The Backyard Professor

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Avatar of Ziryab
YGIW wrote:
Ziryab wrote:
YGIW wrote:
Ziryab wrote:
YGIW wrote:
1_a31-0 wrote:

2000? Ya gotta be kidding me.

anyone 2000 or under is guaranteed to have at least 1 very important lesson not yet learned in every one of his chess related videos.


Your claim that a player under 2000 may need to learn makes sense. What you fail to explain is how a teacher who cannot get his OTB rating over 800 is capable of providing this lesson.

BYP draws content from players above 2000 strength and does an excellent job of relaying not only a dumbed down, layman's take on other player's thoughts and games but you have his whole journey,  ongoing, from beginner to USCF master and for a sub 2001 player,


He’s made an awful lot of videos documenting the first ten feet of a 10,000 mile journey. For anyone looking for instruction, observing that journey is an abysmal waste of time. For most viewers on a similar journey, he’s guiding them backwards.

If you played 20 games against BYP you'd lose at least 2 of them.

 

I play 100 games a year against my students, almost all of whom are much stronger than BYP. I give up a few draws most years and sometimes lose one.

Avatar of Ziryab

 

 

Of course you can. I’ll die before we can finish such a series. I’ve quit playing correspondence chess, however. Too much foul play.

 

Arrange the match with BYP. I’ll be happy to play him. He’s a nice guy, and I might enjoy giving him lessons. Maybe after the lessons, I can give him some tips that might redeem his videos, too.

 

His technical production skills are very good. That alone makes it understandable that his channel is popular, despite his horrid misunderstanding of the chess books he is reading and his tactical failures. He also communicates reasonably well and with enthusiasm.

 

His main problem is that he fails miserably at self-diagnosing the weaknesses in his play, and hence does not adequately target those weaknesses. Then, in the documenting of his journey, he fails to correctly locate himself on the map and thinks that he is far further along the path. With a better map and compass and a bit more objectivity, he might be able to start a series that could be instructive.

Of course, he’d be better off with a teacher but there are not many players in his region with the requisite skills. I think there is one player in the southern 2/3rds of Idaho rated over 2000 USCF. There was an IM a few years ago, but he moved to California. I don’t think online lessons are his style. I could be wrong, though. Maybe he’s just not willing to shell out the cash for such lessons.

 

Avatar of st0ckfish
Ziryab wrote:

 

 

Of course you can. I’ll die before we can finish such a series. I’ve quit playing correspondence chess, however. Too much foul play.

 

Arrange the match with BYP. I’ll be happy to play him. He’s a nice guy, and I might enjoy giving him lessons. Maybe after the lessons, I can give him some tips that might redeem his videos, too.

 

His technical production skills are very good. That alone makes it understandable that his channel is popular, despite his horrid misunderstanding of the chess books he is reading and his tactical failures. He also communicates reasonably well and with enthusiasm.

 

His main problem is that he fails miserably at self-diagnosing the weaknesses in his play, and hence does not adequately target those weaknesses. Then, in the documenting of his journey, he fails to correctly locate himself on the map and thinks that he is far further along the path. With a better map and compass and a bit more objectivity, he might be able to start a series that could be instructive.

Of course, he’d be better off with a teacher but there are not many players in his region with the requisite skills. I think there is one player in the southern 2/3rds of Idaho rated over 2000 USCF. There was an IM a few years ago, but he moved to California. I don’t think online lessons are his style. I could be wrong, though. Maybe he’s just not willing to shell out the cash for such lessons.

 

On a completely unrelated sidenote, research the Dunning-Kruger Effect tongue.png

Avatar of Ziryab

He could call himself the D-K Professor, and I would be among his followers.

Avatar of st0ckfish

Hah tongue.png

Avatar of llamonade2
Ziryab wrote:

 

 

Of course you can. I’ll die before we can finish such a series. I’ve quit playing correspondence chess, however. Too much foul play.

 

Arrange the match with BYP. I’ll be happy to play him. He’s a nice guy, and I might enjoy giving him lessons. Maybe after the lessons, I can give him some tips that might redeem his videos, too.

 

His technical production skills are very good. That alone makes it understandable that his channel is popular, despite his horrid misunderstanding of the chess books he is reading and his tactical failures. He also communicates reasonably well and with enthusiasm.

 

His main problem is that he fails miserably at self-diagnosing the weaknesses in his play, and hence does not adequately target those weaknesses. Then, in the documenting of his journey, he fails to correctly locate himself on the map and thinks that he is far further along the path. With a better map and compass and a bit more objectivity, he might be able to start a series that could be instructive.

Of course, he’d be better off with a teacher but there are not many players in his region with the requisite skills. I think there is one player in the southern 2/3rds of Idaho rated over 2000 USCF. There was an IM a few years ago, but he moved to California. I don’t think online lessons are his style. I could be wrong, though. Maybe he’s just not willing to shell out the cash for such lessons.

 

It's been said before... in fact maybe you were the one who said it, but it seems he likes making videos more than he likes learning or playing chess. Since a beginner level chess player (unlike, say, a beginner level musician) isn't immediately recognizable by the masses, it's just something he happened to fall into.

And especially in his earlier videos you get a strong vibe of the religion-esque truth via authority. "During my studies of Silman . . .  and if you study Silman you'd know" etc. It's not the information that's key, it's the patriarch.

Avatar of llamonade2
YGIW wrote:

I can beat you in 500 14 day rated chess games in a row. 

Ok look, a new account who talks big, only plays long games and hasn't lost any yet.

I think I've seen this movie before... want to know how it ends? tongue.png

Avatar of knighttour2

I think BYP's problem (among many) is that he focuses on positional concepts while completely ignoring tactics.  I worked with younger players and one of the frustrations is that they make a few good positional moves and then drop a piece and lose.  Silman's books, which I like, are geared towards players about USCF 1200 and up who don't randomly hang pieces and lose to simple two move tactics.  In the real games that BYP plays over the board that he posted online, he hangs stuff and gets tactically crushed.

I 100% agree with Ziryab that he should stop teaching.  People get worse by watching him.  He simply doesn't have the competence required to teach chess to anyone.

Avatar of Ziryab
llamonade2 wrote:
YGIW wrote:

I can beat you in 500 14 day rated chess games in a row. 

Ok look, a new account who talks big, only plays long games and hasn't lost any yet.

I think I've seen this movie before... want to know how it ends?

 

His comments will be limited to those that others quote. The others will disappear. At least, that how the story usually plays out.

Avatar of Igor_Vo

I just checked out the latest videos from the BYP. Man, he went off the deep end...

Avatar of Ziryab
igor_voegele wrote:

I just checked out the latest videos from the BYP. Man, he went off the deep end...

It wasn’t a long step. I’ll take a look after some whiskey.

Avatar of Argonautidae
igor_voegele escribió:

I just checked out the latest videos from the BYP. Man, he went off the deep end...

I have never watched any of his videos, but this unexpected turn towards ufology is highly amusing. This leaves me in a difficult situation: hoping he still has some reason left and looking forward to a possible crossover featuring him, aliens and Jungian psychoanalysis.