Search found 704 matches

by Arshad Ali
Sat Feb 25, 2017 11:25 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Best book for a beginner
Replies: 26
Views: 3492

Re: Best book for a beginner

The Soviet Chess Primer by Maizelis?
by Arshad Ali
Wed Feb 22, 2017 12:53 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: The Rookie
Replies: 21
Views: 3412

Re: The Rookie

We want the outcome not the process ... Exercising a higher level of skill in any area of endeavor is inherently satisfying. Playing more accurate chess is more satisfying than playing sloppy chess. If a player puts in the effort to play more accurate chess, his rating -- which reflects strength in...
by Arshad Ali
Tue Feb 21, 2017 10:03 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: The Rookie
Replies: 21
Views: 3412

Re: The Rookie

The book is about more than just his games.... but some of the insights in the book are as much about the psychology of chess and perspectives on the English chess scene ... It was an enjoyable read and there was the occasional genuine insight. His chess playing is an integral part of the yarn, tho...
by Arshad Ali
Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:59 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: The Rookie
Replies: 21
Views: 3412

Re: The Rookie

One needs some ability even to get to 170, and perhaps Stephen, much as he loves to play, simply does not have it. (I recall what Nigel Short, a former coach of his (!) once wrote - there is only so far you can help someone who has quite forgotten what you have shown him just half an hour or so ago...
by Arshad Ali
Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:53 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: The Rookie
Replies: 21
Views: 3412

Re: The Rookie

You improve by playing stronger opposition, even much stronger. You don't learn very much by playing opposition of your level or lower. You improve by playing stronger players (how much stronger can be quibbled over) and then subjecting the games -- regardless of result -- to painstaking scrutiny a...
by Arshad Ali
Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:47 am
Forum: General Chat
Topic: The Rookie
Replies: 21
Views: 3412

Re: The Rookie

Just finished "The Rookie", where Moss describes his three-year effort to propel himself into the (loosely defined) expert category (~170 ECF?). Given that he was mostly playing 140ish opposition. he needed to be able to put them away around 75% of the time. There are ways of doing this, but you ha...
by Arshad Ali
Mon Feb 20, 2017 9:26 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: The Rookie
Replies: 21
Views: 3412

The Rookie

Just finished "The Rookie", where Moss describes his three-year effort to propel himself into the (loosely defined) expert category (~170 ECF?). I'm wondering why he didn't make it. From what I can glean, he played a fair bit but didn't study the game systematically, didn't analyse his games (in ter...
by Arshad Ali
Wed May 20, 2015 6:14 pm
Forum: Not Chess!
Topic: 2015 UK General Election
Replies: 86
Views: 12894

Re: 2015 UK General Election

I don't think Cameron is terribly bright as people with firsts in PPE at Oxbridge go. FWIW Is it hard to get a first in PPE at Oxford? Didn't Nigel Lawson also have a first in PPE from Oxford? And apparently all he did there was drink and play snooker. Must be any number of other politicians with P...
by Arshad Ali
Wed May 20, 2015 4:51 pm
Forum: Not Chess!
Topic: 2015 UK General Election
Replies: 86
Views: 12894

Re: 2015 UK General Election

Anyhow, he hasn't taken into account in this piece that David Cameron has promised, yes promised , to make Britain 'great' again. Do they still sing "Rule, Britannia" at the end of the annual Tory party conference? Yes, Wallerstein is alive and kicking and we're all waiting for the fifth volume of ...
by Arshad Ali
Wed May 20, 2015 1:20 pm
Forum: Not Chess!
Topic: 2015 UK General Election
Replies: 86
Views: 12894

Re: 2015 UK General Election

Interesting essay by Immanuel Wallerstein:

http://iwallerstein.com/post-britain-does-it-matter/
by Arshad Ali
Mon May 18, 2015 3:55 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Sulky chess engines
Replies: 9
Views: 3554

Re: Sulky chess engines

An interesting thing I have noted in these games is the computers reluctance to let itself get mated (resignation is, of course, out of the question) and instead will drag the obvious moves out for ages in the manner of a petulant child. Has anyone else noticed this? Could it be a glimpse of the ai...
by Arshad Ali
Mon May 18, 2015 3:50 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: What was the cause of my severe drop?
Replies: 19
Views: 4517

Re: What was the cause of my severe drop?

It could just be coincidence (i.e., "stuff happens") or -- more plausibly -- it could be the cascade of losses that results when a player loses a game, which then affects his psychological equilibrium. In general stronger players tend not to let past results -- wins or losses -- affect the game they...
by Arshad Ali
Sun Apr 05, 2015 8:28 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Nature or nurture? Heredity or environment?
Replies: 22
Views: 4885

Re: Nature or nurture? Heredity or environment?

Some people pick up chess/math/programming effortlessly It is folly to assume that chess, mathematics and programming are a single skill, or use the same neural mechanisms. More plausibly one might have said that "some people pick up Spanish/Yoruba/Mandarin effortlessly". Or "some people pick up "c...
by Arshad Ali
Sat Apr 04, 2015 7:02 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Nature or nurture? Heredity or environment?
Replies: 22
Views: 4885

Re: Nature or nurture? Heredity or environment?

The point was Arshad that Merim's study showed practice was a bigger component. Um, dunno about that. He's showing that IQ test results are not correlated with chess prowess. That doesn't mean practice is a bigger component. It could be that the "chess gene" is not amenable to measurement by the IQ...
by Arshad Ali
Fri Apr 03, 2015 10:56 pm
Forum: General Chat
Topic: Nature or nurture? Heredity or environment?
Replies: 22
Views: 4885

Re: Nature or nurture? Heredity or environment?

Some people pick up chess/math/programming effortlessly, some have to work hard for limited success. We all know this, I think(?). Nature is a big component -- though it may not be captured by the IQ test.