A 101th+ place finish at 9 years old in the 12th Malaysian Open doesn't necessarily scream "prodigy." It suggests early interest and participation, but not immediate dominance.

Gradual Development: 

His initial progress might have been slower, indicating a strong foundation built through practice and learning. I am sure many who took part in the Malaysian Open and Selangor Open would be boasting about beating Gukesh then as he did lose many games at that time.

Later Surge: 

The meteoric rise to Grandmaster at 12 suggests a period of rapid improvement and exceptional talent emerging. His interest never waivered and neither did his parent's dedication in terms of work sacrifice and pouring resources like time and money into his chess career.

Hope for Improvement:

Gukesh's story offers encouragement to aspiring chess players like myself. Gukesh didn't have natural talents at a young age. It was all nurtured and developed with hard play against other strong chess players. 

Gukesh's journey highlights the value of perseverance and focused training. While natural talent might be a factor, significant improvement can come later through hard work.

 One of the recent ad-hoc social media  questions asked of Praggnanandaa was which country which he liked to most to play in. I forgot which YouTube video that was but will link it if I find it again.

Pragg just reinforces my previous post conclusion that high level chess players like Pragg and Gukesh don't really have time to enjoy the attractions of the many interesting countries that have played chess in. Pragg's answer was that he is always playing within the same four walls of a chess tournament and that he had NO FAVOURITE COUNTRIES. :)

 Chess by the Beach: Balancing Strategy and Serenity

Picture this: a sun-kissed beach, azure waves lapping at the shore, and a chessboard set against the backdrop of paradise. Sounds idyllic, right? But for chess players competing in tournaments like those held in Menorca, Spain, from April 2 to 7, 2024, the reality is more complex than the glossy brochures suggest.

The Chess Dilemma: Mind vs. Scenery

Tournaments in stunning locales promise a dream escape for chess enthusiasts. Yet, as the clock ticks toward each move, the dream collides with the mental exertion demanded by the game. Can chess players truly switch gears from intense strategy to leisurely beach strolls or historical explorations?

The Myth of Compartmentalization

Imagine a chess player contemplating their next move—a delicate balance of offense and defense. The turquoise waters of Menorca beckon, but can they truly appreciate them? The mental strain of strategizing leaves little room for beachside daydreams. A stolen glance at the sparkling sea might disrupt concentration rather than refresh it. Are these tournaments a clever ruse, luring players into an expensive mental marathon disguised as a vacation?

Strategic Breaks: A Mirage

Lunchtime “strategic breaks” sound delightful, but reality bites. Analyzing games, reviewing openings, and scouting opponents consume every spare moment. Even a scenic walk won’t erase the looming next round from a competitor’s mind. The beach becomes a distant mirage, its allure fading against the chessboard’s demands.

Mindfulness Amidst Competition? A Rarity

Marketing paints a serene picture: players finding solace in fleeting beach glimpses. But the fire of competition burns within serious chess enthusiasts. Oblivious to the beauty around them, they focus on the board. These tournaments—intellectual showdowns against paradise—may never allow true appreciation of the surroundings.

Verdict: Paradise Lost?

Menorca’s undeniable beauty clashes with the all-consuming nature of chess competition. For the fiercely competitive, it’s a mirage—a tantalizing backdrop they can’t truly savor. Perhaps these tournaments suit casual players—a vacation sprinkled with chess—rather than the other way around.

So, next time you see a chessboard by the beach, remember: paradise and pawns don’t always play well together

 Aside from the lowest-level "FIDE Master" (FM), I think it's safe to say that I will never get any kind of "formal" FIDE title. I've been at ELO 1700 for most of my life. Today's new rating "adjustments," on the other hand, suddenly pushed me up to 1800 ELO. For an FM title, you need to have at least an ELO of 2300. You can get the title "CM," which stands for "Candidate Master," but I don't like it because that's the kind of title that kids often get at junior events.

Because of this, getting a "online" FIDE designation like AGM, AIM, AFM, or ACM is definitely attractive. All you have to do is play a few games to get a certain FIDE Arena online grade.


Based on their chart, my current FIDE Arena starting rating of 1793 puts me in the AIM power group. My only goal is to play 150 bullet games and keep my online rank at 1700. If you work hard and train enough, you could even win the AGM championship.


FIDE supports the title as "usable" because you are known for it and it shows up in your FIDE rating profile. In almost all FIDE-rated events these days, your title will show up next to your name in the main list or list of pairs.

But that's all the "recognition" that was given.

Titles from the FIDE Online Arena (FOA) aren't totally useless either. Based on real ELO ratings, not internet ratings, I think they should be ranked similarly to the official FIDE title on the following scale:




Keep in mind that FIDE doesn't talk about this scale anywhere on their website, so this is just my opinion based on how I think it looks.

 The following are some of the main reasons why human-edited puzzle books are often better than those that use database-generated or automatically picked puzzles and strategies:

 

 

 

Context and relevance:

Puzzles and methods can be hand-picked by human curators to be both educational and applicable to particular themes, strategies, or skill levels. They can include background information and explanations to make the riddles more significant and useful for learning.

Quality control: People are able to weed out simple or poorly designed puzzles that don't teach anything useful. Their job is to make sure the puzzles aren't just fun, but also educational, difficult, and error-free.

Skilled writers and curators can arrange puzzles in a logical and progressive way, focusing on particular themes or progressively increasing the difficulty. Improving one's knowledge and abilities is much easier with this methodical strategy.

Usefulness as a teaching tool: Not only do human-curated books contain puzzles, but they also frequently feature annotations, instructional text, and strategic explanations that boost comprehension and delve deeper into the game.

Anecdotes, stories, or historical background about the problems itself can be included in certain puzzle books to make the learning experience more interesting and memorable.
The aesthetic and creative aspects: Human curators can choose puzzles based on both their instructional value and their aesthetic appeal. They tend to choose solutions that exhibit the game's beauty and artistry, which can be rather beautiful or inventive.

The material of puzzle books can be fine-tuned to suit the skill level of the intended readers, making them suitable for beginners, intermediates, or advanced gamers.

Competence on the part of humans: Curating chess puzzles and strategies calls on human intuition, knowledge of the game's fundamental principles, and competence that computers just can't match.

While there is no doubt that AI-generated techniques and puzzles offer a wealth of practice material, human curation is essential for adding depth, context, and educational value. By integrating practical challenges with theoretical insights and strategic counsel, well-crafted puzzle books, written and curated by skilled individuals, provide a more thorough and rewarding learning experience.

 

Happy Birthday to FIDE Treasurer and former Women's World Champion GM Zhu Chen! 

 Zhu Chen, born on March 13, 1976, in Zhejiang, China, is a Grandmaster in chess12. Here are some key points about her:

• She became China’s second women’s world chess champion after Xie Jun, and China’s 13th Grandmaster1.
• In 1999, she became the first Chinese player to win an international chess competition2.
• She obtained Qatari citizenship in 2006 and has represented Qatar since then12.
• She won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship in 1994 and 19961.
• At the age of 25, she defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia in a tournament for the 2001/2002 Women’s World Chess Championship, becoming the ninth champion1.
• Zhu is married to Qatari Grandmaster Mohamad Al-Modiahki, and they have two daughters1.
• She also studied for a master’s degree at Tsinghua University1.

 My webserver is under attack. DDOS and malicious script work in unison to bring down the webserver and also serve spam ads on my working websites. And they've succeeded in bringing the entire webserver down making all my websites hosted on it to go offline.

This attack is analogous to a rat.

Imagine your webserver as a large house with many rooms, each room representing a different folder or website on the server. One day, a small hole appears in the house, perhaps a broken window or a crack in the wall. This hole is like a vulnerability in your webserver.

Through this hole, a rat (the malicious script) sneaks into the house. The exact room it enters is unknown. Once inside, the rat begins to multiply, with new rats scurrying off into different rooms, infecting more and more of the house. This is like the malicious script duplicating itself and spreading to different folders and websites on your webserver.

To deal with the infestation, you call in an exterminator (the anti-malware software). The exterminator manages to get rid of most of the rats, about 90% or more. The house seems to be rat-free, but there’s a catch.

The rats in this house are not ordinary rats. They are controlled by external forces - people outside the house who can call the rats back into action. These people represent the external computers that try to activate the malicious script via the web. Even though the rats seem to be gone, the people outside can still see the house (as seen through the webserver logs) and try to call the rats back.

In this scenario, the house remains vulnerable until the hole is fixed, just as the webserver remains vulnerable until the security hole is patched. And just as you would remain vigilant for signs of a recurring rat infestation, you need to keep monitoring your webserver logs for signs of recurring malicious activity.

I still havent found the original hole yet but I am fortunate that there are anti-malware scripts that find and delete these malaicious files from my webserver. However the pings from outside is something I cannot control but I have found the IPs of this malicious attackers and banned them from accessing my webserver.

Scenario.

After the hard game, the chess player retires to his hotel room. Takes an hour rest. Then takes up the scoresheet and sets up the game on an actual chessboard - not on the computer screen or phone. With a paper and the game is slowly annotated with evaluations, variations and lines that may or may not have been better etc. Finishing, a picture is take and sent to an AI program that then evaluates the hand written annotation.

A detailed reply is then sent back to the chess player where there is eager anticipation in how right or wrong the annotation sent was. This becomes a routine with the further rounds of the tournament.

This sounds close to science fiction doesn't it. But like my last article about AI Coach, I  believe it is not in our distant future but coming soon. This is probably what a human coach may do with students but LLMs can also duplicate this function.

1. Manual Annotations and Evaluations:

   • The chess player annotates their game by hand, using notations like “±” (indicating that White is better) or “=” (indicating equality).
   • These annotations capture the player’s understanding of the game state, strategic choices, and positional assessments.

2. LLM Evaluation:

   • The LLM analyzes the player’s annotations and evaluates their accuracy.
   • It verifies whether the player’s assessments align with established chess principles and objective evaluations.
   • The LLM can provide a quantitative measure of how well the player’s annotations match the actual game dynamics.

3. Benefits of this Feedback Approach:

   • Learning Reinforcement: By receiving feedback on their annotations, the player reinforces their understanding of chess concepts. Correct annotations are reinforced, while incorrect ones are corrected.
   • Identifying Mistakes: The LLM highlights where the player’s evaluations deviate from optimal play. This pinpointing helps players recognize their mistakes and learn from them.
   • Strategic Insights: Detailed feedback allows players to understand why certain moves were better or worse. It provides strategic insights beyond mere correctness.
   • Pattern Recognition: Consistent feedback helps players recognize recurring patterns and positional themes.
   • Self-Reflection: Players can reflect on their thought process during the game and identify areas for improvement.

4. Challenges and Considerations:

   • Subjectivity: Chess evaluations can be subjective. Different annotators may have varying opinions on a position’s quality.
   • Complexity: Chess is multifaceted, involving tactics, strategy, and positional understanding. The LLM must consider all aspects.
   • Human Bias: The LLM should account for biases inherent in human annotations.
   • Feedback Granularity: Balancing detailed feedback with simplicity is crucial. Too much detail may overwhelm the player.

5. Enhancing Chess Learning:

   • When used judiciously, this feedback approach can significantly enhance chess learning.
   • Players gain insights into their decision-making process, leading to better play over time.
   • The LLM acts as a personalized coach, guiding players toward more accurate assessments and deeper understanding.

In summary, while challenges exist, a well-designed chess LLM that evaluates manual annotations can be a valuable tool for players seeking to improve their game. It complements traditional study methods and encourages thoughtful analysis. 

Also, the LLM will recognize common 'ghosts' or imaginary fears of the player as more games annotation are examined. These can be highlighted and a remedy or cure can be prepared.

 

Yay. Received my "presents from FIDE". Thank you FIDE!!

Opened your prsents yet ?

Old ratijng 1793.
New rating 1876.

It's true there are NO women in FIDE's top 100 list today. All are men. But of course it has not always been like that. Judit Polgar once reached number 8 in the world. But that has been decades ago and now stuff of legends. Only 3 women has ever reached top 100 in the world. Besides Judit, it's Maya Chibudanidze and Hou YIfan. In recent times, only Hou Yifan has consistently cross over to the top 100.

The gender imbalance in top-level chess, particularly the lack of women in the top 100 rankings, is a complex issue with multiple factors at play. Personally, I think it's for the following reasons:

1. Participation Gap:

   • Historically, there have been fewer female chess players compared to male players. The smaller pool of female players means that statistically, fewer women reach the highest levels of the game.
   • While the participation gap has been narrowing, it still persists. Efforts to encourage more girls and women to take up chess are ongoing.

2. Nature vs. Nurture Debate:

   • Some argue that men are “hardwired” to play chess due to biological differences. For example, men may exhibit higher risk aversion and lower competitiveness, possibly influenced by testosterone levels. I personally don't believe in this. In other sports like football, tennis, basketball etc it is true. Men possess physical attributes that can be advantageous over Women but I don't think that applies in chess.
   • It's definitely nurture or lack of it comparatively.

3. Societal and Cultural Factors:

   • Societal and cultural pressures play a significant role. Stereotypes about female chess players persist, affecting confidence and performance. 
   • Judit Polgár, considered the strongest female player of all time, emphasized that capability is not a matter of gender but of intelligence and effort a fact that many won't disagree with today.

4. Historical Bias and Representation:

   • Chess has a long history of male dominance, and this historical bias can perpetuate itself.
   • Lack of representation at the top levels can discourage young female players from pursuing chess seriously. Recent successes like Vaishali Rameshbabu are far and between so it's quite significant.
     
     
     
     
     
     

5. Encouraging Role Models:

• Having successful female role models like Judit Polgár is crucial. Her achievements demonstrate that women can compete at the highest levels. But again, those successes were decades ago and the stuff of history.
• Encouraging more women to become grandmasters and participate in elite tournaments will help address the imbalance of course but it's probably happening too slowly.
  
  
  
  
  
  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUKezuhhhok

How India handles the hype for Commonwealth Chess. And that's 6 years ago.

It's just one of many simple video but shows the energy and excitement is this what the public traditionally view as a very boring board game (post Covid). Maybe that's why India is now a powerhouse of chess.

That's what's missing IMHO for our own Malaysian run Commonwealth. All the other factors are excellent like arbitering, venue, investment in broadcasting tech (DGT, Clono and idChess) etc. But we are still short on the "hype".

GilaChess #syiokSendiri videos and short summaries is a pitiful comparison where India and other countries are concerned.

Chessify subscription plan:

Chessify is certainly a very good alternative if you want access to a comprehensive Chess Database (9 million++ games). But for someone who hates any subscription plan I'd rather pay one time for
.

(8,999 Indian Rupee is about RM 518.21) and it's yours forever, no monthly fees!

One negative is that you cannot do last minute prep, say after looking at the pairing list and no time to run back to hotel room to open up your computer, then the mobile app version is better.

But still I won't sign up with Chessify DB - I'd go for Chessbase Online for Android. Again it's worth

fee of RM 37.99 to buy the app. So that gets you covered for on the go access and also in the comfort of your hotel room or at home with the desktop version. One thing to note is Megadatabase 2024 is also a subscription service with updates weely for the whole of 2024 only. There is a fee charged (69 Euro) to renew and get updates for 2025. But personally, I'll skip that and work with the 2024 as base and use the android version if I want to get the latest games (there is no subscription model for the Android based Chessbase Online).