Monthly Archives: February 2020

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Instructions

Use the mouse to control your Chess pieces. Your objective is to capture your opponent's pieces from the board and get a checkmate, where the King can be captured and the opponent is unable to prevent the King from being captured with their next move.

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Chess - Play it now at CoolmathGames.com

Garry Kasparov dominated chess until he was beaten by an IBM supercomputer called Deep Blue in 1997. The event made man loses to computer headlines the world over. Kasparov recently returned to the ballroom of the New York hotel where he was defeated for a debate with AI experts. Wireds Will Knight was there for a revealing interview with perhaps the greatest human chess player the world has ever known.

I was the first knowledge worker whose job was threatened by a machine, says Kasparov, something he foresees coming for us all.

Every technology destroys jobs before creating jobs. When you look at the statistics, only 4 percent of jobs in the US require human creativity. That means 96 percent of jobs, I call them zombie jobs. Theyre dead, they just dont know it. For several decades we have been training people to act like computers, and now we are complaining that these jobs are in danger. Of course they are.

Experts say only about 14 percent of US jobs are at risk of replacement by AI and robots. Nevertheless, Kasparov has some advice for us zombies looking to re-skill.

There are different machines, and it is the role of a human and understand exactly what this machine will need to do its best. ... I describe the human role as being shepherds.

Kasparov, for example, helps Alphabets DeepMind division understand potential weaknesses with AlphaZeros chess play.

The interview also yielded this gem of a quote from Kasparov:

People say, oh, we need to make ethical AI. What nonsense. Humans still have the monopoly on evil. The problem is not AI. The problem is humans using new technologies to harm other humans.

Its a fascinating read and one that should be done in its entirety, if only to find out why Kasparov thinks AI is making chess more interesting, even though humanity doesnt stand a chance of beating it.

Link:

Chess champion Garry Kasparov who was replaced by AI says most US jobs are next - The Verge

When I started working with chess24 after a long hiatus from the chess world, I familiarized myself with all the original content available on the site. Digging deep in the archives, I found three amazing video series from former World Champion and legend Vishy Anand, teaching the basics of chess to beginners.

In the first video series, Anand starts from the very beginning:

For me chess has been an important, fundamental part of my life as a game, a sport, and an intellectual battle between two people who try to defeat their opponent, with two armies of sixteen pieces each, on a board with sixty-four squares... Chess isnt an easy game to master, but it is a very easy one to learn and to play.

Its often surmised that it isnt necessary for a Grandmaster to teach the basics of chess to beginning players. In chess, however, at least as I compare it to tennis, where a top player might be ill-suited to explain the very basics of the forehand, the subtleties that are grasped by a top player can shine through, and I caught glimpses of that in Anands series. In particular, the video about the value of the pieces contains segments that are good reminders for beginners and masters alike. Note that this video is available for free to everyone!

Once you get a little bit of practice in, its time to focus on learning basic opening principles. Anand provides an introduction to a classical opening repertoire, which should be plenty of opening knowledge until a rating of 1400-1600 is reached. You will learn the fundamental principles of opening play - ideas that will help you stay out of trouble without having to memorize a ton of moves before having the ability to understand them.

Openings are essential to know, but too much time spent on the opening will lead you astray from more important topics like learning key tactical patterns. Be on your way in an hour and a half or so spent with a world champion! You can use the discount code VISHY50 to get 50% off the videos mentioned here.

Once openings are in order, it is time to look at tactical patterns, strategy, and endgames. In his third video series for chess24, Vishy Anand walks you through key motifs and patterns that every chess player needs to know. You can then start making sense of great English phrases like pin and win!

Did you also know that you can find almost any game ever played in our chess24 database? Since no article is complete without a shameless self-plug (I saved it for the end, though!), Anand is not only one of my favorite players, he is also the favorite player I have ever beaten! Click here to search for this and any game, complete with engine analysis.

As a reminder, premium membership includes free access to all the video series we have ever produced!

If youd like to check out additional resources, our sister company Chessable has several courses featuring their move trainer technology to hone your tactical skills. Highly recommended are 1001 Exercises for Beginners and Learn Chess The Right Way - Must Know Checkmates, the latter from Susan Polgar.

Finally, practice those tactics with the Magnus Trainer and challenge virtual versions of Magnus at different ages. My neighbor is currently working on 8-year old Magnus!

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Learn the chess basics from 15th World Champion Vishy Anand - chess24

Alireza Firouzja is the player of the moment for many chess fans. The 16-year-old and his father self-exiled from Iran because its policy of barring games against Israeli opponents threatened to derail his career.

They now live in Paris, and results have justified the decision. He was silver medallist behind the world champion Magnus Carlsen at the world rapids in Moscow in December, led in the early rounds at Wijk aan Zee in January before losses to the top seeds, and last week, despite playing unevenly in several games, took the Prague Masters by a slim margin. He tied with four others on 5/9 then won the speed play-off from the puzzle diagram.

Historic parallels are few. Garry Kasparov trounced his rivals at Banja Luka 1979 when just 16. Bobby Fischers first big win came at Mar del Plata 1960 aged 17, while Carlsen was 18 when he won at Pearl Spring 2009 in China, though this has been called the best ever teenage performance.

A caution. The last talent hailed as a potential Carlsen challenger was Wei Yi, at 15 the youngest to reach the elite 2700 rating. Several years on, the Chinese player has yet to reach the next landmark of 2750.

2356

Vidit Gujrathi v Alireza Firouzja, Prague 2020. Victory virtually sealed first prize for the16-year-old.Can you work out his three-move sequence that led to mate or decisive material gain?

Click here for solution

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Chess: find the sequence that gave Alireza Firouzja, 16, first prize at Prague - Financial Times

IBMs Deep Blue wasnt supposed to defeat Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov when the two of them had their 1997 rematch. Computer experts of the time said machines would neverbeat us at strategy games because human ingenuity would always triumph over brute-force analysis.

After Kasparovs loss, the experts didnt miss a beat. They said Chess was too easy and postulated that machines would never beat us at Go. Champion Lee Sedols loss against DeepMinds AlphaGo proved them wrong there.

Then the experts said AI would never beat us at games where strategy could be overcome by human creativity, such as poker. Then AI beat us at poker. And atStarCraft. Now its going for even more complex games such as Magic: The Gathering. History shows us that a machine can be developed to outperform a human at any given task.

Apparently the only thing more powerful than humanhubris is our ability to iterate new technologies. At least according Kasparov, who recently told Wireds Will Knight:

1997 was an unpleasant experience, but it helped me understand the future of human-machine collaboration. We thought we were unbeatable, at chess, Go, shogi. All these games, they have been gradually pushed to the side

History repeated itself in 2016 when Sedol lost to AlphaGo. Much like Kasparov, Sedol was shocked at his defeat by a machine. He retired from competitive Go play in 2019 citing the fact that even if he were to become the number one player again, AI is an entity that cannot be defeated.

But Kasparov, whos had more than two decades to reflect on his loss, sees artificial intelligence as an opportunity for collaboration, not a future overlord or oppressor. He predicts that 96 percent of all human jobs (those not specifically requiring human creativity) will be destroyed by AI in the coming years.

Read:This AI suitcase could help visually-impaired people to travel

This isnt a gloomy prediction, as Kasparov told Wired, with every age of major technological advancement the majority of jobs are disrupted and new ones are created. Thats why even small towns have half a dozen automobile mechanics but youll be hard-pressed to find your local farrier or blacksmith unless you live in a farming community or the world of Skyrim.

The real challenge, according to Kasparov, is with creating new jobs that cater to human creativity:

For several decades we have been training people to act like computers, and now we are complaining that these jobs are in danger. Of course they are. We have to look for opportunities to create jobs that will emphasize our strengths. Technology is the main reason why so many of us are still alive to complain about technology. Its a coin with two sides. I think its important that, instead of complaining, we look at how we can move forward faster.

Kasparovs prescription for the future seems to be that we should speed things up. He wants us to develop AI faster because technology is inevitable. And, as the self-professed firstknowledge worker whose job was threatened by a machine, he has a unique perspective.

But speeding things up will, ultimately, displace workers whove been able to rely on their skill-set so far. This leaves CEOs and governments in a predicament where the greater good may ultimately come from ditching humans for machines, but the immediate impact would leave a significant percentage of workers with no means of income.

To this end, Kasparov mentioned that it might be time for governments to consider a universal basic income (UBI). And hes not the only person advocating for a UBI to combat the threat of AI-caused worker displacement.

Former US presidential candidate Andrew Yang ran his now defunct campaign on the promise that hed usher the country into the AI era by providing a monthly freedom dividend of $1,000 dollars to every adult citizen.

What do you think? Is your job AI-proof?

Youre here because you want to learn more about artificial intelligence. So do we. So this summer, were bringing Neural toTNW Conference 2020,where we will host a vibrant program dedicated exclusively to AI. With keynotes by experts from companies like Spotify and RSA, our Neural track will take a deep dive into new innovations, ethical problems, and how AI can transform businesses.Get your early bird ticketandcheck out the full Neural track.

Published February 24, 2020 21:00 UTC

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Chess grandmaster Gary Kasparov predicts AI will disrupt 96% of all jobs - The Next Web

A chess referee from Iran has fled to the UK after being warned that she could be arrested for being in breach of Irans strict dress codes during an international tournament in China.

Shohreh Bayat, 32, has sought asylum in Britain after a photograph of her at the womens world chess championships in Shanghai last month was circulated on social media. It appeared to show her without a headscarf, although she has insisted the scarf was in place but loose over her hair.

Iranian media used a photograph of me from an angle that they couldnt see my headscarf, and they reported that I had no headscarf, she told BBC Radio 4s Sunday programme.

The hijab is something that hurts me. I dont believe in it, and its not optional, its just forced by the government, we have to wear it. I believe its a tool of misogynistic oppression.

She went on: Everything that happened to me during this tournament was very painful to me. My family live in Iran, I am married. I couldnt [go] back and I had no chance to say goodbye to my family, to my husband. I dont know when I can reach them again.

She said she would face a lashing if she returned to Iran, and the authorities would want to make an example of her because of her high profile.

She said that many Iranian women wore a loose hijab, although they did not have the option of discarding the headscarf.

Following the incident in Shanghai, Bayat decided to discard her hijab. She went from China to Vladivostok in Russia, and then flew to the UK. Here, she said: I can be myself I am free now.

Bayat said she had received much kindness and generosity from the chess community in the UK.

In an article for the Washington Post, she said her father had introduced her to the beautiful game of chess, beloved by ancient Persian poets when she was nine. Chess requires logic and critical thinking not faith. Slowly, in my teens, I began to question why, if God is fair, is there so much pain and suffering in the world?

When she travelled abroad for chess tournaments, she said: I admired the young women from other countries who wore nice clothes, their hair beautifully styled. I gradually began to spend more time in front of the mirror, trying to find ways, within the confines of my fabric prison, to appear normal.

The hijab has been a mandatory part of womens dress in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, but some women have challenged the authorities in recent years by wearing loose headscarves.

Excerpt from:

Iranian chess referee who fled to UK could face arrest if she returns - The Guardian

NAGPUR: A day after he fought back in the Aeroflot Open chess tournament in Moscow, Russia, city GM Raunak Sadhwani sealed his first big win on Wednesday.

Playing fearlessly, the 14-year-old came up as a shock for higher-ranked and 2600 Elo Super GM Basso Pier Luigi of Italy in the seventh round of the international rating meet.

While 61st seed Raunak surprised 32nd ranked Luigi to jump to joint fourth position, two-time World cadet Champion Divya Deshmukh found 13th seeded Russian International Master (IM) too tough to handle and slipped to the joint sixth spot.

In the Open A category, Raunak utilized his opening advantage well to post his fourth victory in the meet. Opting for the Bird's Opening which had a variation of Dutch attack, Raunak played attacking chess and got success in getting early advantage against Luigi.

In the fifth move, Raunak castled his pieces and then started attacking his 23-year-old opponent. In the 23rd move he gave up his Knight and became a piece down but within six moves brought parity. By the 29th move both the players had double Rook with Raunak enjoying an advantage with his Bishop as opposed to the Knight for Luigi.

After sacrificing a piece, Raunak snatched Luigi's Queen and became a pawn up in the 40th move. While Raunak continued to enjoy an extra pawn, both the players were left with a Rook each.

For the next 30 moves, the Italian GM kept on playing the moves anticipating that his younger opponent will make a mistake but Raunak was equally firm in his reply.

Laying a beautiful trap with his King, Raunak was on the verge of converting that extra pawn into Queen which finally forced Luigi to resign in the 77th move.

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Fearless Raunak stuns Italian Super GM in marathon 77 moves - Times of India

The ministry said they cannot respond to the chess union's request to pay state support to chess player Jaan Ehlvest as chess is not a sport which takes place during the Olympic or Paralympic Games.

Ministry of Culture communications adviser Hannus Luure told ER the Sports Act ( 12 (1)) stipulates that state support for an Olympic winner is awarded to a person who is an Estonian citizen and has achieved success in the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games.

"As a result, the Ministry of Culture does not have the discretion to add athletes to the list of Olympic Winner National Grants. Olympic Winner National Grants will only be paid to those in the Olympic Sport or Paralympic Sports program," Luure said.

Luure added that although chess has a long and glorious history in Estonia, and Jaan Ehlvest's results are remarkable, today chess is not part of the Olympic or Paralympic Games as organized by the International Olympic Committee and therefore Jaan Ehlvest is not eligible for an Olympic winners pension.

"The fact that a sport uses the word "Olympia" in the name of its event does not justify calling it a match with the Olympic Games or the Paralympic Games," he said.

ERR reported on Tuesdaythat the Estonian Chess Association wants the state to pay the Olympic winner's pension to chess player Jaan Ehlvest, which will amount to 1,397 per month in 2020.

In 1988, Ehlvest became the first relay player in the Soviet Union national team to win the Chess Olympiad.The team at that time was impressive and featured Garri Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Artur Yussupov, Alexander Beljavsky, Jaan Ehlvest and Vasily Ivanchuk.

"Jaan Ehlvest became the Olympic team winner of the Thessaloniki Chess Olympiad as a member of the Soviet Union in 1988. Jaan Ehlvest's other merits and results will not be recounted here. Would it be possible to integrate Jaan Ehlvest's existing Olympic winners' pension system with the Chess Olympiad results?"Margus St, Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Chess Association, wrote in a letter sent to the Minister of Culture.

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Chess Olympiad winner cannot receive an Olympic winners pension - ERR News

Are you ready to start playing chess? Watch these videos to learn what you need to know to get started!

Not what you're looking for?Go back to the video guide.

Want to skip ahead and try the quiz? Check out the challenges here!

The King And The Goal:This video demonstrates the goal of the game and how to move the most important piece, the king.

The Queen:This video shows how to move the most powerful piece, the queen.

The Rook:This video shows how to move the second most powerful piece, the rook.

The Bishop:This video shows how to move, an important long-range piece, the bishop.

The Knight:This video shows how to move knights, the only pieces that can jump!

The Pawn:This video shows how to move pawns, the piece that you have the most of.

Pawn Promotion:When pawns reach the last rank they can promote into another piece. You can learn how promotion works with this video!

Setting Up The Board:This video shows how to set up the board. Take a look and then do the lesson to practice.

Were these videos helpful? Did you already know everything? Leave a comment, and tell us how you liked the videos!

Read more here:

How To Move The Pieces - Chess.com

In brief: Online streamers like Botez earn money primarily through viewer donations, or tips. Those with a substantial following can also play the sponsorship field, generating extra income by partnering with a particular brand or product.

If you would have told me a decade ago that millions of people would elect to watch other people play games rather than participate themselves, I probably wouldnt have believed you. Add in the fact that some people are earning a comfortable living playing games for strangers and the concept gets even more absurd. And then you tell me that traditional board games are part of the mix? Ok, now youre just making stuff up.

Yet, here we are. Not only is it real, its becoming increasingly more common.

Since 2016, time spent watching others compete in two-player strategy board game chess online has increased by more than 500 percent.

One player at the forefront of the craze is Alexandra Botez, a 24-year-old that runs a Twitch channel with her 17-year old sister. Described as a child phenom, Botez played chess competitively for years and was even the first female president of the Stanford University Chess Club. Since September 2019, however, shes worked as a full-time streamer and has amassed more than 63,000 followers on Twitch.

It's crazy to me to have this kind of support and this kind of viewership online for chess, Botez told NBC News. But should we really be all that surprised? After all, the Internet has changed the lives of billions by opening up opportunities that previously werent possible. Why should chess be any different?

Masthead credit: Chess by alice-photo.

See more here:

Chess is experiencing a renaissance thanks to the Internet - TechSpot