Author: KarinsDad
Date: 22:04:56 06/12/99
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On June 12, 1999 at 18:33:59, blass uri wrote: > >On June 11, 1999 at 18:45:38, KarinsDad wrote: > ><snipped> >>So, my conclusion has to be that ANY mistake is enough to lose the game. >>However, since GMs are human, they do not have the ability to take advantage of >>a 1/10th pawn mistake. > >Tablebases sometimes tell that it is impossible to take advantage of 2 or 3 >pawns advantage in the endgames(look at positions of KR vs KN or KRN vs KR in >the endgames) so I believe that usually what computers evaluate as 1/10 pawn >mistake does not change the theoretical result of the game. > >Uri You are confusing two things. A 2 or 3 pawn material advantage and a superior position. If a particular 2 or 3 pawn advantage does not lead to a win, then it is not an advantage, is it? It is a delta of material. The pawns are blocked or backwards or some other positional disadvantage which offsets the material advantage. And chances are, if these positions occurred in a GM game, it is because the GM allowed his opponent to have the material advantage since he knew that it could not be converted into a win. As humans, we often get wrapped up into material advantages. However, it is the more subtle advantages that often win games. The ability to prevent the opposing king from getting to the other side of the board quickly enough. The ability to make multiple threats with one move. The main question is as follows: With all we know about chess, why would it seem that a 1/10 or 1/2 or 1 pawn is NOT enough advantage if it is acquired early enough in the game? Is it true that these types of small advantage are insufficient to ensure victory (assuming perfect play)? Or is it just that humans do not have the intellectual capacity to turn such minor advantages into a win. I believe that it is the latter, but it seems most likely that it will never be proven one way or the other. C'est la guerre. KarinsDad :) PS. By "ANY mistake" in my previous post, I meant earlier enough in the game when there is still considerable material available for both sides. I could see a position in the endgame where you have knbknb and one side hangs a knight and the position could still be drawn, even with best play.
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