

btw, ledge, I like yr dn

i just played chess super high last night with my roommate and although it was my first game in years i played really well! i lost, but i was really aggressive and was able to frustrate him a few times and put him in some tough spots. chess is fun!

trying to see the board a few moves ahead is really challenging and fun, and when you're able to do it right it feels so cool

Going 'on vacation' when you're 12 points down is a pretty low move too *raises eyebrow at matt dc*

― brekekekexit collapse collapse (ledge), Saturday, February 4, 2017 6:32 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

8 moves into our game he's walked straight into a knight/bishop fork and gone mysteriously quiet

Who's in for brackets for the 1st annual ilx masters championship? submit thy nicks and let's set it up

sure - ilxmordy

you know mine

ah go on then, ledgr

btw, ledge, I like yr dn

knew there had to be some aristophanes fans in this place. n.b. that is all i know of aristophanes.

I dunno if it's just on Android or whatever but the Chess.com app is an excellent tutorial resource but its UI makes it awful for actually playing games.

I believe in uncertainty too much to be good at chess, I find it hard to visualise a few steps ahead because my brain keeps saying "but you have no idea what move your opponent will make". Obviously being able to visualise multiple scenarios would be helpful but that's where lack of concentration comes in. I only really enjoy chess played at speed.

Redhotpawn and chess.com are good that way since the 'Analysis' feature lets you actually try out different scenarios before moving.

What's involved with the ilx masters championsip? Are these live games?

I dunno, just putting it out there

I guess with only about six of us here, a tournament is probably more trouble than it's worth.

That said, I've lost against sund4r and ledgr so far! : )

almost as satisfying as successful fried liver

http://imgur.com/a/StjSP.jpg

http://imgur.com/tBRcCPm.jpg

i think i've got u sund4r

my game against calstars is going perhaps even worse than my game against matt dc is going well

Paul Morphy would often play exhibition games without a rook and win though so I just gotta channel that

My queen is invading Mordy's personal space

i don't think we're playing a game

I mean Imago. Sorry!
Mordy, I tried to challenge you a couple days ago but got a system error

try again!

Must...not...take on... a new activity

Count me in for the tournament. I'm ilxwtev on there.

i think i've got u sund4r

Probably true. I'm mostly hoping to last as long as I can, especially compared to our blitz game.

unless i'm missing something i think it's mate in 2 moves

possibly 3 if u sac a piece to delay

Yep, go for it.

calstars has helpfully handed back a knight, ty

Love you guys but I have to unbookmark this thread if youse going to talk through moves here.

(This is coming from someone who is too chicken to play in an ilx tournament tbf)

What's your nick?

I'd probably be interested in a tournament, depending on what the terms are.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgc_LRjlbTU

i'm now wtevilx on chess.com if the tourney goes ahead.

so far we've got :

ilxmordy
wtevilx/ ilxwtev
MarteauSansMaitre (potentially)
acoleuthic
myself

come on lurkers, show thyselves

Is it bad to play while drunk / distracted by butts? Oh well, I solider on.

i play stoned sometimes - it generally doesn't work out too well