I often ponder vexing questions of life like "What is the meaning of life?" "What am I going to do with myself?" "Is there a career for me" or simply "What is the next step?" All sorts of questions like this are no doubt familiar to your average college graduate wondering truly what his purpose is... or maybe its just your philosophy major. In any event, I have discovered that it takes is one good idea.
This notion is perhaps harder to achieve than it sounds though. Most people are no doubt familiar with the age old adage: It takes a million ideas before you get one good one.
But perhaps this far-fetched cliche is not as hard to achieve as it seems. When I sit at the chessboard for a game, I often go through about a million silly ideas over the course of 6 hours. Perhaps none of them are any good but they still occur to me! Can I sac this knight what about a pawn sac, maybe I should go for the endgame now with these slight advantages. If you look at the game of chess as a chance to live a mini world several times over. You will see what ideas work and what won't. More or less what you can get away with in a given position. Each time though you will become stronger as your experience in positions grows. This mini-universe as we shall now refer to it reflects nicely on life. You don't need to find that multimillion dollar idea right off the bat out of college or find your true calling in life. It is enough to have a lot of bad ideas and understand why they are bad. Eventually it should all culminate in the big calling in your life down the road. With that I hope some of the anxiety is relieved from other people in similar positions to my own. No need to be in a rush to head to grad school or whatever you've decided must be the ONLY next step. Relax and think awhile... it will come to you like saccing the exchange on f6 (oblivious remark to having listen to GM Jonathan Rowson commenting on Magnus Carlsen's victory over Linares 2009 tournament leader Alexander Grischuk): http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1536452
I believe the fitting proverb here is that you must always have a plan in chess an idea. Preferrably your moves should be flexible enough to have multiple ideas or plans behind them. Why not the same desire for your life? Keep your options open!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The 2700 Spectator...
Okay by now this topic has probably been beaten to death by other blogs but it still seems there is a relevant twist left to take from it. The 2700 spectator by which I mean your club player rated 50-2200 staring at Rybka as he watches Supertournaments like Corus, Linares and soforth comment about how clearly this player is dumb or that player is dumb cause they missed a winning line! Or my favorite is they will shout a single half move that WINS ON THE SPOT!!! Without any analysis to back it up because they do not understand the move themselves.
My twist on this topic might have more to do with the fact these players are only fooling themselves for anyone can look at the computer and see the same lines to why spam them to all in the kibitz window when most people have the same program running next to them? My take is more that humans are Falliable creatures but these spectators prove we're sheep to be led by anything that claims to have the answers. Over the years, wacky conspiracy theories and dictators have sold their spiel because they've been able to convince the masses they knew all. Computers don't know all i'm afraid. They never will even if they manage to solve chess as they once did checkers. You will still have to think for yourself. So the answer is to start thinking for yourself now. The computer should be a tool towards improving your thinking not a method for replacing your thinking entirely. Mistakes are part of improving so if you watch these top GMs play and go huh I don't get it.... good you shouldn't get it 100% of the time or you'd be a top GM too! You will learn as your wheels grind trying to figure out the idea. the plan. the continuation. Only have the wheels have turned a little bit should you feel free to look at the computer analysis now having hypothesized for yourself what is already going on. And please... even then keep the spam Rybka lines to yourself.
My twist on this topic might have more to do with the fact these players are only fooling themselves for anyone can look at the computer and see the same lines to why spam them to all in the kibitz window when most people have the same program running next to them? My take is more that humans are Falliable creatures but these spectators prove we're sheep to be led by anything that claims to have the answers. Over the years, wacky conspiracy theories and dictators have sold their spiel because they've been able to convince the masses they knew all. Computers don't know all i'm afraid. They never will even if they manage to solve chess as they once did checkers. You will still have to think for yourself. So the answer is to start thinking for yourself now. The computer should be a tool towards improving your thinking not a method for replacing your thinking entirely. Mistakes are part of improving so if you watch these top GMs play and go huh I don't get it.... good you shouldn't get it 100% of the time or you'd be a top GM too! You will learn as your wheels grind trying to figure out the idea. the plan. the continuation. Only have the wheels have turned a little bit should you feel free to look at the computer analysis now having hypothesized for yourself what is already going on. And please... even then keep the spam Rybka lines to yourself.
The art of patience
A topic that could be expanded endlessly is the art of patience in chess and war. In life, especially in American it feels as though our culture is built around NOW NOW NOW. You will be there by 6pm so you can take your predinner nap dinner is at 7pm and round is at 8pm! STAT STAT. But seriously... we speed on our highways not because it gets us there faster but because we always feel we are in a rush. It is especially American culture to feel like you are always late to a very important date.
This translate I believe in a high portion to chess games as it does throughout all aspects of our life. Every person I encounter is quick to make blunders, heave his shoulders and sigh at a sound and solid opening or just resign a drawn or won endgame because of overeagerness to deliver the final knockout blow. I believe when watching highlevel chess I always hear groans mostly from my American compatriots about the "grind." Players like Leko, Kramnik and even other major GMs are often demurred with draw phrases on their name or other insults that barrage their opening prep to their will to win a slight plus endgame. This type of behavior from the commentators should be condemned. It should be welcomed in spades from the players that have the will to grind. The will to grind is a big part of chess as is the patience that goes with playing many a position. The ultimate question is how do we overcome culture to attain a high degree of patience? Or is it one should just unlearn impatience? The truth about players like Kramnik and Leko is they are willing to play as long as it takes. For example our recent Linares grind by the World Champion Anand vs Radjabov: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1535799
This translate I believe in a high portion to chess games as it does throughout all aspects of our life. Every person I encounter is quick to make blunders, heave his shoulders and sigh at a sound and solid opening or just resign a drawn or won endgame because of overeagerness to deliver the final knockout blow. I believe when watching highlevel chess I always hear groans mostly from my American compatriots about the "grind." Players like Leko, Kramnik and even other major GMs are often demurred with draw phrases on their name or other insults that barrage their opening prep to their will to win a slight plus endgame. This type of behavior from the commentators should be condemned. It should be welcomed in spades from the players that have the will to grind. The will to grind is a big part of chess as is the patience that goes with playing many a position. The ultimate question is how do we overcome culture to attain a high degree of patience? Or is it one should just unlearn impatience? The truth about players like Kramnik and Leko is they are willing to play as long as it takes. For example our recent Linares grind by the World Champion Anand vs Radjabov: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1535799
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Flexibility
I believe there are many important life lessons that be gleamed from a game of chess.
Often it is too hard to focus on one thing in your life trying to make success in just that one sector (family, work, school or whatever is on your plate). However, this same mistake can be found at the chess board as well. Imagine you are playing a sharp KID where white attacks on the queenside and black on the kingside... you might forget you can hedge your bet in certain scenarios to play both sides! It is easy to become focus on what is yours and concede that you can't have their territory too.
A good example of what I am referring to in chess can be found in this game from chesscafe: http://chesscafe.com/skittles/skittles.htm
So how should you deal with this focus problem in your life and in your chess game? In your chess game, I recommend expanding your opening reportoire. This does not mean adding whole new systems but branching out and experimenting with other lines of the same system you like. This versatility will serve you well in that you will learn more about your opening and be a harder target in preparation for your opponents. In your life... this is a bit more tricky but I recommend always keeping your options open. This means trying anything new to see where it goes... keeping an uptodate resume and applying to jobs even when you have one (afterall times are tough better to be prepared!). Pay attention to all the details you can.
Often it is too hard to focus on one thing in your life trying to make success in just that one sector (family, work, school or whatever is on your plate). However, this same mistake can be found at the chess board as well. Imagine you are playing a sharp KID where white attacks on the queenside and black on the kingside... you might forget you can hedge your bet in certain scenarios to play both sides! It is easy to become focus on what is yours and concede that you can't have their territory too.
A good example of what I am referring to in chess can be found in this game from chesscafe: http://chesscafe.com/skittles/skittles.htm
So how should you deal with this focus problem in your life and in your chess game? In your chess game, I recommend expanding your opening reportoire. This does not mean adding whole new systems but branching out and experimenting with other lines of the same system you like. This versatility will serve you well in that you will learn more about your opening and be a harder target in preparation for your opponents. In your life... this is a bit more tricky but I recommend always keeping your options open. This means trying anything new to see where it goes... keeping an uptodate resume and applying to jobs even when you have one (afterall times are tough better to be prepared!). Pay attention to all the details you can.
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