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The starting position is probably "a case where checkmate is theoretically possible, but where your opponent can thwart it indefinitely with good play".
by Scarblac 10y ago
The starting position is probably "a case where checkmate is theoretically possible, but where your opponent can thwart it indefinitely with good play".
- mikeash 10y agoHeh, indeed. I think what I meant was that your opponent can thwart it, in practice, given the actual abilities of both players. Things like the 50 move rule and the repetition rule are ways to detect this condition without actually having to figure out a way to analyze their abilities to decide whether a position is practically unwinnable.