Author: Will Singleton
Date: 20:54:26 12/02/03
Go up one level in this thread
On December 02, 2003 at 16:19:58, Amir Ban wrote: >On December 02, 2003 at 10:18:42, Robert Hyatt wrote: > >>On December 02, 2003 at 03:34:31, Roberto Nerici wrote: >> >>>>>>July 4. >>>>>>What a bunch of morons. >>>>> >>>>>Would have you gone anyway? >>>>> >>>>>Roberto/. >>>> >>>>Perhaps if the ICGA provided flak vests. Bruce has attended recent >>>>events. As have others over here. I am not the _only_ USA computer >>>>chess person, you know??? >>> >>>Of course I know. >>>You forgot to mention Charles and James (Noonian and Insomniac), both of whom >>>have also attended a recent WCCC. >>> >>>My point is that I don't believe you would go to an event in Israel regardless >>>of the date. I don't know if you would go to a WCCC outside North America, >> >>I have attended an event in London, I flew to Paris in 1984 to do a chess >>demo. I have gone to Canada. And I have traveled multiple times to Europe >>over the past N years. I was even at the _first_ WCCC event although I did >>not participate, in Sweden. >> >>My problem is time. how to take about 2 weeks off from classes? The events >>are now too long. What is the point in 11 rounds with 16 participants? Makes >>absolutely no sense at all. It just drags out the event and triples the >>cost and time. We don't have 2 week conferences anywhere. Care to guess why >>that is? >> > >All the university professors I know take off for 2 or so weeks for wherever as >a matter of routine. > >I'm also pretty much in the corporate scene and trips by executives for 2 weeks >are nothing unusual. Actually it's the corporate way of life. Amir, you are a level-headed fellow, but you must not have much contact with Americans. We don't take as much time off as the rest of the world. Whether one is a university professor or the CEO of Coca-Cola, we do not take 2 week trips as a matter of course. To do so would be almost unthinkable, unless you took your family along. And to play chess during your annual 2-week vacation? Not a single person I know would even contemplate going on such a trip, it's just out of the question for us. (Unless you are single and wealthy, I should say, but I don't know anyone like that.) However, even though the computer-chess scene is dominated by non-Americans, I would like to see a world event here. I'm afraid we will have to do it ourselves, since ICGA won't. And why should they? After all, there aren't any commercials at all from the USA. So, I don't blame the ICGA, they are just being pragmatic. If Americans want a world event, we have to create our own organization and develop our own chess programs. And make it worthwhile for people from all over the world to come here and play. Recently, there have been one or two efforts to get something going along these lines. There has not been much support. Almost like beating a dead horse, trying to make it get up and go. Though it's possible that these efforts were flawed in one way or another. So, the question remains, why has computer chess not prospered on this side of the pond? Two reasons come to mind: lack of interest in chess itself, and the realization that computer chess is really an end in itself. I mean to say, that we cannot pretend anymore that there are AI and related pursuits which can ultimately benefit from research into chess algorithms. It's specific unto itself, it doesn't generalize well. So you don't find much money flowing in that direction, and researchers have other fish to fry. Wasn't always this way, but it is now. I wish you fellows well in 2004, and I hope we can find a way to get all of you over here sometime in the future. In the meantime, do ask David and the board to change the name of their organization. Because if we do manage to get something going over here, they are not welcome. Will
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.