From: jdd@engr.ucf.edu (Joseph Dumas)
Subject: Re: Computers & chess ethics
Summary: Chess is more than moves....
Keywords: computers, opponents, psychology
Organization: engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 18:10:26 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.154713.205571@cs.cmu.edu> (Rujith S DeSilva) writes:
>In article <palane.711820878@pv7428.vincent.iastate.edu> palane@iastate.edu
>(Paul A. Lane) writes:
>> When I go to a concert, I expect to hear live musicians, even though someone
>> could put together a sound system and play a recording. When I go to a chess
>> tournament, it's to play a person.  At $5/game, I deserve better.
>
>Although several people have stated the above sentiment, I don't understand it
>at all.  When you sit down to play a game at a tournament, does it make a
>difference who/what is `seated' opposite you?  I know that you play the
>opponent, and not the pieces on the board, but as long as the opponent gives
>you a decent game, does it matter whether it picks its nose or is plugged into
>a wall socket?
>
>I'm not cricizing the wish to play a human, but merely trying to find the
>reason you prefer to do so.  Personally, I would respect a worthy opponent
>irrespective of its construction.
>
>Rujith de Silva.
>Carnegie-Mellon University.

I don't mean to be rude by butting into this "conversation", but I agree
completely with the first poster.  For me the joy of chess is not just
making good moves on the board.  (Or as some of my opponents might tell
you, just making moves on the board :)  The *real* thrill is the
psychological confrontation with an opponent.  This is another, living,
breathing human being with a mind of his/her own, and I'm trying to bend
this person to my will...  while he/she is trying to do the same to me.
It's head-to-head, brutal (though bloodless) conflict, on a man-to-man
basis.  Then afterwards, if my opponent is a sportsman, we reflect on
the game, share our thoughts at different stages of the conflict, maybe
laugh at our mistakes, shake hands... and who knows, maybe meet again as
opponents one day or even play in a team tournament together.  Don't get
me wrong, I enjoy the intellectual challenge of trying to figure out the
best move in the board position as much as anyone, but chess devoid of
the social and interpersonal aspects is a real void for me.  I think
computers are great for training purposes when there is no one around to
play with or when they fulfill a particular need (practice in a
particular opening variation or endgame, perhaps)--just as a ball
machine has utility to help one practice tennis.  But I get about as
much *pleasure* out of playing chess against a computer as I would
playing tennis against the ball machine.

As far as the ongoing debate regarding the play of computers in human
tournaments, I personally would like to see *all* rated tournaments as
NC events.  That would keep me from having to bother specifying to the
TD that I don't wish to play against computers...and often getting
uncomplimentary glances and/or remarks from the other players and/or TD
when I do so.  Certainly computers should not be allowed in events where
a title (city, state, national, world) is at stake, as the kind of
problems mentioned by Robert Hyatt and others (better players lose to
machine while lesser players grab title, or NC entrant forced against
his wishes to play machine because pairings work better that way)
result.  His suggestion (I think it was yours, Robert) that people
simply participate only in NC events if they don't wish to play
computers is fine in theory, since there are more NC events than
otherwise, but doesn't solve the problem if most or all of the events
*in your area* allow computers.  (A problem I encountered a few years
ago in Mobile, AL, where several companies used to test computers in the
local tourneys.)  Not all of us have the time or money to travel to
distant events just because they are NC.

Nowadays, living in Orlando, I wish *any* of the local events, NC or
otherwise, had time controls besides 40/1, SD/n or G/n.  But that's
another discussion.....

Joe
-- 
    ---------->  Joe is jdd@engr.ucf.edu (Joseph Dumas) <----------
  "Cold-hearted orb that rules the night; removes the colours from our
sight.  Red is gray, and yellow, white; but we decide which is right--
and which is an illusion."  (The Moody Blues)