Thread: Chess anyone?

I used to play. I lost interest however. The problem I have with chess is that there is zero uncertainty and zero variance in the board setup. The whole game is solely a matter of who is best at keeping mental track of decision trees and lookign ahead. And at a higher level, all openings are textbook and have to be met with textbook counters or you're toast.

I prefer games to have more potential for elements of surprise or uncertainty.

That's where we differ Bruno. I like the "brain fight" between the two contenders.
Especially when I get a chance to meet a good opponent.

Games that are mostly the luck of the draw doesn't interest me at all.

Originally Posted by Otto

That's where we differ Bruno. I like the "brain fight" between the two contenders.
Especially when I get a chance to meet a good opponent.

Games that are mostly the luck of the draw doesn't interest me at all.

Not luck of the draw, but variance. For example, with a game like go, the possibilities are much, much higher, and stones van be placed more dynamically. For better or worse, chess is a solved game for the first x moves. Either you stick to the standard openings and responses, or you are at a disadvantage already. From then on the game becomes a bit more fluid, but the board is essentially static and the challenge boils down to who can keep the most things in memory.

Mathematically speaking, go is much, much more deep and complex than chess. It's only since 2010 that computers have started winning against good humans, and they still can get beaten by top players.

When humans play other humans at go, there is a wealth of opportunities in how the game can evolve. With chess, you start with a static board, go along known positions, and then mentally brute-force your way through the game. Go introduces unexpectedness and complexity without the need for luck of the draw. It does it by allowing players more freedom in what they do.

I tried playing on yahoo once - it was a disaster.
I walked down the hall to close the door, to insulate me from the noise of my 6 kids playing.

By the time I returned, the timer expired - major confusion on my part - how do you loose by walking down the hall and back.
I do not mind a kind-of-quick game, but 2 minutes?

Chess is pretty big in Florida (compared to where I was from) - my kids play.

Jody

I've been playing since I was about four years old, now I'm 49. Chess has always fascinated me.
It is great to experience what a boost this is to the Chess sport in Norway.

I started playing at the age of 7-8 years old.
The endless possibilities in every single game is a source of eternal fascination to me.
My 12 year old have developed a keen interest in it now, so I look forward to many a good game in the years to come!

I enjoy a good game of chess, but im by no means any good at it.
I took this on as my first ever project in woodshop last year.
Its the very first thing i have ever made out of wood. Completely hand crafted, nothing came pre made.





Its all hand cut, each and every last square is an individual piece of wood.
The checker colors are made of Wallnut and Maple with a boarder of Red Oak.
Somehow i managed to get it darn near perfect, a few corners dont come quite perfect, but they are less than a millimeter off, as close to perfect as possible.
The checker is not all the way through, the pieces are glued onto a piece of 1/4 in. Douglas Fir. it comes to just about 1/2 in. thick, it was 3/4 but all the sanding took down 1/4 of an inch.
Im quite proud of it Never did finish the pieces though... What i did finish, i had a hell of a time getting them close to identical. Kinda failed miserably at that, the lathe is not my strong point.

It was an interesting process getting the checker pattern built.. if anyone would like to try, my method was ingenious and made it a piece of cake. I can get into detail if anyone would like to know. its delightfully dim-witted