A Manifold Blog

The spatial aspect of generosity

johngab5 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:04:05 +0000

Generosity has also a spatial aspect.
In the sense of allowing sometimes things to be as they are, or allowing beings to do happy things as they wish.

A feature which is by no means easy for a human being.

Blitz Chess

johngab5 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:13:46 +0000

I was a bit surprised when I read that Grischuk was/is considered the best blitz player of the world in chess.

I’ve read that he has a very good understanding of the game; but then I saw recently him playing blitz on video against Carlsen and Kostenjuk. Against Carlsen he lost an endgame with 3 pawns up, and against A. Kostenjuk he got a mate in 24 moves.

I think: important is not only the thing itself but also the perspective of how a matter is seen… and sometimes one gets a wrong impression simply because one doesn’t have a comprehensive view.

Ideas for a new points system in chess

johngab5 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:25:15 +0000

There are many proposals for a new points system in chess, so as to reward a win with a bonus. However, in chess, a draw is sometimes a logical outcome of a game.

Therefore, my proposal for a new system, is to give just a small bonus, so to reflect that a win is sometimes very difficult to reach: for example, the are positions where a 3-4-5 sequence of only moves must be found, while all other natural moves lead to a draw. To find the win in those positions within a short period of time is a high achievement, when compared to a safe draw.

Proposal:
win: 1.25
draw: 0.5
loss: 0

The system would make sense, especially in close tournaments where everyone plays against each other.

a) Mathematically it is easy to calculate, so that no chess players should have problem with it. Calculations with 1.25 is not very different from calculations with 0.5 in difficulty and outlook and may lead to very similar results outlook to what we know for now in tournaments.

b) Players who play sportive for a win would be rewarded, however not so much as to render a draw insignificant.

c) there is no difference for a win with white or black: system remains consistent.

Solid or Passive?

johngab5 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:40:11 +0000

In chess, and sometimes in other fields of knowledge, there is a fine line between a solid position and a passive one. To be able to recognize which is which, is a sign of mastery.
Who knows, maybe sometimes it is virtually impossible to discern the difference in practical terms.

Exceptions

johngab5 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:38:20 +0000

Exceptions make the rules spicy.