Author: Alvaro Polo
Date: 05:37:07 02/10/00
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On February 10, 2000 at 06:51:49, Walter Koroljow wrote: >On February 10, 2000 at 04:41:32, Alvaro Polo wrote: > >>On February 09, 2000 at 16:51:29, Bruce Moreland wrote: >> >>>On February 09, 2000 at 15:49:48, C Morris wrote: >>> >>>>Quoting from pg. 289 of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", David Bronstein says "I >>>>think computers have simply exposed man and shown that he has become conceited. >>>>Grandmasters are convinced that they know how to play chess. But is this really >>>>so?" Profound insight from a great world class chessplayer. >>> >>>Could be true, but it isn't the computer's fault, nor is it necessarily the >>>programmer's. Taken at face value, the computers can be useful tools even for >>>the strongest players, can improve the play of the vast majority of players, and >>>can sometimes make anyone sweat. >>> >>>It's also fun to watch them play against each other. >>> >> >>I agree with everything except that they can improve the play of most people. I >>believe that the play of most people is unimprovable by any means, after some >>years of practice. Of course there will always be exceptions, and possibly you >>can improve a little through titanic efforts, but generally speaking, my >>experience and the experience of most chessplayers that I know is that you don't >>improve significantly no matter what you try. >> >>Alvaro >> >>>bruce > >Have you read Wetzell's "Chess Master...at any age"? I believe his program, >rigorously followed, will make _anyone_ improve. The centerpiece of the program >is to understand one's errors (by analysis), to generalize from them, and to >remember them via mnemonic devices and review with flash cards. > >Of course his program is like the weight loss program consisting of eating only >the foods one intensely dislikes -- effective, but not for everyone. > >So perhaps this program is in the category of the "exceptions" you mention! It >is, however, a structured exception. > >Cheers, > >Walter I have heard about this book, although I don't possess it. It is difficult to judge about what one doesn't know but I would bet that, out of 1,000 people that study this book, just a tiny percentage manage to increase significantly their playing level. Probably the effort involved is just too much. Something similar happens when you study a musical instrument, say piano. Once you reach your level, the amount of study and effort necessary to improve is so huge that you simply don't improve anymore, and this plateau is different for different people. Anyway this is now out of topic. Alvaro
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