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Subject: Re: Rebel - IsiChess: Some notes

Author: Stephen A. Boak

Date: 22:12:02 10/20/03

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On October 20, 2003 at 16:47:45, Uri Blass wrote:

[..]

>I do not claim that I am always right but the fact that GM's do not find
>something is not a proof and it may be possible that a good practical decision
>is not to investigate it.
>
>It may be a bad idea to work months only to try to find if there is a saving
>line that you do not know if it exists when you can at the same time improve
>your knowledge in other openings.
>
>GM's are not scientists and they try to achieve the best results that they can
>achieve in games and not to be sure about the theoretical result of some
>position.
>
>Uri

If I lose my queen (White or Black pieces, doesn't matter) by a blunder on move
3 or 4, all GMs would probably say I'm lost.  I would, despite the inability to
*prove* it by exhaustive searching of *all* variations.

But until you [Uri] calculate *all* subsequent variations, would not say I am
lost for sure?  Only that I am probably lost?  :)

Because chess is not *solved* for most positions (except for rare positions with
forced mates or forced repetitions, etc, and endgames through 5 pieces, some 6
pieces), it is not possible to be sure of anything (by exhaustive research on
exponential quantities of variations).  You can't be sure that a position is
lost, even where a queen is blundered after 3 or 4 moves.

If the above paragraph is true, why state the obvious just to disagree with
someone whose opinion (and perhaps research) concludes the opposite.

--Steve






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