If you are forced to play chess . . . you are in trouble,
July 31, 2019 7:07 PM Subscribe
Maybe non-chess people will like the first page. Chess people be like - more footnotes ! A great funny chess piece, if you like that, yea !
Found elsewhere, had to share. Kind of concerned about flooding his traffic but, but so good, great even. If you click anyway, get to where he describes forfeit "like the king’s poor diet and lifestyle choices leading to a death by natural causes". Read the rest in a John Cleese voice.
Then GRAPHS !
Note: PDF.
Comment: happy first post!
posted by filthy light thief at 9:11 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
Comment: happy first post!
posted by filthy light thief at 9:11 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
When I record things my drinking buddies say and subject them to complex statistical analysis I just end up looking like an asshole. I'm glad someone can make it look funny.
Seriously though, that was a fun read. I love this guy's humor.
posted by Avelwood at 9:20 PM on July 31, 2019
Seriously though, that was a fun read. I love this guy's humor.
posted by Avelwood at 9:20 PM on July 31, 2019
By coincidence, I just watched this video where he pits several chess algorithms against each other, including ones where he uses the survivability data from this study. Counter-intuitively, it turns out that the one that tries to send each piece to the deadliest square possible actually wins slightly more than moving randomly and thoroughly trounces most of the other algorithms that move based solely on the survival data. The whole thing is fairly interesting if you have 45 minutes or so.
posted by Copronymus at 9:25 PM on July 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by Copronymus at 9:25 PM on July 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
If you are forced to play chess to the death as one of the players, don't despair. Simply deploy the Bongcloud (PDF).
posted by value of information at 9:34 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by value of information at 9:34 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
I ask you ... how many other games are there in which a mere peon may simply take six or seven (hesitant) steps and become a queen ?
Could this have been inspired by (equally ancient folktale character) Cinderella? One wonders.
posted by Twang at 9:43 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
Could this have been inspired by (equally ancient folktale character) Cinderella? One wonders.
posted by Twang at 9:43 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
The chess bots video that Copronymus links above is, indeed, some of the best 45 minutes I have ever spent watching an internet video. A++, would watch again.
posted by kaibutsu at 10:10 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by kaibutsu at 10:10 PM on July 31, 2019 [3 favorites]
Could this have been inspired by (equally ancient folktale character) Cinderella? One wonders.
Chess is so much older than that story and originates in an entirely different part of the world. There are various creation myths, but a main one is that a guy killed his brother and his mother was angry about this and he sort of invented chess to demonstrate he wasn't truly guilty. Or something. Others will undoubtedly have more to share on this. But it's definitely from Persia or India.
posted by hippybear at 10:18 PM on July 31, 2019
Chess is so much older than that story and originates in an entirely different part of the world. There are various creation myths, but a main one is that a guy killed his brother and his mother was angry about this and he sort of invented chess to demonstrate he wasn't truly guilty. Or something. Others will undoubtedly have more to share on this. But it's definitely from Persia or India.
posted by hippybear at 10:18 PM on July 31, 2019
The chess bots video that Copronymus links above is, indeed, some of the best 45 minutes I have ever spent watching an internet video. A++, would watch again.
I can get into this kind of thing. 45 minutes? Perfect for bedtime!
posted by hippybear at 10:19 PM on July 31, 2019
I can get into this kind of thing. 45 minutes? Perfect for bedtime!
posted by hippybear at 10:19 PM on July 31, 2019
There was a thread on that YouTube video two weeks ago.
posted by Syllepsis at 10:22 PM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Syllepsis at 10:22 PM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
This is similar in spirit to that bizarre football statistics video thing that was posted here a couple of months ago. I approve!
posted by hippybear at 10:29 PM on July 31, 2019
posted by hippybear at 10:29 PM on July 31, 2019
I forgot about the Bongcloud and I'm crying laughing again at the opening pages of that paper.
I've barely scratched the surface of the main link in the post here and I'm in love with it already. Looking forward to reading more of it tomorrow. Great first post, epjr.
posted by cortex at 11:08 PM on July 31, 2019
I've barely scratched the surface of the main link in the post here and I'm in love with it already. Looking forward to reading more of it tomorrow. Great first post, epjr.
posted by cortex at 11:08 PM on July 31, 2019
Sharing one of my all-time favourite comments on MeFi, from 2008. I'm still not sure if this is a shaggy dog story completely of Kattallus' invention or not.
posted by Molesome at 2:27 AM on August 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Molesome at 2:27 AM on August 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
Okay I laughed at the 'fool's draw offered and accepted' sequence. That's my level of good sporting chess.
posted by Think_Long at 5:03 AM on August 1, 2019
posted by Think_Long at 5:03 AM on August 1, 2019
This is the good stuff. Fantastic.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:35 AM on August 1, 2019
posted by Literaryhero at 5:35 AM on August 1, 2019
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posted by rodlymight at 8:52 PM on July 31, 2019 [1 favorite]