Checkmate for Game Innovation

Still up from tonight’s W against the Ramblin’ Wreck… I ran into Brad Daugherty (no we’re not related), and he was blown away how fast we are. I don’t know about you, but I think the next few months in Chapel Hill are going to be reminiscent of the 80s and 90s…Just my call.

So, I came across this article on the front page of NYTimes.com tonight. Check out the front page article, “Chess Players Give ‘Check’ A New Meaning, by Dylan Loeb McClain. After checking it out, my question is does computer play really stunt innovation in chess play that much?

I’m a huge baseball junkie, and after reading Michael Lewis’s MoneyBall this past year, my view of the game has totally changed, and I’m a firm believer that great database management and tracking percentages in pressure situations bring Ws. So, with this article, I can see how online chess is setting new trends for analyzing game situations.

McCain got a great quote from a grandmaster, Alexander Shabalov. McCain stated that Shabalov noticed “that players ages 15 to 25 play differently than older players because they have spent so much time going up against computers. ‘Because computers are so good at tactics, younger players are more tactical…and more willing to take risks.’…’They will take a pawn or a piece if they don’t see the refutation…When I was younger, I assumed that stronger opponents knew what they were doing and I wouldn’t do that. The computers make them bolder. They defend better’.”

Have computer databases made that much of a difference in the game of chess? After reading MoneyBall, I’m a firm believer that using databases to track patterns is revolutionizing the game. So, maybe chess has found it’s form of “MoneyBall”.

This same movement has to be found in the arena of online gaming. I’m going to have to check in with the game-heads at “The Lab” to see if this is hype or not…

Support the Village Chess Shop,
BD

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