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.

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.

Learn more

1en.wikipedia.org2chess.com3en.wikipedia.org

 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.

Judit Polgar (Wikipidea)

Hou YIfan (Wiikipedia)

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.