A Scientific Approach to Chess

For a blog about Chess and Science, you might expect more articles about the intersection between the two. Indeed, I have occasionally written here about research articles that have involved chess (such as studying the physiology of players during a game, the Einstellung effect), even including my own efforts in exploring mutual information in chess. Usually, chess is used as a vehicle in science to study physiology, memory, or decision making in general. However, I think it is worth exploring a truly scientific approach to Chess.

In its essence, Science is about gaining useful knowledge in a systematic way to solve problems. Chess players engage in a similar activity all the time, if even subconsciously, studying games and reading literature to build a model of the game in their mind that can be applied to making decisions at the board. Likewise, scientific knowledge about the natural world has informed incredible advances in technology for a wide range of industries.

Below I suggest different ways in which the scientific method can be applied to different aspects of chess. I encourage any interested readers to take up the challenge of performing chess research, following the principles featured in the rest of the article. I intend on making this blog a vehicle for such research, and welcome submissions of original research to this blog (or at least posts that link to your analysis). Perhaps Science on the Squares can become the first real scientific journal of chessology (or chessonomics?)

Do you think that such a method will prove useful and yield insights? Is it too slow and laborious? Have you made any discoveries in Chessology? Please share your thoughts and comments below, or contact me directly. 

Back in Blogging Action

A quick news update: After a long hiatus, I am back in blogging action at Science on the Squares. In fact, I will be resuscitate all of my other blogs and social media accounts, after a long hiatus due to a career transition (I am now an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department of Kingsborough Community College.)

I have attempted to repair many aspects of this blog, fixing broken links and images. (If you find something I missed, please let me know). Due to my new position, I will be posting here probably only once or twice a month. However, I have setup a more static chess website at http://djcamenares.x10.mx/chess/; as of posting it is still under construction.

In the next few posts, I will finish posting a series of Chess Words puzzles that I had intended to upload. I will not continue the other puzzle series, for now. You can also look forward to some analysis on the Grivas Sicilian, which is already present at my static page. (In particular, a fun gambit line 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 5.Be3?!) Stay Tuned!

Adjournment: An indefinite hiatus for SOTS

It is with regret that I must inform my readers that this blog is going on indefinite hiatus.

Over the past few months (just about 16 weeks, to be more exact), I have found blogging on this site to be a very enjoyable experience. During this time some of these pages gained some recognition as well: through connections formed from this blog, I was offered to write a few book reviews for chesscafe.com. I owe a special thanks to Michael Goeller, a friend and author of the amazing Kenilworthian blog, for his help and occasional reposts.

Unfortunately, as foreshadowed in some recent posts, I simply do not have the time to make this blog all it could be. Rather than be reduced to posting (exclusively) biweekly the Freeze Chess, ChessWords, and Scrambled Chess problems (of which I have quite a few), I decided to simply put the entire operation on hold.

I am currently in a period of significant transition in my life. I am nearing the end of my doctoral studies in biochemistry. In fact, the end to this chapter might come rather quickly, in the order of few months. A great deal of effort might be required to ensure a quick and successful conclusion to some final experiments (not to mention polishing the writing of my manuscript and thesis).

On top of that, my impending graduation necessitates that I intensify my career search. I have been searching for gainful employment for several months. In fact, this blog is partly a piece on the board in that larger struggle, a way to showcase my writing (as well as didactic) abilities in advance of a scientific publication. For my readers that have some connections to science (or otherwise are / or know somebody looking to hire a newly minted PhD), I would be very interested in hearing from you! My resume can be viewed at my LinkedIn profile. 

Hopefully, after I am settled in the next phase of my life, I can return to this blog and resume posting interesting chess stories and analysis, as well as commentary on science. The transition period is bound to be an interesting one, and I look forward to recounting the experience (as well as relating experiences from my graduate career) on these pages.

While I will not be making any new posts for awhile, there is some other work that needs to be done to update some older entries. In particular, I will be fixing some broken links and images in the near future. Also, you should be on the lookout for my favorable review of Dan Heisman's excellent The Worlds Most Instructive Amateur Game Book I recently completed (but not yet featured) for chesscafe.com. When I return, you can expect that I will finish my inconceivable moves series. As a sneak peek, I think that 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e5!?* and 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Qb6 5.Be3! are both marginally playable. I actually have did some preliminary analysis for the latter line (which is essentially a gambit variation in the Grivas Sicilian) at my older blog at chess.com, which you should definitely check out if you haven't already :)

*Intending 3.Nxe5 Qe7 4.d4 Nc6!? (not 4…d6 5.Bb5+ ouch!) 5.Nxc6 Qxe4+

My Worst Blunder of 2012

In 2012, I played quite a few chess games. I was active on Chess.com, playing 41 turn-based correspondence style games (with a 28-8-5 Win-Loss-Draw record), as well as countless blitz games. The story was similar with my over-the-board (in person) play; I had numerous casual blitz and slow games at the Stony Brook Chess Club as well as the Bayshore Chess Club this year. Finally, I participated in 3 different Chess tournaments this year: The Long Island Open (where I placed second in the U1700 section), the Manhattan Open, and the Empire City Open (The last two were played in the New Yorker Hotel, in Manhattan. The facade of the building is shown below). My overall record in these events is 11-5-2 (18 games total, six in each event).

From this collection of games, I could choose several that have egregious blunders, as well as good moves, with varying levels of instructive value. To me, at least at time of writing, my worst blunder of 2012 is clear. This, surprisingly, wasn't even a chess move, but rather my failure to use two half-point byes in the Empire City Open.

Read on the find out why, and see what I learnt about tournament Chess in the process. Have you had tournaments where you wished you took a bye?

To my regular readers, I apologize for the delay in posts, and the fact that there was no Scrambled Chess Sunday Puzzle this past week. In addition to playing in the Empire City Open, I celebrated New Years with my beautiful and wonderful girlfriend at Hunter Mountain. Unfortunately, I became sick the next day! Once I recover and finish some work obligations, you can expect more regular posts and progress.

Book Review: Thinking with Chess

You can find another one of my book reviews at Chesscafe.com. (Previously, I reviewed Walter Browne's "The Stress of Chess".)

This time around, I took a look at "Thinking With Chess", by Dr. Alexey Root. This book is more or less a teaching guide for chess coaches or parents. My review is entitled "Teaching with Challenges", named because the most interesting and valuable part of Dr. Root's book are the challenges. These are essentially mini-games used to exercise a particular chess skill.

Image taken from www.brooklyncastle.com

The book is put together nicely, but unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to give it a great rating because of the limited amount of material (the size of the book). This is reflected in the concise nature of the review; there was simply not a whole lot to talk about! (My apologies to Dr. Root for any offense, but I'm just trying to deliver an honest opinion.)

Did you read this book? If so, what did you think? What is your favorite book on chess instruction?

Evolutionary Biology and Education

The internet is perennially abound with discussion over evolutionary biology. It is a topic that surfaces repeatedly in the news, either in the form scientific dispatch describing a new species or in political news concerning the friction between science and religion. The latest iteration of the latter debate concerns recent remarks by Florida Senator Marco Rubio when answering a question about the age of the earth. The Senators somewhat ambiguous and confused (but understandable and unsurprising) answer has found both critics and apologists. He eventually qualified his answer, and I think made a good point that I will echo later in the post: the age of the earth has nothing to do with his tasks in the Senate. Even this point has been criticized, but I think it rings true in a subtle way).  Many of these debates, however, usually filter back to the opposition between creationism and evolution (as well as geology, embryology, or any other science that touches on the same points).

(Taken from Joyfully Battle Worn's blog without permission. Interesting post, you should definitely check it out. Echos some of the sentiments I expound here, although approached from a more religious perspective.)

The astute reader may be queuing up their groans and moans (or cheers, if they are into this debate). "Will this blog also devolve into a debate over evolution?" While I thought it would be appropriate to weigh in on the subject (after all, this blog is partly devoted to science, and biology in particular), you need not fear that these pages will transform into another blog taking on evolutionary biology. After all, there are many fine sites that primarily focus on this topic. I am especially familiar (and fond of) some of the more popular ones maintained by other scientists, such as PZ Meyer's Pharyngula. There is even a blog, aptly named EvolutionBlog, that focuses on both evolution and chess!

What then, does Science on the Squares have to offer to the evolution blogosphere? I am trained in molecular biology, not evolutionary biology (although I am well-read on the subject), and thus I will leave the discussion of the finer points of this science to others. However, I would like to add a voice to the debate over the proper placement of evolution in the classroom.

I've beaten about the bush long enough; my point is that neither creationist science, intelligent design, or evolutionary biology (as I understand it to be currently taught) belongs in the science classroom. No, you don't need to adjust your screen or check your glasses: I did indeed call for the partial removal or reform of evolutionary biology from the Science curriculum. 

Now that I have your interest, please select 'Read More' to read this article in its entirety. I'll give you a preview: the evolutionary explanation of the origin of species is more history than it is predictive science, and thus is not critical to the education (or future competitiveness) of our youth.

The position I've taken is one that is sure to stir up controversy, and will probably have the somewhat unique distinction of angering proponents of both evolution and creationism. Please feel free to add to the discussion by leaving a comment below, but try to keep it civil!

The Science of Chess: Moving to the (heart) beat

Recently a team of researchers published an article (PDF format) in which they monitored the heart rate of Chess players during a game (Aptly titled The tell-tale heart: heart rate fluctuations index objective and subjective events during a game of chess. Published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2012, Vol 6, No 273). 

The same authors of that study have summarized their work for chessbase news in a report also aptly titled: "Psychology: The Heart of Chess". Naturally, I was interested, as I have posted before about the intersection of science of chess and I check PubMed occasionally for such work (although I must have missed this particular study).

Picture reposted (with modifications) from Chessbase. I do not own the rights to the above picture (or for that matter, any of the pictures used in this post).

The article is interesting and thought provoking. There have been many studies that examined some psychological or mental aspect of the game, but there are much fewer (to my knowledge) that studied the physiological manifestations of a chess player's mind. As the article reminds us, Chess is fertile ground for studying all of these phenomenon. 

What did you think of the article? Select 'Read More' to see my full opinion. Please share your thoughts in the comment box below!