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You forgot to mention his sole grandmaster win came from a simultaneous exhibition where GM Larry Christiansen played against 35 people at once. Trust me, playi
by mindgam3 8y ago
You forgot to mention his sole grandmaster win came from a simultaneous exhibition where GM Larry Christiansen played against 35 people at once. Trust me, playing 30 boards at once is a wee bit of a handicap.
Not that I doubt his cross-disciplinary math skills or whatnot. But let's not pretend that he's anything resembling a serious chess player.
- tashi 8y agoI don't think I forgot to mention that, I used a hyperlink to point to it instead. As a guy who loves chess and has studied it off and on over the years, I doubt I'll ever win a game against a grandmaster under any circumstances, so it still seems impressive to me. But even I know enough, from watching videos on YouTube that analyze some of the AlphaZero vs. Stockfish games, to appreciate that AlphaZero was playing in a style I haven't seen before. What's the threshold for someone serious enough to write a chess article?
- mindgam3 8y agoSaying "Strogatz did once beat a grandmaster in chess" without specifiying that it was simultaneous exhibition is a lie by omission. I am a chess player, and I would never insult another player by claiming to have beaten him or her without specifying the format. There is a way for you to say what you want to say without exaggerating to make a point. What's the threshold for someone serious enough to write a chess article? There's no threshold whatsoever, as long as you communicate a respect for the game and you don't try to use chess as a metaphor to make a larger point about AI and humanity that doesn't hold up to scrutiny. If a rank amateur can appreciate that AlphaZero plays chess beautifully and wants to write about it, by all means. I happen to agree. Just please don't abuse my beloved game for marketing purposes or to win an argument.