I lose my hair watching beginners play. Check, check, check, … never checkmate.
White mates in five moves.
It doesn't like Qh5 ++ either.
As noted a hundred pages ago, when there are three possible correct answers, the site architecture will make two wrong. The first four moves were all the only move that works.
I could have set it up this way:
White mates in five
I lose my hair watching beginners play. Check, check, check, … never checkmate.
White mates in five moves.
It doesn't like Qh5 ++ either.
As noted a hundred pages ago, when there are three possible correct answers, the site architecture will make two wrong. The first four moves were all the only move that works.
I could have set it up this way:
White mates in five
I'm pointing it out for the record. Maybe one day they might hire some good programmers?
I lose my hair watching beginners play. Check, check, check, … never checkmate.
White mates in five moves.
It doesn't like Qh5 ++ either.
As noted a hundred pages ago, when there are three possible correct answers, the site architecture will make two wrong. The first four moves were all the only move that works.
I could have set it up this way:
White mates in five
I like that one!
My candidate moves were a choice between Qa4 and Qd5.
Picked Qd5 - severely restricting black and its straightforward from there.
(Unless I got it wrong)
With the Queen mating faster than a rook - because the Queen can mate with a distant back rank or edge-file mate without its King having the opposition and without the target King in a corner square.
Knowledge of basic checkmate-positions 'saves time' in chess.
-------------------------
Having said that - those distant edge-mates by Queen with the King a knights move from the target King - don't come up in games much.
Its more often a 'support mate'.
And - the distant Queen can't have more than one square between itself and the mated King - for the mate to work.
---------------------------------------------
Reminds me of GM Roman D (apparently was both Russian champion (and US champion) telling park players he would give them huge odds plus they could name the square anywhere on the board on which he was to mate their King and he must mate there.
What they didn't get to do was to specify the move number!
I wasn't intellectually entertained. On the other hand, I thought my own contribution was excellent, although I was critical of pretty much everything in the O.P.
I'm legitimately disgusted that you put Elon Musk next to the names of Einstein and Buddha. Seriously shame on you & I'm not even joking.
Well, I understand your perspective, but let's consider this: Elon Musk is not just a business magnate, he's a visionary who's pushing the boundaries of what's possible in technology and space exploration. His work with SpaceX and Tesla has revolutionized their respective industries. He's a modern-day pioneer, much like Einstein was.
As for the spiritual aspect, Musk's vision for a sustainable future and multi-planetary life can be seen as a kind of spiritual leadership. He's inspiring people to look beyond their immediate circumstances and consider the future of humanity as a whole. In a way, isn't that what Buddha did too, inspiring people to look beyond their immediate desires and consider the larger picture of life and suffering?
So, in my humble opinion, one might argue that Elon Musk is the Einstein AND Buddha of our time, combining groundbreaking innovation with a vision for a better future. But that's just my take, what do you think?
Why people hating on this? Elon Musk is an actual Iron Man, people are quick to criticize when someone has something they don't but never admire the hard work they put in. Actually Elon is the only billionaire in top 10 richest people who can't be questioned to only care about money. Read his biography and learn from him.
People hate on him also because of political opinions but forget how the "Woke Mind Virus" personally affected him as his son was exposed to ideas he deems to be idiotic. And Biden (idk when but) invited electric car companies to white house to pay them respect for them thinking of the future and didn't invite tesla who sold more cars than all the others combined.
And if Elon "rigged" the election I think you should trust him more than politicians.
When I first got into chess my reaction to it was that a particular kind of thinking was being tested.
But over the years I adjusted that - realizing that even if that's true and it probably is - its still 'off the mark' as to the 'essences' of the game.
Like other games - chess has 'arbitrary goals' that in and of themselves have no real value.
Whether it soccer ball through a goal - tennis ball bouncing twice 'before' - ball through a hoop -
somebody past a finish line or over a bar - or checkmate/stalemate/clock/handshake ... in each case what was involved isn't key to the basics of human struggle for survival and to make/protect family and the like. But its paradoxical because of its reflection of human needs for games and competition and 'our town against your town' and so on ... where games work out better than war and fiction about violence works out better than 'actually doing it' ...
games - like basic schooling are often about what you're Not doing - with the game - whatever the game is being better. So often. But not always.
These are really good comments. As a general rule the less chess, the better. Like other hobbies we should be asking how they make our life better. If it's just to waste time, then it's probably not a good choice for a hobby. But if the hobby is making our relationships better, our health better, if it's helping us more than hurting us then it's not a waste of time.
I think the comments about chess being a waste of time are directed at those who take it too seriously, and those who play chess at the expense of doing something else that's more productive.
To these arguments I want to add one that was not mentioned. Chess stands out from other games in its power to show young people that however confusing the world may appear, there is an underlying logic to it. It acts as an antidote to relativism and the evils associated with it. It has the power to curb violence in a society, at times acting as the only refuge for the impoverished and uneducated. It has the power to instantaneously bring people together of different social classes, different cultures, and different languages. It can be used by individuals to fight against addictions and all of the evils associated with them. After all, an evening spent playing chess is better than an evening spent drinking. To say that "chess is useless" is as meaningless as saying that any tool is useless. Chess has many uses and, besides that, it is a beautiful game.
People who are good or expert in one field do not get any transfer credit in another field.
Einstein > physics > pure science (not even technology)
Chess belongs in the culture section of the Dewey decimal system.
So they can shut the [bleep] up.
What does it connect to the topic?
I'm surprised this forum popped up. Maybe people are too curious I guess?
One of the three individuals listed in the title of this thread is a waste of space.
For generations, chess has been extolled as a game of kings, a true test of intellect and strategy. Yet upon closer scrutiny, the façade of chess as a worthy endeavor crumbles, revealing it to be nothing more than a colossal waste of precious time, as agreed with by the greatest geniuses in Human History:
I did as a child, but found it to be too simple to be useful in real life: a mere 8 by 8 grid, no fog of war, no technology tree, no random map or spawn position, only 2 players, both sides exact same pieces, etc.
Polytopia addresses these limitations.
Elon Musk, the visionary polymath behind SpaceX and Tesla, never ceases to amaze with his insights. Chess, in Musk's view, fails to capture the dynamism of real-world problem-solving and strategic planning. It's this ability to see the world differently, to question accepted norms and seek more complex and enriching engagements, that makes Elon Musk a true icon of our time. His critique of chess serves as yet another reminder of his extraordinary, disruptive thought process. Bravo, Elon!
Albert Einstein, the greatest genius, also held little regard for chess. His alleged assertion, "An hour spent on chess is an hour robbed from the universe's grand equation," speaks volumes about the game's true value. He saw chess not as a treasure trove of wisdom, but as a distractor from the cosmos' grand mysteries that deserved our true attention and intellectual curiosity.
But the condemnation of chess extends beyond the scientific sphere and into the realm of spiritual enlightenment. The Buddha, in the Vinaya Pitaka, explicitly warned of the potential negligence born from certain games. He admonished, "Whereas some honorable recluses and brahmins, while living on food offered by the faithful, indulge in the following games that are a basis for negligence: aṭṭhapada (a game played on an eight-row chess-board); dasapada (a game played on a ten-row chess-board)."
In essence, Buddha recognized games like chess as distractions, as snares that ensnare the mind and divert it from the path of spiritual growth and mindfulness. He understood these games to be impediments to achieving a higher state of spiritual consciousness.
Chess is not just a harmless game. It cultivates an unhealthy obsession with winning and losing, breeding egocentricity instead of intellectual growth. Furthermore, despite chess's purported complexity, its static rules and predictable outcomes raise significant doubts about its real-world applicability and value for dynamic problem-solving.
The countless hours devoted to memorizing openings, analyzing tactics, and mastering endgames could be better spent: learning a new language, exploring the limitless wonders of the natural world, perfecting a musical instrument, or delving into the serenity of meditation.
Chess, stripped bare of its unwarranted glamour, stands revealed as an empty, self-indulgent pastime. Its allure is an illusion, a mirage in the intellectual desert. The critiques—from both the realms of science and spirituality—leave no room for doubt: chess is not an enriching endeavor. It is, in its totality, an exercise in futility, a grand waste of time.
Buddha found the game a breeding ground for craving, ego-boosting, and mind-distracting nonsense. Chess was essentially a ticket to Spiritual Snoozeville, not Enlightenment Express. Then you've got Einstein, the universe's handyman, who thought chess was a sterile intellectual dead-end. It's no expanding universe or quantum field, it's just a rigid 8x8 grid with some carved figurines. He probably would've said chess is like trying to understand the cosmos by staring at a checkerboard. So, my dear pawn-pushers, instead of wasting your time on a glorified board game, why not meditate on the universe's wonders or decode the mysteries of the quantum world? Now that's what I call an OUTSTANDING move!
Generally - chess is disapproved of by most people. Or rejected.
They do not invest time in the game.
(side note: chess did not exist in Buddha's time.)
But so many activities could be seen as a 'waste of time'.
Like watching TV. Reading fiction. Drinking smoking and using drugs.
Time goes by no matter what we do or what its invested in.
Chess is both a pastime and a privilege.
And like other games and contests - there's the issue of what people are 'not' doing because they're concentrating on chess.
Parent to other parent: 'He's indoors a lot - playing chess'
Other parent: 'but that means he's not boozing or drugging'
'Gramps': 'You sure?'
----------------------------------
like a lot of other things chess is double-edged.
Its addictive. A lot of things are. Even work and education.
Why has Russia produced so many master chess players?
Because its cold. And there's a lot of indoor spare time. Or there was.
Chess can be introverted and isolating but its also a form of social life.
Musk boasted repeatedly about being one of the world's greatest players at the game Path of Exile 2. Then he got caught cheating; not only was he not among the world's elite he wasn't even average. Not only can't money buy happiness, it can't make a crappy pc gamer mediocre.
No AI used in my post except I checked on Buddha. When he lived.
---------------------------
chess has many plusses but like so many things its got flip sides.
Chess could be argued to be a portal between art and science among other things.
Hard for me to comment on Musk because that could connect to politics and related ideologies.
Musk could think to himself that every hour his employees spend on chess is an hour they could have been working to increase his profits. Like all bigshots might.
But that's true for all employee free time.
TV. Time at home. 'Sleeping'. Everything.
----------------
So we could also argue that chessplaying is an expression of freedom.
And freedom from the need for approval or to conform.
It doesn't always work out that way though.
Musk boasted repeatedly about being one of the world's greatest players at the game Path of Exile 2. Then he got caught cheating; not only was he not among the world's elite he wasn't even average. Not only can't money buy happiness, it can't make a crappy pc gamer mediocre.
But regarding making money - he must have got something right.
But you're right about money 'not working out' for some.
Some of the very rich drinking or drugging or smoking themselves to early deaths.
Or dying in or around their toys. Private planes - fast cars - yachts - swimming pools.
As for Musk lying and cheating he would see that as among his privileges of wealth.
Most of us here probably have more spare time than him.
Works out that way.
More freedom. He is 'driven'.
Einstein was also a zionist and married his first cousin. she was not only his first cousin on his mothers side but also at the same time his second cousin on his fathers side. there is also evidence he abused and possibly molested her children. if it doesnt have to do with physics then i wouldn't give any credence to anything he thought or said. and musk is an idiot all around. he got rich off of government subsidies and tax loopholes.
Which hobbies are not