Sunday Afternoon Chess Thread 03-27-16 [OregonMuse]

Good afternoon morons and moronettes, and welcome to the Sunday Afternoon Chess Thread, the only AoSHQ thread devoted to chess, written specifically for all of us noobs, fish, patzers, and wood-pushers who pay homage in the temple of Caïssa, goddess of knight forks and rooks on the 7th. Also good for discussion in the comments are other games you can play with boards, cards, pieces and no electricity. Even the newfangledyassed board games like Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan. And poker. Poker's good, too. I suspect there's a lot of Moron poker players here.

“It is always better to sacrifice your opponent’s men.” (Tartakover)

Chess Resources On Teh Internetz

Based on the comments in the last chess thread, a number of you had questions about how to play chess and how to get better at chess.

How To Play: If you do a Google search for 'free online chess tutorial', you'll get a ton of hits. But for most of them, 'free' means 'free for the first one or two lessons', and I was too lazy to search for any exceptions.

There are are a number of explanatory YouTube videos that are meant to show the absolute beginner how to play. And I didn't like most of them for one reason or another and don't recommend them. But there are some that don't completely suck. One of them is the 'grobchess' YouTube channel and they have a 3-part tutorial that covers the basics.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Alternately, here is a free 15-minute video preview of a basic-chess-lessons DVD aimed at children by GM Susan Polgar, which covers the basics. And then, once you've learned the basic rules and how the pieces move, you should be ready for this 40-minute lecture by Polgar called "How To Think Like A Grandmaster" that goes over some basic concepts of how to play an actual chess game.

The Chesscorner.com Learn To Play Chess page looks like a half-way decent intro to chess. There's an explanation of the basic rules, plus intro to some tactics (forks, pins, skewers, etc.) and also openings.

The Learn How To Play Chess from Chess.com is the one I like the best. It has everything you to need to know to learn the game, moves are demonstrataed via animated, interactive chessboards, and there's a pointer to other free lessons (and even more if you want to pay).

If any of you chess-playing morons know of other free chess tutorial sites I missed, by all means, let me know in the comments.

Chess Problem #1 - Nothing Fancy

Nothing tricky or devious here, it's just White mates in 3:

Answer later.

Candidates 2016

8 top-level International Grandmasters are competing in a 14-round double round-robin tournament in Moscow to determine who will challenge Magnus Carlsen 2016 World Chess Championship. Here are the standings after 13 rounds:

All eyes are going to be on the final round game between Caruana and Karjakin, who are tied for first place.

According to the wiki page,

The prize fund...is 420000 euros, with 95000 to the winner, 88000 to second, 75000 to third, and then down to 17000 for last place. Prize money is divided equally between players on the same score.

Which is a substantial amount of money, and they can all thank Bobby Fischer for it. Really. During the closing ceremonies dinner, all 8 GMs should have a formal toast to Fischer for making their livelihoods possible. Back in the bad old days when the Soviet bloc players were throwing games to each other, Moscow was only interested in the prestige of winning the World Championship, so the prize funds were ridiculously low. When Boris Spassky won his world championship, it was something like $1200. Again, the Soviets only wanted the title and not filthy capitalist lucre. But Fischer changed all of that. He may have been a crazy a-hole, and had the emotional maturity of an 11-year-old, but his crazy-ass tantrums over money had the effect of seriously upping expectations about what chess tournament prize money should reasonably be. Spassky once joked that Fischer was like having a chess player's union representative. The point is, Fischer's psychotic rants were the rising tide that raised everybody else's boat.

Pwned!

This video was put up a few weeks ago and quickly went viral. It shows a trash-talking chess hustler in New York City's Washington Square Park getting spanked by International Grandmaster Maurice Ashley:

And somebody actually figured out the moves of the game from the video, or GM Ashley remembered them, because here they are:

1. b4 e5 2. a3 Nf6 3. Bb2 d6 4. d3 Be7 5. Nd2 O-O 6. Rb1 a5 7. Ngf3 axb4 8. axb4 Nc6 9. c3 Re8 10. e4 Bg4 11. Be2 Bf8 12. O-O d5 13. h3 Bh5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15. Nh2 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Nf4 17. Qf3 Qxd3 18. Qxd3 Nxd3 19. Nhf3 Ra2 20. Bc1 e4 21. Nd4 Nxd4 22. cxd4 Nxc1 23. Rbxc1 Rxd2 24. Rxc7 Rxd4 25. Rxb7 Rxb4 26. Rxb4 Bxb4 27. Rb1 Bc5 28. Rc1 Re5 29. Kf1 f5 30. Ke2 g5 31. g3 Kf7 32. Rb1 Re7 33. Rb5 Rc7 34. Kf1 Ke6 35. Ke2 Kd5 36. Rb1 Ra7 37. Rd1 Bd4 38. Kf1 Ra2 39. f4 exf3 40. Rxd4 Kxd4 0-1

And WTH kind of opening is 1. b4 followed by 2. a3? It neither fights for the center nor develops a piece. Maybe it's one of those hyper-hypermodern openings.

(Yeah, yeah, I know it's the Sokolsky, or Polish Opening, or even the Orangutan, but just because somebody named it doesn't make it any less irritating.)

And Now, Some Go

From the last chess thread:

32 I'd rather speak of go, which I guess is close enough to the subject - a computer program just beat a top pro best three out of five games. I wasn't expecting that to happen so soon, and it won convincingly and with some real originality. The 37th move in the second game in particular was something that shocked everyone.
Posted by: Locarno at March 13, 2016 05:12 PM (kyQTB)

I agree, this is really quite remarkable:

A computer program has beaten a master Go player 3-0 in a best-of-five competition, in what is seen as a landmark moment for artificial intelligence.

Google's AlphaGo program was playing against Lee Se-dol in Seoul, in South Korea.

Mr Lee had been confident he would win before the competition started.

The Chinese board game is considered to be a much more complex challenge for a computer than chess.

For those of you unfamiliar with Go, it is a game of two players who take turns putting black or white markers (called 'stones') on a 19-by-19 grid. Players win by surrounding and acquiring 'territory'. i.e. intersection points on the grid. The stones are played on the intersection points, not inside the squares, and once played, they're never moved.

The rules of Go are simple and few, but they give rise to strategy and tactics whose level of complexity is at least an order of magnitude higher than chess. It's a fascinating game, one that I tried to learn a few years ago, but never could quite get the hang of.

Attempts have been made to program computers to play chess almost as long as there's been computers around to program. The history of Go programming is not nearly so extensive. Early chess programs were often laughably bad, but they gradually got better over time, so that now there are mass market chess-playing programs that are strong enough to give masters a hard time. Go software, not so much.

Chess programmers can get away with using brute force algorithms to evaluate millions of moves on the decision tree, and in fact, this was what IBM's Deep Blue used to defeat Garry Kasparov. But this alone is not sufficient to make a really strong Go program:

Where Deep Blue mainly relied on brute computational force to evaluate millions of positions, AlphaGo also relied on neural networks and reinforcement learning which more closely resemble human decision-making.

So eventually, I would expect this to work its way down to the mass market level, so the arc is going to turn to be pretty similar to the history of chess programs, which went like this:

craptacular --> laughably bad --> pretty bad --> bad --> meh --> ok --> good --> pretty good --> really good --> really, REALLY good --> f'ing awesome.

Today, I would say that most chess engines are in the "really good" to "f'ing awesome" range. I haven't kept up with the Go software, so I have no idea where on the scale the top programs would land.

So, some questions for you Go enthusiasts: what Go playing software do you use, where on the above scale would you rate it, and can you beat it when you have it cranked up to full strength?

Update: In one of Saturday's threads, zombie posted a long comment (#289) that disputes a number of my claims here. I didn't have time to come up with a decent response, other than to provide a link. So it'll have to wait until next time.

Chess Joke

A chess master died - after a few days, a friend of his heard a voice; it was him!

"What's it like, where you are now," he asked.

"What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news."

"Tell me the good news first."

"Well, it really is heaven here. There are tournaments and blitz sessions going on all the time and Morphy, Alekhine, Lasker, Fischer, Tal, Botvinnik, they're all here, and you can play them."

"Fantastic!" the friend said, "and what is the bad news?"

"You have Black against Capablanca on Saturday."

Now click this.

Chess Problem #2 - Coming Down The Escalator

White to play, and mate in 5.

Now, don't panic. Just because the mate is 5 moves out doesn't mean the decision tree is bewilderingly complex. In fact, it's pretty much a straight line. Here's a couple of hints: 1. Black actually has very few legal moves, and your job is to keep it that way, and 2. The bit about the escalator is a description of what the solution looks like.

I actually figured this one out before looking at the answer, so yeah, I'm all cocky and shit.

Answers to Chess Problems

Last time, I tried hiding the solutions by using transparent text, which resulted in CBD having to save my butt from Teh Barrel due to my crappy html skillz.

So I'm trying something new this week, and we'll see how it works: in the fullness of time, I will post the solutions as a comment. This space right here will contain the comment number so that latecomers to the thread will know which one to avoid looking at if they want to try to solve the problems first.

Update: Solutions at comment #103

___________

So that about wraps it up for this week. And just like in the book thread, chess thread tips, suggestions, bribes, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 06:08 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Checkmate!

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 05:04 PM (DrCtv)

2 Damn moved to power cord and missed a hatrick

Posted by: Skip at March 27, 2016 05:06 PM (fizMZ)

3 Yes HH you got me again.

Posted by: Skip at March 27, 2016 05:06 PM (fizMZ)

4 Sorry Skip, just having some fun...

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 05:08 PM (DrCtv)

5 I don't play chess. My older brother, RIP, was a really good player. He used to play for money at chess clubs and such. When I see anything chess related I think of him.

Posted by: @votermom at March 27, 2016 05:11 PM (nbrY/)

6 Man, I used to play chess seriously when I was in HS and early college.

Odd thing is is how tired you could get from playing a game you were really concentrating on. Oh, and I had some books also that I studied.

But the game just drained me. Maybe that's why I gave it up.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 05:12 PM (DrCtv)

7 Odd thing is is how tired you could get from playing a game you were really concentrating on. Oh, and I had some books also that I studied.
But the game just drained me. Maybe that's why I gave it up.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 05:12 PM (DrCtv)

With an intense game of chess, you get all of the bodily stresses of exercise, but none of the benefits.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 05:14 PM (mcEz5)

8 Hubby plays chess online.
Gets very cranky if dinner is ready before his game is done.

Posted by: @votermom at March 27, 2016 05:14 PM (nbrY/)

9 Since I am on in book list creation phase, if you want to rec chess books I'll make it into a blog list.

Posted by: @votermom at March 27, 2016 05:16 PM (nbrY/)

10 When I was young, my Dad taught me the basic moves of chess but none of the strategy. Now my brain is old and dried out and I don't care.

Posted by: Weasel at March 27, 2016 05:17 PM (e3bId)

11 One kind of cool thing is that when I was a teen going down to Nogales, Mexico, and seeing all the really strange chess games they had. Hand carved pieces, or pieces made out of Onyx, whatever.

Could have made a serious collection out of those.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 05:19 PM (DrCtv)

12 Actually I have a chess story. In the Air Force in England 1979 we had 4 player chess. We had a full center board then took 2 boards split them in half and placed them in a cross pattern. The game as I remember was 2 against 2 and your main opponent was across from you but you could capture the other opponents pieces. We played many games and not sure all the rules.

Posted by: Skip at March 27, 2016 05:19 PM (fizMZ)

13 When I play chess, I suck, but if I watch two others play chess I can see several moves ahead and can see what to do.

Very annoying.

Posted by: eman at March 27, 2016 05:21 PM (MQEz6)

14 I saw a Yoo Toob video yesterday that for me, seems revolutionary.

The lesson was "Its a mistake to take"

It was posted by GM Smirnov, so you know you can trust him.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 05:25 PM (2hcmo)

15 So fast!....Ashley looks like he was having fun with the jive ass turkey.

What does the clock do and why do they use it?

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at March 27, 2016 05:25 PM (ej1L0)

16 Where's-

Never mind. Too soon.

Posted by: Toothless Geezer at March 27, 2016 05:26 PM (/f6Nd)

17 Now my brain is old and dried out and I don't care.

I have one of those old dried out don't give a fuck brains too. I always thought beer would help that one part.

Posted by: dartist at March 27, 2016 05:26 PM (qmou8)

18 I'll go out on a limb and predict 2 ACC teams will make the final 8 tonight. Anyone wanna bet?

Posted by: Nevergiveup at March 27, 2016 05:28 PM (DUoqb)

19 Papa Y-not was an outstanding competitive chess player. Took poor self as a young gal (probably 9 or 10) to chess club. Just me and a bunch of middle-aged dudes. It gave me a headache. LOL

It's a terrific endeavor, I just couldn't pursue it.

Posted by: Y-not (@moxiemom) at March 27, 2016 05:28 PM (t5zYU)

20 Chess Problem #1:

QxR (f

+ KXQ
R e8+ K g7
R g8 mate

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 05:29 PM (zc3Db)

21 17
I have one of those old dried out don't give a fuck brains too. I always thought beer would help that one part.
Posted by: dartist at March 27, 2016 05:26 PM (qmou

-----

Maybe beer caused it.

Posted by: Toothless Geezer at March 27, 2016 05:29 PM (/f6Nd)

22 I play chess with the same skill and verve David Axelrod courts women of the human species.

Posted by: sven10077 at March 27, 2016 05:29 PM (g8Hfr)

23 "To take is a mistake"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B-k2fRVYeFg

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 05:29 PM (2hcmo)

24 The smilie is because of an 8 and a )

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 05:30 PM (zc3Db)

25 17 consider how much brain activity is required just getting out of bed in the morning and brushing your teeth and driving the car to work. Not much capacity left over for extra thinking just for fun.

Posted by: Weasel at March 27, 2016 05:30 PM (e3bId)

26 OM, that link to Zombie's comment is a mess.

Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 27, 2016 05:37 PM (8kWui)

27 I got problem #2 but I'll let someone else post the solution. There really isn't much choice of a move in that one to avoid a stalemate ... sort of forced on you.

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 05:38 PM (zc3Db)

28 This is by far the best place for chess on the interwebs:

https://www.youtube.com/user/STLChessClub/videos

Posted by: Off the reservation at March 27, 2016 05:38 PM (YlqSL)

29 Ashley spoke about the hustle in new york yesterday (see the URL I just posted). Yasser Seirwan related a story of going to NY in the 1980s (IIRC) and being given a knight odds, which amused him greatly.

Posted by: Off the reservation at March 27, 2016 05:40 PM (YlqSL)

30 It's.....the Bishop.

Posted by: eleven at March 27, 2016 05:42 PM (qUNWi)

31 Been studying #1 and see now but didn't get it on my own.

Posted by: Skip at March 27, 2016 05:44 PM (fizMZ)

32 Anyone else watching 'Cuse-'Hoos?

Posted by: logprof at March 27, 2016 05:47 PM (87QtM)

33 32 Yes

Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 27, 2016 05:51 PM (8kWui)

34
If you included funny pics, you'd get more comments and they could help people learn chess!

http://tinyurl.com/jntevz7

http://tinyurl.com/jno4t9y

http://tinyurl.com/zcsxgs7

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 05:52 PM (imIws)

35 I think this should work for problem 2:
1. c6xb7
2. b8Q
3. Qf4
4. Bb8
5. Qxg3#

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 05:52 PM (R+30W)

36 >>> I got problem #2 but I'll let someone else post the solution. There really isn't much choice of a move in that one to avoid a stalemate ... sort of forced on you.

I don't have it, but 1. c7 will determine black's next two moves, but gives possibility to the bishop getting out and causing havoc.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 05:53 PM (2hcmo)

37
Also: pics of cuties pretending to play chess

http://tinyurl.com/j2yzkmr

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 05:54 PM (imIws)

38 Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 05:52 PM (R+30W)

c6xb7 is a stalemate.

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 05:55 PM (zc3Db)

39 Chess was invented by Muslims, of course.

Posted by: fly gal at March 27, 2016 05:55 PM (4AzrV)

40 Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 05:52 PM (imIws)

Oh man, LOVED that first one!

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 05:56 PM (DrCtv)

41 Battle Chess FTW.

Posted by: Kasich the Barbarian, Son of Mailman at March 27, 2016 05:56 PM (mL2BD)

42 I don't have it, but 1. c7 will determine black's next two moves, but gives possibility to the bishop getting out and causing havoc.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 05:53 PM (2hcmo)

After black's one pawn move you have to keep his king moving. Black's bishop will never get out.

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 05:57 PM (zc3Db)

43 Anon, if you take the pawn,you force stalemate. Just push the pawn and black must move to b6, which shelters the king from the bishop and allows (forces) the king to move.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 05:57 PM (2hcmo)

44
Actually, that pic is of Elisabeth Paehtz

"Elisabeth won the 1999 Germany Women's chess championship. She is an Internal Master and Women's Grandmaster with a rating of 2464."

Here is the very lovely Regina Pokorna. She's some sort of chess champ or something.

http://tinyurl.com/zffembe

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 05:58 PM (imIws)

45 "Chess was invented by Muslims, of course."

Doesn't it predate Islam?

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 05:58 PM (8QGte)

46 >>> After black's one pawn move you have to keep his king moving. Black's bishop will never get out.

This is five moves? I see four.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 05:59 PM (2hcmo)

47 Great three-point shooting in this game.

Posted by: logprof at March 27, 2016 06:01 PM (87QtM)

48 OM, Thanks for another Chess Thread. Before I spend 2 hours trying to solve the chess problems Thought I would mention "How To Play Chess". It's a fairly recent Great Courses/Teaching Company offering. Think it costs about 70 bucks and it does get excellent reviews. I have a copy and it is good. But it's going to take a lot of repetition for the information to filter through my skull.

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 06:01 PM (FvdPb)

49 Doesn't it predate Islam?

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 05:58 PM (8QGte)

Yeah, Persian. Chess is "Shach-maht":

Shach being what we call "the Shah" (King)
Maht being "dead"

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 06:02 PM (zc3Db)

50
In 1996 I bought the Mavis Beacon Teaches Chess CD for Windows 95.

No, not really.

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 06:02 PM (imIws)

51 Wikipedia puts the origin of chess in India in the 600's.

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 06:03 PM (8QGte)

52 Let the Wookie win.

Posted by: eman at March 27, 2016 06:03 PM (MQEz6)

53 This is five moves? I see four.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 05:59 PM (2hcmo)

It's five. Just a hint:
1 pawn move
2 pawn move (queen)
3 bishop check
4 bishop check
5 queen mate

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 06:04 PM (zc3Db)

54 Wikipedia puts the origin of chess in India in the 600's.

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 06:03 PM (8QGte)

So the Persians stole it like they did the hindu numerals? I'll buy it.

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 06:05 PM (zc3Db)

55 Problem #2:
1. B-b6 Pxc6
2. B-c5 Pxd5
3. B-d4 Pxc4
4. B-e3 Pxd3
5. B-f1 mate

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 06:06 PM (MAMCl)

56 Four out of fve chess masters surveyed said girls smell funny.

Posted by: eman at March 27, 2016 06:07 PM (MQEz6)

57 38 Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 05:52 PM (R+30W)

c6xb7 is a stalemate.

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 05:55 PM (zc3Db)

++++

D'oh! You're right. I overlooked the challenge.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 06:08 PM (R+30W)

58 Damn. Now I want that first pic that "cucumbah" posted made into a T-shirt.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 06:10 PM (DrCtv)

59 5. B-f1 mate

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 06:06 PM (MAMCl)

B-f1+ K x f3

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 06:10 PM (zc3Db)

60 26 OM, that link to Zombie's comment is a mess.
Posted by: weirdflunkyonatablet at March 27, 2016 05:37 PM (8kWui)

Thanks, I changed it. Apparently, the direct links to comments no longer work, I don't know why.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:12 PM (mcEz5)

61 Some Washington Square park,NYC players of years past. Rossolimo, Israel Zilbur, Richard Gilmartin .MIke Valvo, Asa Hoffman, Jay Bonin,'"Sammy & Theo"',and of course, Robert "Bobby" Fischer. Anyone play any of these guys?

Posted by: blogforce one at March 27, 2016 06:14 PM (G2IJo)

62 >>> B-f1+ K x f3

He made a couple typos. That would be a black pawn on f3 by then.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 06:15 PM (2hcmo)

63 Also Mr Livermore.

Posted by: blogforce one at March 27, 2016 06:15 PM (G2IJo)

64 55 Problem #2:
1. B-b6 Pxc6
2. B-c5 Pxd5
3. B-d4 ~~Pxc4~~Pxe4
4. B-e3 ~~Pxd3~~Pxf3
5. B-f1 mate

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 06:06 PM (MAMCl)

++++

I think the Darles Chickens has it, but he misnotated 2 of the moved. I think this version is correct.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 06:17 PM (R+30W)

65 Google can go fuck itself.

Posted by: the littl shyning man at March 27, 2016 06:18 PM (U6f54)

66 Not a chess guy. 3 moves = 3 moves total or 3 moves for white?

Posted by: Golfman at March 27, 2016 06:19 PM (48QDY)

67 Checkmate by committee.

Darles may disagree ;--)

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 06:21 PM (2hcmo)

68 Oh, I think my brother was able to watch a Karpov vs Korchnoi match (I was pretty young, just remember him being really excited)

Posted by: @votermom at March 27, 2016 06:22 PM (nbrY/)

69 What non-chess themed movie had the most important scene that had to do with chess?

Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 27, 2016 06:22 PM (MNgU2)

70 66 Not a chess guy. 3 moves = 3 moves total or 3 moves for white?

Posted by: Golfman at March 27, 2016 06:19 PM (48QDY)

3 moves for White. So the solution template looks like this:

White moves, Black responds
White moves, Black responds
White moves, and it's checkmate

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:22 PM (mcEz5)

71 Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 27, 2016 06:22 PM (MNgU2)

One of the first Harry Potter films?

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 06:24 PM (DrCtv)

72 Duh...the seventh seal.....

Posted by: Kaspar Gutman at March 27, 2016 06:24 PM (5jvpH)

73 On the second problem, wouldn't moving the white white bishop to F1 save four moves?

Posted by: cthulhu at March 27, 2016 06:24 PM (EzgxV)

74 ThePrimoridalOrderedPair's solution would work as well, except that it doesn't satisfy the title of the problem. He wins the game but doesn't get in the solution book.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 06:26 PM (R+30W)

75 73 On the second problem, wouldn't moving the white white bishop to F1 save four moves?

Posted by: cthulhu at March 27, 2016 06:24 PM (EzgxV)

Never mind -- got confused by direction of the board, K x P.

Posted by: cthulhu at March 27, 2016 06:27 PM (EzgxV)

76 Admittedly I hadn't tried to think of any other films other than the one that first came to mind. I'm sure there are a few. The one I was thinking of was Stalag 17.

Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 27, 2016 06:27 PM (MNgU2)

77 Just got home from a five mile hike with 660 feet of climb.

Posted by: cthulhu at March 27, 2016 06:28 PM (EzgxV)

78 73 On the second problem, wouldn't moving the white white bishop to F1 save four moves?
Posted by: cthulhu at March 27, 2016 06:24 PM (EzgxV)

No, if 1. Bf1 then Black replies 1...Kxf3. You need that Bishop to remain where it is to protect the f3 pawn.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:28 PM (mcEz5)

79 >>> What does the clock do and why do they use it?

The clock shows how much time each player has left.

A typical blitz game would set each clock at five minutes of the hour. On the hour, time is up and a 'flag' inside the clock falls.

The clock also has a post or lever protruding up for whichever player is 'on move'. When they move, the push the post or lever so the other player's time starts ticking away.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 06:29 PM (2hcmo)

80 No cthulhu, it would allow the king to take pawn at f3 and escape.

Posted by: Thin Veneer at March 27, 2016 06:30 PM (93scq)

81 I accept the corrections. Fat fingers on my iPhone.

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 06:30 PM (MAMCl)

82 >>> Just got home from a five mile hike with 660 feet of climb.

Excellent! NC or Cali?

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 06:31 PM (2hcmo)

83 76 Admittedly I hadn't tried to think of any other films other than the one that first came to mind. I'm sure there are a few. The one I was thinking of was Stalag 17.
Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 27, 2016 06:27 PM (MNgU2)

Kaspar Gutman wins teh internetz with his answer, The Seventh Seal.

The movie I thought of is The Thomas Crown Affair, the original, not the remake. The chess game between Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway was symbolic of the "catch me if you can; no, you can't catch me" game they were playing in real life.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:32 PM (mcEz5)

84 In Harry Potter the kids have to play wizard chess as pieces in which the prices actually destroy the captured piece.

To practice I use to get a board out and move the pieces instead of just visualizing the moves. It helped me.

Posted by: Skip at March 27, 2016 06:32 PM (fizMZ)

85
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:22 PM (mcEz5

Thanks. Had mate in two moves for number 1. Realized I had symbols for King and queen crossed up

Told ya I weren't no chess guy.

Tried Go earlier today. Maybe it will grow on me.

Would rather play backgammon with the cube.

Posted by: Golfman at March 27, 2016 06:33 PM (48QDY)

86
Did I just see a commercial for the new Alice In Wonderland movie with Johnny Depp in it as Willy Wonka?

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 06:34 PM (imIws)

87 Chess related. I noticed signs on tables at a local library branch stating they had chess and checker sets available for patrons. This is new. I mentioned to the librarians that they might try to start weekly sessions for adult players. They recently began this for kids but it is held in the story time section of the children's area. Those chairs barely come above my ankle so it's for grade schoolers only. They liked the idea. We'll see what happens.

On the book thread this morning I mentioned a craft book: "Learn To Burn" by Simon Easton. It's about pyrography. One of the projects involves wood burning chess men symbols on wooden refrigerator magnets. The author uses them on his fridge so family members always have a convenient game available. Sounds like a fun project. The designs are fairly simple and could be done as sketches or low relief carving.

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 06:35 PM (FvdPb)

88 I recently happened across chess.com looking for an online playing community. You can play against their computer for free and even get an analysis of the game for free. I've only done the simple analysis (3min) so far, but it's not half bad. Haven't dug into the site too much other than that, but was pleasantly surprised so far.

No idea what you get for paying subscriptions or whatever.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 06:35 PM (Wckf4)

89 Bobby Fischer would have been banned at aos for one of his quotes.

"Is it against the law to kill a reporter?"

Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 27, 2016 06:37 PM (MNgU2)

90 For problem #1, doesn't N-e8ck work as well? If RxN, then Q-f6ck followed by either RxR or Q-h8 depending on where Black moves the king.

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 06:37 PM (MAMCl)

91
#2

P-D6 PxP
P-D7 P-C5
P-D8 (convert to Q) PxP
Q-D2 P-B3
B-F1+ and mate

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot, 'Who Decides?' at March 27, 2016 06:37 PM (k/T/Q)

92 Posted by: Skip at March 27, 2016 06:32 PM (fizMZ)

Dunno why, but if I had an actual chess board with the pieces on them I think it would be a lot easier to solve the problem that OM laid out.

Easier for me, anyhow.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 06:38 PM (DrCtv)

93 I like 'Axis and Allies', Castle Panic, and 'Killer Bunnies: The Quest for the Magic Carrot (card game)'.

I end up defaulting to the latter two because the first takes a while to set up.

Posted by: shadowofashade at March 27, 2016 06:39 PM (owQDO)

94 I have a set I got in England and a set I painted of ceramic I made in high school. But any store will have a cheep set or a travel set, that and a book and you will be good.

Posted by: Skip at March 27, 2016 06:43 PM (fizMZ)

95 OT: Trump says he will hire the best people, and thus his presidency will be better than others.

Now he's going to sue because his team is losing delegates in Louisiana because they were outplayed by Cruz's team.

What does this suggest about Donald's ability to hire "the best?"

It suggests that its simply a facile line designed to avoid having to have actual policies.

I will admit, he's been the most impressive bullshitter I have ever seen. But this claim that he has the ability to hire "the best people" now appears empty.

Posted by: Harun at March 27, 2016 06:43 PM (UBBWX)

96 Played poor mans chess, checkers , at 4H camp. But just to sit across a table from a pretty girl. Never played dominoes which is BIG here in ETEX. Liked Rook for about 10 years mid-60's to mid-70's. Was accused of cheating but never caught.

Posted by: Eromero at March 27, 2016 06:44 PM (zLDYs)

97 OT: He did have some shrewdness in other states. Maybe its a state by state problem.

Posted by: Harun at March 27, 2016 06:44 PM (UBBWX)

98 Something I learned from the previous chess thread was not to try solving the puzzles staring at the screen. It helps, me at least, to set it up on a board. I may still be stumped but it improves the odds and I'll take all the help I can get.

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 06:45 PM (FvdPb)

99 90

I believe you are correct.

Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 06:45 PM (2hcmo)

100 45 "Chess was invented by Muslims, of course."

Doesn't it predate Islam?
Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 05:58 PM (8QGte)

----------

Not any more.

Posted by: Revisionist historians at March 27, 2016 06:47 PM (kTF2Z)

101 90 For problem #1, doesn't N-e8ck work as well? If RxN, then Q-f6ck followed by either RxR or Q-h8 depending on where Black moves the king.

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 06:37 PM (MAMCl)

If 1. Ne8+, then 1..Kg8 and what do you do now?

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:48 PM (mcEz5)

102 Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 06:45 PM (FvdPb)

Yeah, that's what I posted above you. Sometimes you just need the physical in front of you. Like in real life. And then often see it better.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 06:48 PM (DrCtv)

103 So here are the "official" solutions:

Solution to problem #1:

White thinks it would be nice if he could force the Black king out to where it could be attacked. This is possible by:

1. Qxf8+

Black's only response is:

1...Kxf8

White follows up with:

2. Re8+

Again, Black only has one move:

2...Kg7

Finish him!

3. Rg8#

The rook and knight teaming up like that to trap the black king is a form of what is known as the Arabian mate.

Full solution: 1. Qxf8+ Kxf8 2. Re8+ Kg7 3. Rg8# 1-0

Solution to problem #2:

Looking at the board, I noticed that black only has 2 legal moves, 1...b6 and 1...bxc6. He's jammed up otherwise. Then I saw that the checkmate would probably be delivered by the Bishop on e2. But if the Bishop is moved to f1 to do this, that leaves the pawn on f3 undefended. There really isn't any other piece available to defend it, but what if it were a black pawn instead? Then it couldn't be captured by Black's king, which would be boxed in even further. Is there any way we can bring about this happy (for White) state of affairs? Only if we can force the Black's pawn on b7 to capture all of the pawns on the diagonal until it runs out. Then we can deliver the checkmate by Bf1.

So, given that there are only two legal moves for Black on the board, 1...b6 and 1...bxc6, we need to prevent him from avoiding the pawn capture. White can do this by moving his dark-square Bishop down to b6.

So:

1. Bb6 bxc6

Forced. Then you need to repeat the process:

2.Bc5 cxd5

Again, use the Bishop to block the pawn push and force the capture:

3.Bd4 dxe4

And again:

4.Be3 exf3

And now the black pawn is where you want it. Finally:

5.Bf1#

So the path that the black pawn takes suggests a descending escalator.

Full solution: 1.Bb6 bxc6 2.Bc5 cxd5 3.Bd4 dxe4 4.Be3 exf3 5.Bf1# 1-0

And congrats to those who figured them out.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:51 PM (mcEz5)

104 Chess Problem #1

To hell with the puzzle, I'm forking the Queen- first move!

Posted by: t-bird at March 27, 2016 06:51 PM (ANVXm)

105 I would like one of the chess pieces to be a cannon. Opening move -blast the shit out of your opponent and play with what is left.

Posted by: Ben Had at March 27, 2016 06:51 PM (uab97)

106 ...yeah, I know, but it was worth it just for the expression on her face.

Posted by: t-bird at March 27, 2016 06:52 PM (ANVXm)

107 OT: He did have some shrewdness in other states. Maybe its a state by state problem.
Posted by: Harun at March 27, 2016 06:44 PM (UBBWX)

******

It's a thread about chess. Please, give politics a break. Thank you.

Posted by: Tim in GA at March 27, 2016 06:52 PM (cGY5P)

108 When I was in Africa I saw a number of really interesting and attractive chess sets usually featuring the big five African animals.

Posted by: Northernlurker, muzungo at March 27, 2016 06:55 PM (4rzL1)

109
To hell with the puzzle, I'm forking the Queen- first move!
Posted by: t-bird at March 27, 2016 06:51 PM (ANVXm)

--

It's good to be King!

Posted by: Mel Brooks at March 27, 2016 06:55 PM (nbrY/)

110 98 Something I learned from the previous chess thread was not to try solving the puzzles staring at the screen. It helps, me at least, to set it up on a board. I may still be stumped but it improves the odds and I'll take all the help I can get.

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 06:45 PM (FvdPb)

++++

If you want to get the same benefit right on your computer, this site has a board you can setup any way you want and then make your moves from there.
http://tinyurl.com/h3r6x2m

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 06:56 PM (R+30W)

111 I lost interest in chess about the time I realized the queen had boobs.

Posted by: Weasel at March 27, 2016 06:58 PM (e3bId)

112 1. Qxf8! Kxf8
2. Re8+ Kg7
3. Rg8#

Posted by: Lamont Cranston at March 27, 2016 07:01 PM (jq0uP)

113 The fact that it took me five minutes to figure it out brings home a visceral truth: Chess is a perishable skill.

Posted by: Lamont Cranston at March 27, 2016 07:02 PM (jq0uP)

114 Problem I have with the Chess set up...

It's a freeze-frame. Which is fine and dandy but until this point I have been playing my opponent. So I may very well figure out how he/she is going to move based on how they have done earlier.

So from a logical point it is fair, but is it really based on a real life game?

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 07:02 PM (DrCtv)

115 Over the last couple of years I've been assembling board games and others that don't need electricity or computers. Don't plan to discuss them, and don't know how to play some of them, but they include domino sets, Parcheesi, chess, checkers, Chinese checkers and variants, shut the box, scrabble, and others. Also, have a few sets of good playing cards and a cribbage board. I never cared for Monopoly, Game of Life and some others.

I suspect there's a bit of prepper behind this interest and maybe I just don't want to create ever more dependence on computers and electricity for amusements.

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 07:03 PM (FvdPb)

116 113 The fact that it took me five minutes to figure it out brings home a visceral truth: Chess is a perishable skill.

Posted by: Lamont Cranston at March 27, 2016 07:02 PM (jq0uP)

Yes, I've found that out, too. It's like a muscle: use it or lose it.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 07:04 PM (mcEz5)

117 OT check out the NYC skyline on Easter 1956

https://twitter.com/lingling23/status/713875604307845121

Posted by: Mel Brooks at March 27, 2016 07:04 PM (nbrY/)

118 Oops off comic sock

Posted by: @votermom at March 27, 2016 07:04 PM (nbrY/)

119 Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 07:03 PM (FvdPb)

Heck, you get stuck home in a Blizzard plus have light you are good to go.

Nothing like a board game.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 07:06 PM (DrCtv)

120 Both solutions are far too clever for me to actually come up with, but I do love reading them.

Posted by: t-bird at March 27, 2016 07:07 PM (Z58Xa)

121 It's a freeze-frame. Which is fine and dandy but until this point I have been playing my opponent. So I may very well figure out how he/she is going to move based on how they have done earlier.
So from a logical point it is fair, but is it really based on a real life game?
Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 07:02 PM (DrCtv)

If I understand you correctly, it's perfectly fine to play "the opponent" (as opposed to "the board"). The great champion Emmanuel Lasker was notorious for playing moves for psychological effect rather than theoretical soundness. Those of us who like chess for its mathematical beauty may perhaps get annoyed with the "poker-playing" aspects, but we cannot deny they exist.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 07:08 PM (mcEz5)

122 Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 07:03 PM (FvdPb)

Backgammon
Mancala
Mahjong

Posted by: @votermom at March 27, 2016 07:09 PM (nbrY/)

123 I can't believe Sycacuse is about to win.

Posted by: logprof at March 27, 2016 07:09 PM (87QtM)

124 Chess is chock-full of microaggression.

Posted by: Emory University Snowflake at March 27, 2016 07:10 PM (Dwehj)

125 [ b ]Update[ /b ]: Solutions at comment #103

It's funny that you used Pixy code up in html land.

Posted by: t-bird at March 27, 2016 07:10 PM (Z58Xa)

126 124 Chess is chock-full of microaggression.
Posted by: Emory University Snowflake at March 27, 2016 07:10 PM (Dwehj)

Macro-aggressions, too.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 07:11 PM (mcEz5)

127 Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 07:08 PM (mcEz5)

Indeed, I was thinking of Poker.

But it may very well hold true with Chess.

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 07:12 PM (DrCtv)

128 "Yes, I've found that out, too. It's like a muscle: use it or lose it.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 07:04 PM (mcEz5)"

I used to study and play an hour or so a day and got up to a 1600 rating (granted, this was a Yahoo chess rating so it was probably closer to 1200) but my mind saw so many avenues and possibilities. I could imagine forks and pins and pawn storms and discovered checks six moves ahead and now when I play I think to myself, "Hmmm...I wonder what would happen if I move my horsey here?"

Posted by: Lamont Cranston at March 27, 2016 07:13 PM (LMLqO)

129 Korchnoi was one of those players who would get personally aggressive with his opponent, iirc. Try to get them riled up so they would blunder.

Posted by: @votermom at March 27, 2016 07:14 PM (nbrY/)

130 I used to play chess, but then I took an arrow to the knee.

Actually I did, not extremely well but decent to enough to not thoroughly embarrass myself. I've forgotten pretty much everything though.

Posted by: Insomniac at March 27, 2016 07:14 PM (0mRoj)

131 DOMINOS- You might be a redneck if you can count in multiples of five.

Posted by: Ben Had at March 27, 2016 07:15 PM (uab97)

132 I am not so very impressed about the computer Go player, at least as an artificial intelligence thing. I mean, if a human wants to learn to play Go at an expert level, he or she begins playing and studying the game. You play against better and better opponents until, after you've spent thousands of hours honing your skills, you can at least hold your own against nearly anyone you're likely to meet.

When a computer learns to play go, the computer does not want to learn because computers don't want. The programmers want the computer to learn, and so they spend many more than those thousands of hours painstakingly teaching the computer to play. I guess it's a significant engineering achievement, but it has bugger all to do with intelligence. Wake me up when a computer checks "beginning chess" out of some cyberlibrary and we'll talk about AI.

Posted by: Jonathan G at March 27, 2016 07:17 PM (0HNM5)

133
I haven't played Cribbage in so long that I forgot how to play.

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 07:18 PM (imIws)

134 I played quite a bit when I was younger, but these days the only chess I get is chess pie.

Posted by: Duke Lowell at March 27, 2016 07:19 PM (kTF2Z)

135 I'm still trying to figure out the first problem.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 07:22 PM (sdi6R)

136
Perhaps we can take this into the den where it's more comfortable...

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 07:23 PM (imIws)

137 133- Had some friends that were dedicated cribbage players. One year I made them a cribbage board out of purple heart wood with sterling silver markers, That is the last time I thought about cribbage.

Posted by: Ben Had at March 27, 2016 07:24 PM (uab97)

138 110 ... thanks for the link.

I can add Go, mancala, and a few others. I'm not above trying tiddly-winks. I'm in my sixties now and computer games don't seem to keep the brain cells working like physical games. That was part of what got me interested in chess after almost fifty years away from it. I don't have to be good, just improve.

And you never know when the next blizzard, hurricane or power outage will happen. :-)

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 07:26 PM (FvdPb)

139 I wish I could remember who taught me chess, I'm sure it was in high school. Played a little and tried to teach my wife how to play.

I was beating her one time and she upset the board. In her defense we were young and drinking at the time. Haven't touched it since, no one to play.

Having said that...the Obama admin not admitting it was terrorism directed at Christians is despicable on Easter, even MSN mentioned that.

Watched Killing Jesus today, thought it was pretty good.

Posted by: Farmer at March 27, 2016 07:26 PM (o/90i)

140 A breakaway Pakistani faction of the militant Taliban group has claimed responsibility for an Easter Sunday bombing that killed 65 people in a park in the eastern city of Lahore that was crowded with Christians, including many children.

Ahsanullah Ahsan, spokesman for Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, told the Associated Press that a suicide bomber with the faction deliberately targeted the Christian community.

The community organizing sodomite won't mention this. Because I'm sure it was all the Christians fault.

Posted by: TheQuietMan at March 27, 2016 07:29 PM (45oDG)

141
A cedar cribbage board would smell nice.

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 07:30 PM (imIws)

142 132 I am not so very impressed about the computer Go player, at least as an artificial intelligence thing. I mean, if a human wants to learn to play Go at an expert level, he or she begins playing and studying the game. You play against better and better opponents until, after you've spent thousands of hours honing your skills, you can at least hold your own against nearly anyone you're likely to meet.

When a computer learns to play go, the computer does not want to learn because computers don't want. The programmers want the computer to learn, and so they spend many more than those thousands of hours painstakingly teaching the computer to play. I guess it's a significant engineering achievement, but it has bugger all to do with intelligence. Wake me up when a computer checks "beginning chess" out of some cyberlibrary and we'll talk about AI.

Posted by: Jonathan G at March 27, 2016 07:17 PM (0HNM5)

++++

You don't need the curiosity to have AI. If all the programmer needed to do is teach the computer the rules of a game like chess, and the computer developed all the strategies for playing on its own, that would be impressive.

As a matter of fact, I am not at all bothered by a computer directed to think up strategies designed to win at chess. On the other hand, some computer starts deciding on its own what interests it... Now that would be disturbing.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 07:31 PM (R+30W)

143 I give up. I can't figure out either one of them.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 07:31 PM (sdi6R)

144 Welp, about getting time for TWD.

Later...

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 07:32 PM (DrCtv)

145 So the path that the black pawn takes suggests a descending escalator.

Full solution: 1.Bb6 bxc6 2.Bc5 cxd5 3.Bd4 dxe4 4.Be3 exf3 5.Bf1# 1-0

And congrats to those who figured them out.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 06:51 PM (mcEz5)

My solution for #2 (in full) is:

p-c7 p-b6
p-c8 (queen) K-g1
Bxb6+ K-g2
B-f1+ Kxf3
Q-f5 Mate

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 07:32 PM (zc3Db)

146 Da Cuse.

woot.

Posted by: eleven at March 27, 2016 07:33 PM (qUNWi)

147 Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 06:26 PM (R+30W)

It wasn't until I had to check back with the diagram (to post the full moves) that I even realized what you were saying about the title!

"I only read the posts for the pictures"

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 07:37 PM (zc3Db)

148 My solution for #2 (in full) is:
p-c7 p-b6
p-c8 (queen) K-g1
Bxb6+ K-g2...

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 07:32 PM (zc3Db)

OK, so instead of 3...K-g2, Black moves 3...Rf2.

Now what do you do?

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 07:39 PM (mcEz5)

149 OK, so instead of 3...K-g2, Black moves 3...Rf2.

Now what do you do?

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 07:39 PM (mcEz5)

Yep ... my mistake.

Posted by: ThePrimoridalOrderedPair at March 27, 2016 07:48 PM (zc3Db)

150 Has anyone tipped over he board and pulled out a knife?

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 27, 2016 07:48 PM (iQIUe)

151 Chess has its origins in games invented by African tribal elders. Then colonialists not only stole the idea but erased all memory of it from its originators. True story.

Posted by: cm9000 at March 27, 2016 07:49 PM (2TUVm)

152 Don't bring a chessboard to a knife fight.

Posted by: Weasel at March 27, 2016 07:50 PM (e3bId)

153 A good friend of mine, no whiz in the classroom back in "the day", has become an exceptional chess player by playing against his "clients" for 20 or so years. He's in Juvenile Detention. Those kids, especially the ones raised "institutionally", have an uncanny proficiency at board games of all types.

Posted by: Lincolntf at March 27, 2016 07:50 PM (2cS/G)

154 I didn't say anything about curiosity. I'm talking about how even game playing computers are passive. They don't do anything until you double-click the icon. A counterexample might be in order. My wife wants a cat, so my household contains a cat. Said cat has all the brains of a down pillow, but you cannot deny that she also has desires, and she acts on those desires. That makes that cat smarter than any computer program ever written. Note that when I say "she" I mean the cat, not my wife. Although my wife certainly has desires and acts to fulfill them, she has considerably more brains than a down pillow.

It has long been possible to teach a computer to play various games by programming in valid moves and then making moves that lead to a win more likely than moves that lead to a loss. The problem is that the process of teaching a computer to play that way is amazingly slow for all but the simplest games. I suppose it would be impressive, but it wouldn't be intelligent.

Of course, having a powerful machine with a will of its own would be very scary. It is, indeed, the stuff of horror movies, but since we don't know how to begin to create a machine with a will of its own, we don't know anything about the characteristics of such a machine. A real AI might be dumber than dirt with even the fastest available hardware, or there might be other limitations that come into play that we don't yet know. Who can say?

Posted by: Jonathan G at March 27, 2016 07:51 PM (0HNM5)

155 OK, I gave up and read the solutions. Nice.

I had to actually set up a chessboard for the second one, since I couldn't picture it in my mind.

That's why I don't play chess much anymore. My brain has largely atrophied.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 07:52 PM (sdi6R)

156
Chess is French for virgin.

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 07:52 PM (imIws)

157 Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 07:03 PM

Another great board game is Risk. Played it as a kid and young adult. And updated version would be interesting.

Maybe you could have a roll of the dice to decide who has to be the Obama/Clinton admin? And tie them to their strategic moves re: Islamic terrorists. Haahaa.

Posted by: Farmer at March 27, 2016 07:53 PM (o/90i)

158
An episode of Columbo is like a chess match.
Anyone watching Columbo right now? Rosemary's baby's father is the villain.

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 07:55 PM (imIws)

159 A group of a half dozen or so evenly matched players playing 5 minute games is a very fun experience. Winner stays seated to play the next challenger. In the case of a draw the previous winner stays seated. The banter, the glory, the learning.

I spent uncounted hours playing at the pavilion across from the Pacific Beach Hotel in Waikiki doing this, until the punks and vagrants etc made Waikiki virtually unlivable.

Lots of strong players in Honolulu, and once in a while some tourist ringer would come by and wreak havoc upon us.

Posted by: davidt at March 27, 2016 07:57 PM (8aOqE)

160 I read somewhere that chess and go had a common ancestor in India. The game that moved west evolved into chess, and the game that moved east evolved into go.

I have no idea whether this is true.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 07:58 PM (sdi6R)

161 Chess?

Posted by: Death at March 27, 2016 07:59 PM (sl+zA)

162 As for the meme on top about arguing with liberals, I sure ran into that today with the family.

An aunt and my grandma didn't know what I was talking about when I referred to Hillary as a "career criminal".

Hillary being fired from Watergate for falsifying evidence? Never heard of it.
Lying about Benghazi? A right-wing attack.
Over a thousand top secret and above emails on her personal server? No big deal. More right-wing nonsense according to them.

Voices were raised but then it was decided to just drop it and I at least pretended for the sake of civility to not be outright disgusted at their willing ignorance.

Posted by: Daniel at March 27, 2016 08:01 PM (Ur3Wo)

163 I read somewhere that chess and go had a common
ancestor in India. The game that moved west evolved into chess, and the
game that moved east evolved into go.

I have no idea whether this is true.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 07:58 PM (sdi6R)

What is go?

Posted by: cm9000 at March 27, 2016 08:01 PM (2TUVm)

164 I like the horses in chess but Monopoly has these little houses.

Posted by: Joe Biden at March 27, 2016 08:02 PM (sl+zA)

165 161: chess? i can't even play checkers. this thread is slower than old man dick drip.

Posted by: chavez the hugo at March 27, 2016 08:03 PM (ucDmr)

166 haha carol don't give no shits about denise

Posted by: derit at March 27, 2016 08:03 PM (OC+TJ)

167 Oregon Muse said:

If 1. Ne8+, then 1..Kg8 and what do you do now?

In that case, I still move the Queen to f6. If the rook takes the knight, then the white rook takes the black for mate. If Black makes any other move, then the Queen delivers mate at g7, protected by the knight.

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 08:05 PM (E0tmC)

168 TWD nookie montage, the last refuge of the damned

Posted by: derit at March 27, 2016 08:05 PM (OC+TJ)

169 Anybody else here hate catan? I'd say its cost me friendships. Some minor group dynamics within the circle were noticeably amplified playing the game, a bullshit in vs out pattern formed and repeated while playing. The in half doesn't want to switch games, the out half is like fuck you, tired of being your patsy. So now game night and my excuse to leave the baby watching to the wifey unit while I get plowed is screwed.

Posted by: allenlou at March 27, 2016 08:05 PM (us5tr)

170 TWD

Is the real Negan gonna kill someone tonight... 2nd to last episode of the season. It has got to happen soon.

Posted by: Burnt Toast at March 27, 2016 08:08 PM (T78UI)

171
I'm still a few eps behind on TWD.

Posted by: cucumbah watah for customah only! at March 27, 2016 08:08 PM (imIws)

172 163
What is go?

Posted by: cm9000 at March 27, 2016 08:01 PM (2TUVm)

You didn't read the original post, did you?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_(game)

No, I don't know how to play it.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:10 PM (sdi6R)

173 You mentioned Poker?
I just published a small book about a poker detective. It's called "The Man From P.I.S.S.
(Poker Investigations, Sensible Solutions")
Very clever if I do say so myself. Available at Smashwords for under a buck. Look under category Amateur detectives or some thing like that

Posted by: jfalcon@yahoo.com at March 27, 2016 08:11 PM (sjBWi)

174 My solution to 1st is
Knight to e8
Queen to f6
Queen to g7

Posted by: Jawbomer at March 27, 2016 08:12 PM (x+g+Z)

175 Over a thousand top secret and above emails on her personal server?

The server was in a bathroom! You know, all private and shit?

Posted by: Hillary! at March 27, 2016 08:12 PM (9mTYi)

176 Over a thousand top secret and above emails on her personal server? No big deal. More right-wing nonsense according to them.

Posted by: Daniel at March 27, 2016 08:01 PM (Ur3Wo)
---------------------------

A pall fell over me reading an L.A. Times article today that stated that most legal experts think Hillary will walk. Not enough evidence for anything. I guess everyone's got their experts, and the L.A. Times has its agenda, but still.

Posted by: iforgot at March 27, 2016 08:13 PM (5o5ek)

177 "You have Black against Capablanca on Saturday."

I'll have to use this one at model rocketry club on Thursday.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at March 27, 2016 08:13 PM (sl+zA)

178 I was just informed by Mrs. JTB that we have a game of Risk in the house. Got it when we first got married thirty-plus years ago and never opened it. I had forgotten. Being young marrieds and getting our careers started proved a slight distraction.

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 08:17 PM (FvdPb)

179 uzi 4 u

Posted by: derit at March 27, 2016 08:17 PM (OC+TJ)

180 The chess joke is funny, if it hasn't been mentioned before.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:20 PM (sdi6R)

181 jeez, carol's become firestarter

Posted by: derit at March 27, 2016 08:20 PM (OC+TJ)

182 My solution to 1st is
Knight to e8
Queen to f6
Queen to g7

What about me? At Q-f6, I think I'm going Qxf2+

Posted by: #BlackMovesMatter at March 27, 2016 08:21 PM (mxCgt)

183 if 1. Ne8+, then 1..Kg8 and what do you do now?
In that case, I still move the Queen to f6. If the rook takes the knight, then the white rook takes the black for mate. If Black makes any other move, then the Queen delivers mate at g7, protected by the knight.
Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 08:05 PM (E0tmC)

But if 2.Qf6, then that's not a check, and Black is now free to do this:

2...Qxf2+
White has to do this: 3. Kh1
Then Black moves: 3...Qg2#

Not what you want.

1.Ne8+ Kg8 2.Qf6 Qxf2+ 3.Kh1 Qg2# 0-1

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 08:22 PM (mcEz5)

184 I dipped my toe into 5e D&D yesterday: I bought "Out Of The Abyss".

So far it's up there with the best of Pathfinder. Some reviewers are saying it's the best Underdark campaign since Carl Sargent's "Night Below" (!). Excellent work with NPCs; good work showing how those underground cultures are really really weird, in the Clark Ashton Smith sense.

I like the zen kuo-toa best.

(I mean, since this thread has been going on for awhile, I figure it can branch into a general tabletop gamer thread.)

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at March 27, 2016 08:24 PM (6FqZa)

185 173 You mentioned Poker?
I just published a small book about a poker detective. It's called "The Man From P.I.S.S.
(Poker Investigations, Sensible Solutions")
Very clever if I do say so myself. Available at Smashwords for under a buck. Look under category Amateur detectives or some thing like that
Posted by: jfalcon@yahoo.com at March 27, 2016 08:11 PM (sjBWi)

Ha ha, very good, I'll mention it on the book thread next Sunday, maybe you'll get a few sales.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 08:25 PM (mcEz5)

186 OK, I just tried to play a game against my computer and resigned about 20 moves in, when I was down two pawns.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:26 PM (sdi6R)

187 (I mean, since this thread has been going on for awhile, I figure it can branch into a general tabletop gamer thread.)

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at March 27, 2016 08:24 PM (6FqZa)

Yes, very much so. As I said in the intro paragraph:

Also good for discussion in the comments are other games you can play with boards, cards, pieces and no electricity. Even the newfangledyassed board games like Carcassonne or Settlers of Catan. And poker. Poker's good, too. I suspect there's a lot of Moron poker players here.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 08:27 PM (mcEz5)

188 Yatzee!!!!!!

Posted by: Mimzey at March 27, 2016 08:27 PM (aRUb8)

189 Also good for discussion in the comments are other games you can play with boards, cards, pieces and no electricity

Well that cuts D&D out, since it is traditionally played in one's sister's basement

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at March 27, 2016 08:28 PM (6FqZa)

190 That chess hustler video was a hoot. Never thought that you could cheat at chess, but the guy tried it, and got caught. Wonder how many times he's gotten away with it.

Posted by: Splunge at March 27, 2016 08:28 PM (iMxBJ)

191 I would like to point out the Deep Blue was far from brute force calculations. It had a team of GM's helping it. It was one of Kasparov's complaints that the team was modifying code, against the agreed to terms, from game to game.

Posted by: WOPR - Nationalist at March 27, 2016 08:31 PM (LTDSy)

192 games you can play with boards, cards, pieces and no electricity

Like Operation? "Take out wrenched ankle" Done, sucker! Taking out the battery was the best thing I ever did for my career.

Posted by: Joe Biden at March 27, 2016 08:34 PM (mxCgt)

193 Oregon Muse said:

But if 2.Qf6, then that's not a check, and Black is now free to do this:

2...Qxf2+
White has to do this: 3. Kh1
Then Black moves: 3...Qg2#

Not what you want.

1.Ne8+ Kg8 2.Qf6 Qxf2+ 3.Kh1 Qg2# 0-1

True enough. I see now that my solution does not produce a guaranteed mate in 3 and in fact leaves the door open for a Black counterattack.

Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 27, 2016 08:38 PM (E0tmC)

194 All these TWD seasons pass before we finally have a seemingly resilient bad guy in Dwight

Posted by: derit at March 27, 2016 08:40 PM (OC+TJ)

195 The clock also has a post or lever protruding up for whichever player is 'on move'. When they move, the push the post or lever so the other player's time starts ticking away.
Posted by: fluffy at March 27, 2016 06:29 PM (2hcmo)

Thanks fluffy!.......

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at March 27, 2016 08:44 PM (ej1L0)

196 A pall fell over me reading an L.A. Times article today that stated that most legal experts think Hillary will walk. Not enough evidence for anything. I guess everyone's got their experts, and the L.A. Times has its agenda, but still.
Posted by: iforgot at March 27, 2016 08:13 PM (5o5ek)
==========
Heard it from the AP experts, too. They think that since she was sect of state and communicating with advisors it isnt important. However, the rules are in place to prevent breaches of security which did happen. Why even have these regs if she can violate them so blatantly?

Personally, I think she shared this info with various advisors so they could exchange it for donations to the clinton foundations.

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 27, 2016 08:44 PM (iQIUe)

197 Voices were raised but then it was decided to just drop it and I at least pretended for the sake of civility to not be outright disgusted at their willing ignorance.
Posted by: Daniel at March 27, 2016 08:01 PM

You are being kind to your deluded elders.

Hillary as a criminal that they don't acknowledge is just f...ing sad.

Posted by: Farmer at March 27, 2016 08:45 PM (o/90i)

198 I tried to play another game against my computer, and it seemed to be going a little better.

Until I lost a rook for a bishop, again after about 20 moves.

Fuck this shit.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:47 PM (sdi6R)

199 Hillary as a criminal that they don't acknowledge is just f...ing sad.

Posted by: Farmer at March 27, 2016 08:45 PM (o/90i)

Hillary! is also a lawyer who knows precisely what she can get away with and what she can't. And how close she can get to the line without stepping over.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 08:48 PM (mcEz5)

200 198 I tried to play another game against my computer, and it seemed to be going a little better.

Until I lost a rook for a bishop, again after about 20 moves.

Fuck this shit.
Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:47 PM (sdi6R)

I continued playing the game.

That sure went downhill fast.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:51 PM (sdi6R)

201 in my experience the secret to winning at chess is to play very bad players. i'll occasionally go to an internet chess site, win 10 in a row or lose in bunches. but i try the chess app in my apple and lose in about 5 moves.

i have a really good record against kindergarteners.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at March 27, 2016 08:52 PM (WTSFk)

202 "That chess hustler video was a hoot. Never thought that you could cheat at chess, but the guy tried it, and got caught. Wonder how many times he's gotten away with it."

My thoughts exactly. The pace of the game was fantastic.
Done in under 5 minutes.

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 08:53 PM (8QGte)

203 Found a link to the article about the reduced instruction set chess on a go board I mentioned in the book thread:

http://www.archim.org.uk/eureka/53/gess.html

Posted by: Anachronda at March 27, 2016 08:54 PM (o78gS)

204 Ivanka had her baby on Easter! Little Theodore.

Posted by: iforgot at March 27, 2016 08:55 PM (5o5ek)

205 What a wonderful day! Thank you CBD for putting up yet another Food Thread. Wish I could cook. And thank you too, Oregon Muse, for putting up a thread of amusements and games. Just for the record, I am the Queen of Candyland. I used to play chess in college but most of my brain cells are on life support, so I can only manage Hi Ho Cherrio, or the ever-challenging game of Cootie. Of course I always lose to my grandchildren because that's what grandmas do.

I wish everyday could be Easter. Wait - it is! Goodnight and God bless.

Posted by: grammie winger, clinging to the old rugged cross at March 27, 2016 08:56 PM (dFi94)

206 Checkmate in 28 moves.

Either my computer is capable of grandmaster-level play, or I totally suck.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:56 PM (sdi6R)

207 158

An episode of Columbo is like a chess match.

Anyone watching Columbo right now? Rosemary's baby's father is the villain.

doesn't come on here for another hour or so.

Posted by: Anachronda at March 27, 2016 08:57 PM (o78gS)

208 Chess was a favorite game of mine back in the day. To my chagrin, I went to that recommended "how to" site and discovered much of that which I have totally forgotten, including en passant and even castling.

Today I do dominoes (tournament play) and chinese checkers with mother. That's it. Not even poker.

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 08:57 PM (8QGte)

209 I continued playing the game.
That sure went downhill fast.
Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 08:51 PM (sdi6R)

What I suggest you do to avoid discouragement is to crank it down until you can beat it some of the time. then as you get better, turn it back up incrementally.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 09:00 PM (mcEz5)

210 Happy Easter, grammie! He is risen!

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 09:01 PM (mcEz5)

211 164 Favorite Monopoly pieces were the cannon and the car.

Posted by: Weasel at March 27, 2016 09:05 PM (1hy/q)

212 Happy Easter, Grammie. And thanks for posting. Queen of Candyland made the Mrs. and me smile.

Posted by: JTB at March 27, 2016 09:06 PM (FvdPb)

213 I tried another game.

Annnd I lost a piece in 15 moves.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 09:08 PM (sdi6R)

214 http://preview.tinyurl.com/hz7wcvo

There will be tons of dust in your eyes if you watch this.

Posted by: Tim in Illinois. Evil Social Conservative at March 27, 2016 09:08 PM (WVsWD)

215
Rosemary's baby's father is the villain.

He blew up real good in The Fury.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot Jr. at March 27, 2016 09:13 PM (FkBIv)

216 199 Hillary as a criminal that they don't acknowledge is just f...ing sad.

Posted by: Farmer at March 27, 2016 08:45 PM (o/90i)

Hillary! is also a lawyer who knows precisely what she can get away with and what she can't. And how close she can get to the line without stepping over.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 08:48 PM (mcEz5)

++++

I think she has clearly violated laws regarding classified information and is way over the line. That she went over the line knowingly. But, trying and convicting her would be a big mess for the Democrat party and I don't think Obama has the stomach for all the collateral damage (to the party, not the country). Plus she was part of his administration, so even if she didn't bring others down with her, the stink still gets on him.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 09:15 PM (R+30W)

217 Okay, so i admit it, i'm a daily reader of this blog, but not a commenter. However, zombie's comment on Go got me amped up enough to walk down to the laptop and put in my own two cents...

So first my credentials: I have played Go on and off for 16 years and i have only barely scratched the surface of Chess. So i have the complete opposite perspective. I have read dozens and dozens of Go books, attended Go lectures by professionals, and also flown across the country twice to attend the annual Go Congress which is yearly tournament / event put on by the American Go Association. In terms of rank, i am probably only a 1 dan. I have no way to put that rank into perspective for a Chess player... other than it is the "Black Belt" of Go. Which means, i'm probably better than a large majority of most amateurs, but there are LOTS of people better than me. It is also probably achievable by playing Go for a year straight with a lot of studying and very little in terms of breaks.

Zombie called OregonMuse's original post factually inaccurate... which i strongly disagree with. So i'll go through his points one by one and try to tell you why he's wrong.

In terms of complexity, Go is probably the most complex game there is. I'm not going to pretend to understand it, but from my understanding there is an actual mathematical measure of complexity that I think is based on the number of reasonable board positions and reasonable branches that the game can proceed along. This is what people mean when they say Go is more complex than Chess. Just to put things in perspective, there are 18 potential starting moves on a chess board. In Go, there are 361. Now, mathematical complexity and actual human complexity are different things. On these terms, i am guessing that Chess and Go are probably equal. I say this only because people study both games for their entire lives and still cannot ever play "perfectly". Another comparison that i have heard people say is that Chess is a balance of strategy and tactics, where Go has a bit of tactics in the beginning of the game, but quickly turns into a pure strategy game.

To say that Go has not been studied as much as Chess is also just plain wrong. Go is guessed as being somewhere between 3000-5000 years old and has been studied exhaustively in the east. It is true that English books written on Chess probably dwarf English books written on Go, but that does not mean that it has not been studied more. In ancient China and Japan, Go was considered a martial art and was a requirement for many eastern countries when one would enter into military service since it was seen as a way to sharpen the tactical mind. Go is a surrounding game, and if one were to study military tactics in feudal Japan, you would see the similarities.

Also, to say that every little kid has mastered the game in China or Japan is wrong. This is like saying boxing is more complicated that karate, because every little kid in Japan learns karate in their gym class. Similar to Go, i'm sure most kids leaving their gym class probably suck at karate unless they take an interest in it and enter into a years-long study of it. Because i am interested in the game, i often ask Japanese or Chinese people i meet if they have heard of the game and am usually shocked to learn that most people say something to the effect of, "Yeah, i have seen it before and my Grandpa plays it... is it fun?" Go in Japan and China is seen as an old man's game, but has seen a surge of popularity in the past decade or so (probably partly due to a popular anime called "Hikaru no Go"). Having said all that, in order to be a top player at Go, you are required to start when you are young. What do i mean by required? I mean that absolutely nobody has learned the game as an adult and risen to a highest levels as a professional. There are a few pros that learned the game as adults, but even they admit that because they started so late, they will never be able to grasp the game like their counterparts that started when at such a young age.

They way that Zombie talks about the game as being monotonous indicates that he has never actually played seriously. The game is incredibly thrilling every time i play, however, i feel the same way he does when i sit down at a Chess board. I guess everyone has their preferences, so i can't say that Go is for everyone, but i can say with certainty that i personally find Go to be much more exciting than Chess.

I semi-agree on a Go program not getting a ton of attention for a while. But i have been reading about programmers being challenged by Go since i started playing (16 years ago). At the time, people were saying that Go could never be solved by computers. This is because the game feels intuitive when you play. You are not really sure why moves are good, other than they just look right. It's strange, i know, but people chocked the computer failures up to their inability to simulate human intuition. However, now that AlphaGo has beaten a strong professional, it seems to turn that idea on its head. It is true that you cannot brute force a Go computer program (except in the endgame, which it will play almost perfectly), so the programmers have to come up with a way for the computer to recognize local groups of stones and how they relate to entire board as a whole. As a go player, i cannot fathom how exactly they did this... so yes, this seems like a ridiculously huge achievement. Is it better than Deep Blue? I have no idea how either one works, so i can't comment on that.

Anyway, those are my two cents. Feel free to comment or reply. Also, for starters, if you are interested in any of these Go topics or discussions involving Go players, visit Sensei's library. It is a really good Go wiki that discusses a lot of what we are talking about in greater detail. Also, it can be used as a crash course to learn the rules.

All in all, Zombie needs to stick to Chess and leave the Go playing to the smart people.

j/k of course.

Posted by: BanjoGoban at March 27, 2016 09:15 PM (AJYAV)

218 Oh.

Sensei's Library: http://senseis.xmp.net/

Posted by: BanjoGoban at March 27, 2016 09:21 PM (AJYAV)

219 Hillary! is also a lawyer who knows precisely what she can get away with and what she can't. And how close she can get to the line without stepping over.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 08:48 PM

It's appalling she is even running for Pres.

Posted by: Farmer at March 27, 2016 09:21 PM (o/90i)

220 The funniest game of chess I ever played was at the Dayton Chess Club (I think that was the name of it). One of my fellow HS chess team players thought it would be neat to drive up to a meeting and play some games with "the experts". So four of us went downtown and took a look. Most of them -were- pretty good. Better than me.

Those were the days when the plastic roll-up boards and heavy plastic pieces were in vogue. And everybody was playing speed chess and my experience with speed chess was near zero. The first seat on our team was doing pretty well when one of the DCC regulars challenged me to a speed game - five minutes on the clock.

I figured my only chance was to play the role of a complete noob, which was pretty easy to do, since I was one. So I decided to play the mrp gambit, which was to sacrifice every piece possible in order to slide an uncontested rook into the eight row after White had castled.

It worked! Checkmate! The crowd roared! And I knew that if I played him in another 100 games, I'd lose all one hundred, so I begged off on a rematch. Boy, was he pissed

Posted by: mrp at March 27, 2016 09:28 PM (JBggj)

221 218
Sensei's Library: http://senseis.xmp.net/
Posted by: BanjoGoban at March 27, 2016 09:21 PM (AJYAV)

Thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it.

I've been curious about the game, but never played it.

I don't know anybody who knows it, which means I'll have to find a computer program to play against.

Which means I'll always lose, alas.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 09:30 PM (sdi6R)

222 My son started playing chess this year. He had his very first school match the other day. My daughter was roped into a friendly because there was an uneven number of participants.

Posted by: no good deed at March 27, 2016 09:32 PM (GgxVX)

223 BanjoGoban, thank you for your presentation of the facts. You pretty much said what I wanted to say in response to zombie's comment, but I lack the knowledge and experience with Go (that you evidently have) to support it.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 09:33 PM (mcEz5)

224 bho skating through the gun running, stimulus cash to campaign donors with flimsiest of 'green' businesses etc but now Hillary running after the evidence that has been leaked about her pay me for favors (uranium to Russian company anyone) and the classified info even if they haven't connected dots to the money yet. We are become a banana republic already I fear.

Posted by: PaleRider at March 27, 2016 09:33 PM (3kUGE)

225 I don't think Obama has the stomach for all the collateral damage (to the party, not the country). Plus she was part of his administration, so even if she didn't bring others down with her, the stink still gets on him.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at March 27, 2016 09:15 PM (R+30W)

-----------------------

There are other ways to game this. An angry intel and LE community could leak shit that will make lefties' heads explode: secret rendition programs, torture centers, domestic spying. Stuff you can't keep on page B-38. This would also harm the Party. And how happy do you think Obama would be to protect the Blumenthal-hugging bitch who put him between a rock and a hard spot?

Easier to slip Biden in at the last moment in a sad but necessary move for the good of the country. Brave, noble, sacrificing Joe, a humble man and true, who has a dead son, you know. Boosts Obama's positives and lets him supplant the despised Clinton legacy with his own.

Parting thought: Nobody knows anything.

Posted by: iforgot at March 27, 2016 09:39 PM (5o5ek)

226 BHO has already become the Great Destroyer of the Democrat party.
Look at all the governorships and Congressional seats lost while he is President.

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 09:42 PM (8QGte)

227 I don't know anybody who knows it, which means I'll have to find a computer program to play against.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 09:30 PM (sdi6R)
Playing on the computer can be fun. A good way to get the basics is to just play a 9x9 computer program called "igowin" about a hundred time. It is free, just google it if interested.Also, a good starter for the rules can be found at sensei's library or kiseido: www.kiseido.com. Also, at kiseido, you can download (for free) software to access an online Go Server (KGS) so you can play other beginners around the world.Really, the best way (which is how i got hooked) is to find a local Go club. The computer can't replace playing the game in person: touching the board and stones, and beating an opponent when you place a final killing move with a large "klak!" If you are near a large city, you can usually find people that are playing. Check out the American Go Association's website for lists of clubs that may be in your area:http://www.usgo.org/where-play-go

Posted by: BanjoGoban at March 27, 2016 09:43 PM (AJYAV)

228 I ate chess pie before....

Posted by: Cicero Kaboom! Kid at March 27, 2016 09:44 PM (ow5sz)

229 Problem#1 1. QxR+ KxQ 2. Re8+ Kg7 3. Rg8++

Posted by: Ironwood at March 27, 2016 09:44 PM (WLOZI)

230 224
BanjoGoban, thank you for your presentation of the facts. You pretty
much said what I wanted to say in response to zombie's comment, but I
lack the knowledge and experience with Go (that you evidently have) to
support it.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 09:33 PM (mcEz5)

No problem and anytime!

Posted by: BanjoGoban at March 27, 2016 09:45 PM (AJYAV)

231 BINGO!!

Posted by: Mimzey at March 27, 2016 09:49 PM (aRUb8)

232 The Russian uranium deal running ranchers off BLM land so they can mine it, IIRC.

Posted by: Ralph at March 27, 2016 09:50 PM (ngJq0)

233 Posted by: BanjoGoban at March 27, 2016 09:45 PM (AJYAV)

I absolutely suck at chess, and have heard of, read about, but never played Go.

That being said, the Chess Thread and the segue into Go which prompted your fascinating comment is much appreciated.

Please keep commenting!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 27, 2016 09:51 PM (Zu3d9)

234 211
164 Favorite Monopoly pieces were the cannon and the car.

Posted by: Weasel at March 27, 2016 09:05 PM (1hy/q)

Mine is the guy with the monocle, top hat, and the peanuts.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 27, 2016 09:52 PM (aRUb8)

235 The first problem is bloody obvious, now that I know the solution. Sheesh.

*hangs head in shame*

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 09:55 PM (sdi6R)

236 For the first problem, what about:
1. N - e8+ R x N
2. Q - f6+ K - g8
3. R - e8 mate

Posted by: MrJimm at March 27, 2016 10:03 PM (cNnlr)

237 LATimes says haggard queen about to be interviewed by the FBI

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:04 PM (zOTsN)

238 _238
Hope the FBI doesn't let her pull her jello crap that congress let her get away with.

Posted by: Ralph at March 27, 2016 10:07 PM (ngJq0)

239 Hillary Clinton going to be interviewed by FBI

Kind of a big deal

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:07 PM (zOTsN)

240 If you mean to strike the queen, you better kill her. Metaphorically

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:08 PM (zOTsN)

241 Sorry to cob's, it has got to suck taking outing the trash.
And I know it is not protocol to cite the trolls.

Posted by: Burnt Toast at March 27, 2016 10:09 PM (T78UI)

242 239 Hillary Clinton going to be interviewed by FBI

Kind of a big deal

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:07 PM (zOTsN)

Don't get your hopes up.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:09 PM (mcEz5)

243 "Kind of a big deal"

Until some top guys at the FBI put their resignation letters on Obama's desk, it's all bull crap.

Are you listening to me, Mr. Comey?

Party before country, otherwise.

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 10:09 PM (8QGte)

244 Where's the gum thread?

Posted by: Toothless Geezer at March 27, 2016 10:10 PM (/f6Nd)

245 Hillary Clinton going to be interviewed by FBI

Kind of a big deal

They're interviewing for their jobs.

Posted by: t-bird at March 27, 2016 10:10 PM (w35Hj)

246 244 Where's the gum thread?

Posted by: Toothless Geezer at March 27, 2016 10:10 PM (/f6Nd)

Spearmint or Juicy-Fruit?

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:11 PM (mcEz5)

247 I dunno. Comey is a straight shooter. And a republican

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:11 PM (zOTsN)

248 Juicy Fruit

Posted by: Chief Bromden at March 27, 2016 10:12 PM (FkBIv)

249

Plus

Think about it. Our candidates aren't being criminally investigated by the FBI, or questioned

Does she refuse to speak? Tell them to talk to her attorney.

I think she invokes her right to remain silent

Optics on that are pretty bad, for her

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:14 PM (zOTsN)

250 They haven't got in yet.
Even if she agrees or is served she'll work it into an embarrassment for them. Unless she's in their quarters, in their interview room.

Posted by: Ralph at March 27, 2016 10:15 PM (ngJq0)

251 I don't know if any charges get filed. My level of cynicism is so high I think it depends how the R race shakes out and what the polls say. If Hillary looks like she'll win I think Barry takes the opportunity to flip the country the bird one more time. If she's trailing in the polls OTOH losing the presidential may become the least of her worries.

Posted by: PaleRider at March 27, 2016 10:15 PM (3kUGE)

252 It's a criminal investigation. Not a congressional hearing.

Wherever it is, it won't be public. And she will invoke her right to remain silent

My bet

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:17 PM (zOTsN)

253 236 For the first problem, what about:
1. N - e8+ R x N
2. Q - f6+ K - g8
3. R - e8 mate
Posted by: MrJimm at March 27, 2016 10:03 PM (cNnlr)

After Ne8+, then what happens after Kg8? Black also has serious threats against White.

QxR+ forces the matter. Bang. Done.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:18 PM (sdi6R)

254 I learned Go in Okinawa 20 years ago. My playing partner (the guy who taught me) stopped playing after I got the hang of it and started beating him (in fairness to him, he wasn't much more than a beginner too).

That's a damn neat game and I've always wanted to pick it up again.

Good to see the chess thread dominating the HQ!

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:18 PM (Wckf4)

255 A plea bargain. They won't request an interview unless they have a solid case.

Posted by: Ralph at March 27, 2016 10:19 PM (ngJq0)

256 " I dunno. Comey is a straight shooter. And a republican"

And yet...

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 10:19 PM (8QGte)

257 And the chess thread has reignited my on-again-off-again involvement with chess.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:19 PM (Wckf4)

258 I'm not talking about charges being filed

She is going to be interviewed by the FBI, and she will invoke her right to remain silent

A presidential candidate refuses to speak with the FBI in a criminal investigation regarding national security

Even without charges, this is very bad for her

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:19 PM (zOTsN)

259 253
Black also has serious threats against White.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:18 PM (sdi6R)

Shit, Black is threatening mate in two.

If it's Black's move,
1. Qxf2+ Khi
2. Qxg2++

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:23 PM (sdi6R)

260 I prefer chesskers. Fabulous game. You like chess best? Me too. You like checkers best? Me too. I know how to play the game.

Posted by: Trump at March 27, 2016 10:24 PM (MNgU2)

261 Double Sorry COBs,

Please delete my post #241

Sorry to cob's, it has got to suck taking outing the trash.
And I know it is not protocol to cite the trolls.

Posted by: Burnt Toast at March 27, 2016 10:09 PM (T78UI)

as post my post #220 (formally) has been deleted while the cites stand:
Hillery's defense in a nutshell is that she is a
'complete fucking idiot' that should have never been given access to a
FOUO document because everybody knows she will try to sell it to the
highest bidder.

Meanwhile she runs for POTUS.
Anybody else would have plea-bargained for a hundred plus concurrent criminal negligence charges and settled for life in prison.

Posted by: Burnt Toast at March 27, 2016 09:27 PM (T78UI)

Posted by: Burnt Toast at March 27, 2016 10:26 PM (T78UI)

262 I know how to play the game.
Posted by: Trump
-------

Because, big brain... really big brain?

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 27, 2016 10:26 PM (OLNwX)

263 "Even without charges, this is very bad for her"

Please, if there is a god above, let it be so.

Posted by: navybrat at March 27, 2016 10:26 PM (8QGte)

264 253 236 For the first problem, what about:
1. N - e8+ R x N
2. Q - f6+ K - g8
3. R - e8 mate
Posted by: MrJimm at March 27, 2016 10:03 PM (cNnlr)

The problem is, 1...RxN is not forced. As rickl pointed out 1...Kg8 is a better response to 1.Ne8+.

Also, Black has threats of his own: f2 is under severe crossfire from the Black Queen and Rook and if Black had just one more move, he would take the f2 pawn with the Queen, and mate next move.

So White has to keep Black on the defensive and allow him no breathing room. So White's 3 moves have to be check, check, mate, otherwise Black will have enough time to get his counterattack underway. And if that happens, White is finished.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:26 PM (mcEz5)

265 If it's Black's move,
1. Qxf2+ Khi
2. Qxg2++
Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:23 PM (sdi6R)

Exactly so. Any time you get one of these "White mates in x moves" problems, you need to first evaluate the position from Black's perspective, and look to see if he has any immediate or obvious threats. Also keep in mind that in order to 'cook' the problem, Black doesn't necessarily have to win, all he has to do is throw a monkey wrench in White's plan of attack so he can't achieve the mate in the required x moves.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:30 PM (mcEz5)

266
So White has to keep Black on the defensive and allow him no breathing room.

I can't breathe!

Posted by: #BlackPiecesMatter at March 27, 2016 10:32 PM (FkBIv)

267 And most any solution to a Mate in 3 problem involves a major sacrifice. Quickest way to solve them is to look for the a Queen sac which checks the King.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:34 PM (Wckf4)

268 I may resemble that pigeon but I assure you that's not me. I don't strut. I stroll.

Posted by: Trump at March 27, 2016 10:34 PM (MNgU2)

269 Good to see the chess thread dominating the HQ!

It's absolutely Putinesque...

[clutches chest, keels over]

Posted by: derit at March 27, 2016 10:34 PM (OC+TJ)

270 Without checking the record books, I'm damn confident that this is without a doubt the longest running Chess thread EVER on the AoSHQ!

Posted by: HH at March 27, 2016 10:35 PM (DrCtv)

271 Is there a free server that we Morons can get together and play one another?

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:36 PM (Wckf4)

272 I used to do ICC and USCF's site back about 10 years ago, but don't feel like paying because I'm a cheap (read: broke) ass.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:37 PM (Wckf4)

273 I'm going to be Captain of the HMS Boaty McBoatface,

Posted by: Captain McCaptainface. at March 27, 2016 10:37 PM (WVsWD)

274 Is there a free server that we Morons can get together and play one another?

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:36 PM (Wckf4)

There are several version of Chess designed for Vassal.

vassalengine.org

Posted by: Tim in Illinois. Yada, yada, yada.... at March 27, 2016 10:39 PM (WVsWD)

275 267 And most any solution to a Mate in 3 problem involves a major sacrifice. Quickest way to solve them is to look for the a Queen sac which checks the King.
Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:34 PM (Wckf4)

Yes, looking for an attack involving throwing a piece or two at the enemy is not a bad strategy in these "mate in x" problems.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:41 PM (mcEz5)

276 One of my favorite games I ever played was an offhand game against a friend. We didn't keep a record of the moves.

It was a knock-down, drag-out fight, and both of us made several blunders that should have been fatal.

We ended up with just the two kings on the board after about 50-60 moves. That was a perfect ending to that game.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:41 PM (sdi6R)

277 I mean. They disbarred Bill Clinton for lying in a deposition in a civil case

Risk prosecution for lying in a criminal case?

No way

She will invoke her right to remain silent

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 10:41 PM (zOTsN)

278 Hope the FBI doesn't let her pull her jello crap that congress let her get away with.

Posted by: Ralph at March 27, 2016 10:07 PM (ngJq0)

---------------------------

Being closely, minutely grilled by the FBI is different from being interviewed by Congress with their time limits and journalism-like rules allowing Hillary to change the subject, make guesses, attack the question itself, etc. I'm sure she'll refuse to talk to them. "I'll talk about climate change and women's rights," she'll loftily declare at a press conference seeded with lefty journalists.

Posted by: iforgot at March 27, 2016 10:42 PM (5o5ek)

279 I'm on my third queen.

Posted by: Trump at March 27, 2016 10:44 PM (MNgU2)

280 It was a knock-down, drag-out fight, and both of us made several blunders that should have been fatal.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:41 PM (sdi6R)

You know who loses the chess game? The guy who makes the last mistake.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:45 PM (mcEz5)

281 You know who loses the chess game?

The guy who rolls his own board?

Posted by: derit at March 27, 2016 10:47 PM (OC+TJ)

282 I used to love going on the sanctioned sites years ago and watching GMs and IMs play one another or the higher end bots in blitz, bullet, or lightning chess. Mind boggling to watch chess being played so fast at that level.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:47 PM (Wckf4)

283 This Vassal site seems to have a learning curve.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:48 PM (Wckf4)

284 276 One of my favorite games I ever played was an offhand game against a friend. We didn't keep a record of the moves.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:41 PM (sdi6R)

I remember my first "serious" chess game, and I did record the moves. It was a knock-down, drag-out fight, like your game, but I actually won it, in the end. It was like the climactic fight in 'Rocky II'. It took about 2 hours and I was dog-tired at the end.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:50 PM (mcEz5)

285 280
You know who loses the chess game? The guy who makes the last mistake.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:45 PM (mcEz5)

That game was a hot mess. We did some analysis afterwards and concluded that we both should have lost. That the game ended with two kings was absolutely perfect. You had to be there.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:51 PM (sdi6R)

286 I don't quite understand, but the FBI has attorneys, and some sort of subpoena power? Can they subpoena Huma, Mills, and Sullivan? Who exactly can grant immunity? Bryan Pagliano got it. Who granted it?

Posted by: iforgot at March 27, 2016 10:53 PM (5o5ek)

287 Queen to Queens level three.

Come on geeks, what's your move?

Posted by: Joe Hallenbeck at March 27, 2016 10:56 PM (MNgU2)

288 My best games always felt weird. Like I was creating something instead of playing solid fundamentals and good tactical calculations. I guess it was just good positional play where the pieces were acting in harmony and had good mobility to both attack and defend with ease.

My tactical play has always been a little stunted because I start getting distracted or overwhelmed at about 3-5 moves ahead. And yeah, I can get pretty tired, pretty fast after a really good game.

Posted by: Burn the Witch at March 27, 2016 10:56 PM (Wckf4)

289 That game was a hot mess. We did some analysis afterwards and concluded that we both should have lost. That the game ended with two kings was absolutely perfect. You had to be there.
Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 10:51 PM (sdi6R)

Too bad you guys didn't record the moves. Sounds like it would've been an awesome game to play though in later years.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:58 PM (mcEz5)

290 289
Too bad you guys didn't record the moves. Sounds like it would've been an awesome game to play though in later years.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 10:58 PM (mcEz5)

Yeah, I wish we had. It wasn't my best game but it was certainly one of my most memorable.

Posted by: rickl at March 27, 2016 11:11 PM (sdi6R)

291 Subpoenas come from judges and prosecutors. The FBI has lawyers but not prosecutors. My understanding is the immunity came from DOJ. FBI investigators and DOJ prosecutors want to talk to Mills, Huma, etc. it was shocking DOJ gave him immunity to begin with. LATimes story says lawyers for Clinton's aides have been contacted to arrange interviews

Be interesting if they refuse to talk to FBI but do talk to DOJ. When you read the story it sounds like they are spinning hard for Clinton. Make the point that want petraeus did was Worse

Completely ignore how Blimenthal, who was not authorized to get it, got it if she only sent to authorized people

Posted by: ThunderB at March 27, 2016 11:26 PM (zOTsN)

292 Thanks to all of you morons (and 'ettes!) for another good chess thread. Hope to see you again in a couple of weeks, April 10th.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 11:34 PM (mcEz5)

293 287
Queen to Queens level three.

Come on geeks, what's your move?

Threaten Spock with explosive.

Posted by: Captain Garth at March 27, 2016 11:36 PM (o78gS)

294 Threaten Spock with explosive.

Posted by: Captain Garth at March 27, 2016 11:36 PM (o78gS)

Call in a green-skinned hottie.

Posted by: OregonMuse at March 27, 2016 11:41 PM (mcEz5)

295 After further review, my solution doesn't work due to black queen counter attack on a non- check white first move. (Thx to a few posters for pointing that out). It's an interesting puzzle and you have to move the Queen first due to threat from black Knight

Posted by: Jawbomer at March 28, 2016 01:40 AM (x+g+Z)

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