Reductio ad absurdum, which Euclid loved so much, is one of a mathematician’s finest weapons. It is a far finer gambit than any chess play: a chess player may offer the sacrifice of a pawn or even a piece, but …More
Tag: chess
Man = O(pwned)
July 2, 2005
In a recent match between the computer chess demigod Hydra and British GM Micheal Adams (rank #7 in the world, elo 2741), humanity took a .5:5.5 kick in the face. The match is interesting because the games played are generally …More
More GEBberish
June 3, 2005
John Shedletsky June 1, 2005 GEB Paper The Tortoise has been tinkering on his personal computer for about a week now and has invited Achilles to his dormroom to marvel at his creation. Tortoise: I always get punchy during deadweek, …More
One Week til Summer Time (w00t)
June 1, 2005
Which isn’t exactly an encouraging thought, given the mountain of stuff I need to do between now and then. I started knocking things off today, though. This morning I took the French SOPI, a silly oral proficiency exam given on …More
"Arghhhh! So Close :(", A Chess Puzzle
May 10, 2005
I was playing a 5 0 blitz game against JediMaster(GM) tonight. He messed up in the opening and dropped a pawn. In the midgame, I was able to curry that slight lead into a ridiculous material advantage. Then I lost …More
Chess is a Storm Against Man
May 8, 2005
On the Romance of Regicide: The Turk, Kasparov, and Deep Blue “Chess is beautiful enough to waste your life for,” the oft-quoted aphorism of Dutch Grandmaster Hans Rees, most succinctly describes the human obsession with the ancient game of kings. …More
Chess Puzzle Answer
May 4, 2005
On April 23rd I posted a chess puzzle wherein black has a forced draw. Two people have bugged me about the answer (though no one got it). Here is the line: … Qc8, Qe7 Qc1+, Kh7 Qf4, g3 Qxf2+, Kh1 …More
This Way to the Museyroom…
April 24, 2005
I was playing chess online today on the ICC (Internet Chess Club) and I had an interesting blitz game against Serena-Maria(WIM). Playing as white I was up a full piece at one point, but then blundered a bishop. However, I …More
