Albert Einstein Commendation (Open) [By CaptainPike]

Albert Einstein Commendation Tournaments

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 Description

Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). Einstein's work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. Einstein is best known in popular culture for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation"). He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his "services to theoretical physics", in particular his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect, a pivotal step in the evolution of quantum theory.

Near the beginning of his career, Einstein thought that Newtonian mechanics was no longer enough to reconcile the laws of classical mechanics with the laws of the electromagnetic field. This led to the development of his special theory of relativity. He realized, however, that the principle of relativity could also be extended to gravitational fields, and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916, he published a paper on general relativity. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light which laid the foundation of the photon theory of light. In 1917, Einstein applied the general theory of relativity to model the large-scale structure of the universe.

He was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and, being Jewish, did not go back to Germany, where he had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He settled in the U.S., becoming an American citizen in 1940. On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt alerting him to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a new type" and recommending that the U.S. begin similar research. This eventually led to what would become the Manhattan Project. Einstein supported defending the Allied forces, but largely denounced the idea of using the newly discovered nuclear fission as a weapon. Later, with the British philosopher Bertrand Russell, Einstein signed the Russell–Einstein Manifesto, which highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons. Einstein was affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, until his death in 1955.

Einstein published more than 300 scientific papers along with over 150 non-scientific works. On 5 December 2014, universities and archives announced the release of Einstein's papers, comprising more than 30,000 unique documents. Einstein's intellectual achievements and originality have made the word "Einstein" synonymous with "genius".

In the "Atheist" vs "Theist" debate, both camps wish to place Einstein in their corner, each quote mining this great mind for his personal opinions involving the existence of God. The Atheists claim he was one of them; while the theists claim he was one of them. Ironically, they are both wrong. Einstein was a Deist: He believed in a deity, unlike the atheist, but did not believe that this deity was of a personal nature, unlike the theist. Regardless of which camp I fit, I wish both camps would leave Einstein's name out of the debate; or, at least, be accurate in each other's assertions.

Einstein held fast to the "static universe"model; that is, that the Universe was unchanging in size and scope. When evidence was sufficient to prove Einstein wrong in this claim, he proclaimed his assertions of a "static universe", and I quote, "my biggest blunder". The influence of Einstein on science and physics will be felt for millenia to come.

QUOTES:

- Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.

- Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

- Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

- Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

- Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

- It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.

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Group size of 4, 2 advancing, no vacation, 3 days/move.

CUSTOM TROPHIES!

Notes
Players who are eligible for the tournament at the time of registration will remain eligible for the tournament at tournament start in spite of changes to qualifying criteria. Players will not be removed from the tournament prior to tournament start. While we should expect some rating changes in participants of tournaments, please inform me if a participant's rating suddenly spikes or increases excessively or suspiciously. 

I make every attempt to be an attentive Tournament Director. I track comments and am always ready to respond to messages and answer questions.

Minimum games played of 50 games is now required in my tournaments as too many times, a new chess.com member will sign up for a low-rated tournament; then soar above that rating. I found one who gained 500 points in 7 days and another who started a 1201-1400 tournament; and before it was completed, that player was rated about 2000. This is not to indiscriminately exclude players, but to maintain fairness and balance in my tournaments.

Want out? Sometimes we over-commit or want out of a "no-vacation" tournament to prevent excessive timeouts, or other reasons why we decide we do not wish to complete a tournament. If this happens to you, do not withdraw! This wreaks havoc on your rating; as you are penalized for withdrawing all games in progress; then you are penalized again for assumed games in future rounds. I've dropped from over 1200 down to <1100 by withdrawing from one tournament. Instead, do this:

• Resign all games in progress.
• Leave a note in the comments that you wish to be withdrawn from the tournament.
• As long as the tournament has not advanced to the next round as you have no games in progress, I can, at that time, remove you from the tournament without further damage to your rating.

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I have many other tournaments in store; each expected to be 4(1) -->2 formats. Each sports custom trophies and each have wide variety of themes, such as:

• Thematic (Fixed Position) Openings
• Star Trek
• Star Wars and Light Sabers
• X Men Characters
• Various other Sci Fi
• People: Chess Greats, Scientists, Personalities
• Planes of War
• States of the Union
• Cars
• Animals
• Fantasy (Dragons, Wizards)
• 960
• Other Odds and Ends