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1500 questions
12
votes
2 answers
How does AlphaZero learn to evaluate a position it has never seen?
Following up from answers to:
Understanding AlphaZero
My question would be how the neural net "learns" what to do in a position it hasn't encountered. Saying the actual AZ executes an MCTS using the bias + weights from the trained neural net just…
Roy Koczela
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12
votes
6 answers
How to study chess?
I am a beginner, I have been playing from time to time with friends since I was a child, but I never studied seriously. A couple of months ago I decided I want to become better, to play more seriously, understanding in a deeper way the game of…
Romeo
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12
votes
9 answers
Can a chess engine tell you why a move is bad or good?
Can any chess engine tell you why a move is bad or good? For example, say a chess engine says the score against my opponent is currently +2 in my favor. I then make a move and my score drops to say 1.4. Can any engine tell me what I did wrong such…
Randy Minder
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12
votes
1 answer
How accurate are chess engine ratings?
In light of the ongoing TCEC tournament, I was thinking, how do they come up with the ratings of these computers?
Presumably, a 2000 rated chess engine should expect a score of about .5 against a human rated 2000. This perhaps makes it easy to…
CognisMantis
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12
votes
1 answer
Is always possible to win King + Queen vs. King + Rook?
Does every situation (except where the Queen team gets mated or the Queen is captured immediately) result in a win for the Queen team? Or can the Rook team, by perfect play, force a stalemate?
Superluminal
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12
votes
5 answers
Is there any good app for learning openings?
My great fail is that I cannot learn opening or initial play.
Normally I only play when I can connect to my mobile app (Chess Free on iOS), and play at a very low level (adjusted as a single bar), and repeat that level until I have some domain of…
Brethlosze
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12
votes
8 answers
Is triple check possible?
In my logic, triple check not possible. Because I assume there is a move with two pieces at once needed. The only move I know is castling. The King can not give a check.
So is triple check impossible?
Superluminal
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12
votes
2 answers
Who is the youngest player to defeat a reigning World Chess Champion in a classical chess game?
A simple web search doesn't seem to readily give the answer to this question. Who is the youngest player to defeat a reigning World Chess Champion in a classical chess game?
NM Wesley Falcao
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12
votes
2 answers
Outsmarting an intelligent copycat in the Ultrasymmetrical English
I used to be a fan of the English, but some ultrasymmetrical variations bugged me, especially if a lower rated player decided to play for a draw against me with them. There seemed to be a lot to consider to get any sort of meaningful advantage, if…
aschultz
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12
votes
3 answers
Computer evaluations: How trustworthy are they?
Fritz 12 with Rybka gave a friend of mine an evaluation of +3 for white in this endgame position,
[Title "White to move"]
[FEN "8/8/8/3k3p/3P3K/2P3R1/8/7r w - - 0 1"]
which turned out to be a draw. But I've heard that +3 from a computer means a…
chubbycantorset
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12
votes
5 answers
Why are the symbols 0-0 and 0-0-0 used for castling in algebraic notation?
I'm curious about why the symbols O-O and O-O-O are used for castling in algebraic notation. Why not use the consistent and logical Kg1/Kc1 for White and Kg8/Kc8 for Black? Why adopt the less than obvious O-O and O-O-O from descriptive notation?
Jim Davis
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12
votes
2 answers
How many FIDE-rated games must be played to obtain a *non* provisional rating?
I have a provisional FIDE rating of 1980 based on my score of 1 (two draws) out of 4 at a FIDE-rated tournament earlier this year; see: http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=2059100 where provisional rating is Rp. I am playing in another…
user76
12
votes
2 answers
Can doping increase/decrease a player's level of play?
The reason I ask this is because according to this article, Magnus Carlsen is going to participate in FIDE's pilot project on doping test. FIDE says the reason behind it is that the organization wants to be considered as an Olympic sport by the IOC…
xaisoft
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12
votes
2 answers
What is a fortress in chess?
Throughout the 2016 World Championship match, analysts have made many references to the term "fortress". What does it mean, and how can I use it to my advantage?
oziomajnr
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12
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2 answers
Creating the current position having the rest of the game
It's a question a friend of mine brought up and I found intriguing.
Let's say you have the records of a game from a certain move to the end, using standard notation (i.e. Qf6).
Either assuming random play or strong play (which is really hard to…
Nescio
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