Author: Robert Hyatt
Date: 21:06:21 04/18/03
Go up one level in this thread
On April 18, 2003 at 16:29:40, Alan Grotier wrote: >On April 18, 2003 at 11:44:25, Robert Hyatt wrote: > >>On April 18, 2003 at 03:49:46, Tom Kerrigan wrote: >> >>>On April 17, 2003 at 00:35:03, andrew tanner wrote: >>> >>>> I was wondering if people have come to the general consensus that computers >>>>are increasingly becoming unbeatable and consequently the game may soon be >>>>losing interest and support except for the famed "man v machine" contest. Of >>>>course there will always be enthusiastic support from hobbyists, I am referring >>>>specifically about the masses. >>>> Here is a typical scenario: A child plays his best friend and wins, then >>>>proceeds to return home to his playstation where he gets clobbered even on the >>>>easy levels by the tireless machine. Being a precocious youngster, he concludes >>>>that "the only way to win is not to play" - excerpted from the movie "war Games" >>> >>>USCF membership has been on the rise for the past several years, despite the >>>depressing (from a human's standpoint) results of high-profile human-computer >>>games. >>> >>>I don't think computers are any more unbeatable to the average player than they >>>were 10 years ago. >>> >>>-Tom >> >> >>I think the _big_ problem is that computers are _not_ "good teachers". A human >>expert >>(USCF 2000) can teach a beginner so much about the game, while the computer just >>tears >>his head off and tosses it into a sack. > > >"Of course you do have a point" But I state honestly as an up and down 1500-1600 >player striving to improve,modern chess software including Crafy (A great >program -Never understood why it is free) has help me do this enormously in no >end of ways! >I include in this statement also other non chess related computer learning >tools. >Yes most definately computer learning tools which includes chess programes DOES >help the layman to improve. >My problem has always been I travel a lot for business.Never been able to follow >a 9 to 5pm or week day schedual. > >Salut: Alan > There are lots of issues in becoming good at chess. Definitely a computer will help you with tactics. If you overlook a cheapo, the machine will zing you for it. Having a ready opponent is also useful. You can play/practice whenever you want, and you can pick the opening or whatever. But a human is so far beyond a computer in the ability to teach you. For example, a computer might eventually teach you about a weak pawn, but only because it continues to win them when you allow them to be created. A human could tell you _immediately_ what you did wrong, and why, and save you hundreds of "training games" to pick up a well-known idea... > >> >>This problem is _years_ away from any real progress... >> >>And until it is "fixed" the computers are not going to replace humans at all, in >>terms of >>playing chess.
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