Author: Timothy J. Frohlick
Date: 00:28:17 12/12/99
Saying that chess programs retard the developement of critical thinking and blunt the progress in chess playing ability is like saying that a medical database/expert system impedes the practice of medicine. Computers are data-regurgitation devices. If we see that nonsense is coming out of them then we merely have to engage our own brain and solve the problem. Depending on a computer for total validation in any field of knowledge is and always will be a path to failure. There is no evidence that playing games on a computer turns ones' brain to mush. There is no evidence that watching television turns ones' brain to mush. There is no evidence that playing Doom or Quake or Duke Nukem will turn you into a special forces commando or a homocidal maniac. I have been playing chess for over 35 years now and play at an expert level. I know that I will never be a master. I have reached my plateau and don't think that I will progress. This is a common finding in most players of the game. The use of computers has taken me from a mediocre player to one who appreciates the fine nuances in "positional chess" . It is certainly true that computer chess programs are not as good as the grandmasters at positional finesse. It is, however, a great aid to have massive databases that you can search in a few seconds instead of poring over old books and magazines for hours. Chess computers do not limit your progress in chess--YOU DO!!!! Tim Frohlick
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