61–70 of 94 posts
I used to play Chinese Chess on and off in Hong Kong. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangqi ). Just has NY has chess hustlers in parks, Hong Kong has Chinese Chess hustlers in parks. The hustlers were always excited to see me, a white American, stopping by and asking for a game and some tips: I was fresh meat! They'd gather in big groups to watch the sucker. But after my first move (the "P-K4" of Chinese Chess: Can…
I used to play a lot of chess, and it totally took over my life. So I never play it anymore, because for me it's too addictive. For some people (like some of these hustlers and others who can make a living from it) that's ok, but for me I wanted more from life than just playing chess all the time and thinking about nothing but chess.. but for certain types of people it has a way of sucking you in and can be a way of…
"Chess Skill in Man and Machine" https://www.amazon.com/Chess-machine-monographs-computer-sci...
which inspired parts of the computer strategy in the game Empire.
Chess playing programs have gotten so good these days, there's not really any percentage in writing one.
I love this, just subscribed. My favorite piece of advice: “I’ll give you a lesson, a half hour for $20. I have some children that come just to see me once a week and I give them a lesson—$20 for a half hour. And there’s a lot of NYU students that come by, we give them a discount for being students. One hour for 40 bucks.”
I used to play a lot of chess, and it totally took over my life. So I never play it anymore, because for me it's too addictive. For some people (like some of these hustlers and others who can make a living from it) that's ok, but for me I wanted more from life than just playing chess all the time and thinking about nothing but chess.. but for certain types of people it has a way of sucking you in and can be a way of…
Yup My grandfather said that "Too many great minds have been wasted playing chess.", and so always played checkers with me, always kind and teaching, but never rolling over. It took me years to win, but I still remember the three times I did before he passed away when I was 13. I've hardly ever played again. Played enough chess in HS to learn how, a few openings and just enough games to understand the intensity. I co…
"Too many great minds have been wasted programming UIs."
Both quotes are tongue in cheek, you're not supposed to take them seriously.
If you're good at something, fuckin do it.
Seeing a lot of comments in this thread from people who probably consider themselves intelligent, but haven't put the time into understanding chess, so you all have come up with some pretty creative excuses why you don't like chess.
Y'all are just bad at it, and that's ok.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The tax code isn’t enforced at the cash / low income level. Thus you can vote for increased taxes to fund increased social spending and not actually take part in the taxation. In fact, you’ll likely even get additional money back filing taxes when there’s no record of your cash income. Convenient, eh?
And yet the poor get audited more than the rich ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-audit-eitc-five-times-as-li...
https://www.irs.gov/about-irs/irs-audit-rates-significantly-...
I have played against chess hustlers 5 times in Washington Square Park, caught 4 of them cheating on the spot, and figured out the last one at the end of the game. I'm not an amazing chess player (~1500), but fairly comfortable playing blitz (a bad hobby from when I used to play chess in school). I walked away in disgust each time, and one of them had the guts to threaten me and insist that I was the cheater.
Chess hustlers are phenomenal at cheating, but only okay at chess. These are not admirable people dedicated to a skill. These are grifters.
They can also teach you how to cheat without getting caught. They will teach you how to double down on the lie when you get caught. I have played against chess hustlers 5 times in Washington Square Park, caught 4 of them cheating on the spot, and figured out the last one at the end of the game. I'm not an amazing chess player (~1500), but fairly comfortable playing blitz (a bad hobby from when I used to play chess in…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yup My grandfather said that "Too many great minds have been wasted playing chess.", and so always played checkers with me, always kind and teaching, but never rolling over. It took me years to win, but I still remember the three times I did before he passed away when I was 13. I've hardly ever played again. Played enough chess in HS to learn how, a few openings and just enough games to understand the intensity. I co…
Nah that's bullshit. "Too many great minds have been wasted programming UIs." Both quotes are tongue in cheek, you're not supposed to take them seriously. If you're good at something, fuckin do it. Seeing a lot of comments in this thread from people who probably consider themselves intelligent, but haven't put the time into understanding chess, so you all have come up with some pretty creative excuses why you don't l…
My grandfather was an engineer and focused on building actual things - being a productive member of society. He was also pretty alert about avoiding addictive things.
His point was that the gifted minds — who can get and ARE very good at chess — tend to get addicted and squander years or decades just chasing the next tournament, the next 100 GM points, the next high, producing nothing useful, and getting no skills applicable to productive pursuits.
He did not want to see me go down a path that could lead to being a chess bum any more than he'd want to see me become a ski bum, join a cult or just become a hardcore partier. All are surely enjoyable, but not a productive addition to society.
(& no, I haven't got a shred of insecurity about my abilities; I was getting good at an extremely satisfying rate, but also saw what it would take to get really good, and that I'd be better off spending my time not memorizing every classic opening and variant, but instead on understanding physics and chemistry concepts ... I absolutely see the beauty of chess, and may well take it up again, but I also am grateful for by grandfather's point, especially considering how addicted I got to the adrenaline of ski racing at international levels...)
And if you enjoy it and have the freedom to do that - fantastic - it's your life, do what you want - I hope you get as good as you desire and enjoy it!