Editing 1112: Think Logically
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| date = September 24, 2012 | | date = September 24, 2012 | ||
| title = Think Logically | | title = Think Logically | ||
− | | image = | + | | image = think_logically.png |
+ | | imagesize = | ||
| titletext = I've developed a more logical set of rules but the people on the chess community have a bunch of stupid emotional biases and won't reply to my posts. | | titletext = I've developed a more logical set of rules but the people on the chess community have a bunch of stupid emotional biases and won't reply to my posts. | ||
}} | }} | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | {{w|Chess}} is a | + | {{w|Chess}} is a centuries-old board game in which two players take turns moving one of their 16 pieces to try and checkmate the other player's king (one of the pieces). When one player is in a position to capture his or her opponent's king on their next move, and the opponent has no legal move available to avoid such capture, the opponent is said to be in "checkmate". This is considered to be the end of the game with a win for the first player; though chess etiquette suggests that a player facing inevitable checkmate ought to forfeit at that point. |
− | The game, with origins around the | + | The game, with origins around the 6th century, and with the modern rules being essentially set in the late 15th century, has a significant amount of history. The rules and traditions are well established. The knight is a piece that can only move in an L-shaped pattern (two squares in one direction, and one square perpendicular), but has the unique ability to jump over other pieces. |
− | The comic highlights two mistakes players often make in chess: complete fixation on the king at the cost of their other pieces, and failure to take advantage of the knight's movement patterns. At the same time | + | The comic highlights two mistakes players often make in chess: complete fixation on the king at the cost of their other pieces, and failure to take advantage of the knight's movement patterns. At the same time this is a jab at how people sometimes oversimplify an argument when confronted with a topic they are not familiar with. Previously this was depicted in [[675: Revolutionary]] and [[793: Physicists]]. See also the {{w|Dunning–Kruger effect}}. The units in chess are widely agreed to be well-balanced, and Cueball's criticism of the knight shows an obvious lack of knowledge of the knight's potential. |
− | Given the long history of chess, a significant amount of writing and research has been dedicated to the game and its strategies. This is inadvertently mocked by Cueball who naively suggests it would be trivial to list all situations in which a piece would move backwards (called a "retreat" in chess). Such a list | + | Given the long history of chess, a significant amount of writing and research has been dedicated to the game and its strategies. This is inadvertently mocked by Cueball who naively suggests it would be trivial to make a list of all situations in which a piece would move backwards (called a "retreat" in chess). Such a list--at least a partial one--certainly does exist, as do lists of numerous other Chess moves and situations. |
− | [[ | + | [[Cueball]]'s friend proceeds to demonstrate Cueball's lack of knowledge by beating him in four moves, which typically would only occur when a very experienced player plays a novice. The checkmate depicted is likely the {{w|Scholar's Mate}} and is the second shortest checkmate in Chess. Scholar's Mate is easily parried by moving the Knight to f6, the piece considered weak by Cueball. |
− | Cueball, instead of admitting he underestimated the game, believes the failure is in the game itself. The title text indicates that Cueball attempted to suggest revisions to the rules of chess. Given that Cueball has no experience as a chess player, it is likely many of the changes are illogical or ridiculous. In the face of hundreds of years of history, it is not surprising that the chess community is ignoring them. The last major changes to the rules of chess occurred more than 400 years ago when, among other things, the pawn was given its two-space starting move and the queen was made into the most powerful piece (previously it was the weakest). The chess community's ties to the traditions of the game and their refusal to accept Cueball's suggestions are written off by Cueball as "{{w|emotional bias}}" suggesting his changes are logical, but that the community is letting their emotions cloud their rational decision making abilities | + | Cueball, instead of admitting he underestimated the game, instead believes the failure is in the game itself. The title text indicates that Cueball attempted to suggest revisions to the rules of chess. Given that Cueball has no experience as a chess player, it is likely many of the changes are illogical or ridiculous. In the face of hundreds of years of history, it is not surprising that the chess community is ignoring them. The last major changes to the rules of chess occurred more than 400 years ago when, among other things, the pawn was given its two-space starting move and the queen was made into the most powerful piece (previously it was the weakest). The chess community's ties to the traditions of the game and their refusal to accept Cueball's suggestions are written off by Cueball as "{{w|emotional bias}}" suggesting his changes are logical, but that the community is letting their emotions cloud their rational decision making abilities. |
− | The comic may also be a jab at competitive online games whose fans call for "buffs" (power additions) and "nerfs" (power reductions) to characters they believe to be underpowered or overpowered, often with inadequate knowledge of those characters. On the other hand, some online games and multiplayer computer games in general are unbalanced since they lack centuries of history to balance themselves, unlike chess. | + | The comic may also be a jab at competitive online games whose fans call for "buffs" (power additions) and "nerfs" (power reductions) to characters they believe to be underpowered or overpowered, often with inadequate knowledge of those characters. (On the other hand, some online games and multiplayer computer games in general are unbalanced since they lack centuries of history to balance themselves, unlike chess.) |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Man wearing a hat is sitting down at a computer. Cueball is standing behind him.] |
− | : | + | :Keyboard:''Move'' |
:Cueball: Why'd you move your knight away? | :Cueball: Why'd you move your knight away? | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Man wearing hat turns around and rests his arm on his chair.] |
:Cueball: Just think ''logically''. The goal is checkmate, so you should always move pieces ''toward'' the other player's king. | :Cueball: Just think ''logically''. The goal is checkmate, so you should always move pieces ''toward'' the other player's king. | ||
− | :[Closeup of Cueball | + | :[Closeup of Cueball.] |
− | :Cueball: I guess occasionally you need to move backward, but it'd be trivial to make a list of those circumstances and- | + | :Cueball: I guess occasionally you need to move backward, but it'd be trivial to make a list of those circumstances and - |
− | :[ | + | :[Man wearing hat is leaning back in chair facing Cueball.] |
− | : | + | :Man: Have you ever ''played'' chess? |
− | :Cueball: Not much, but— | + | :Cueball: Not much, but— |
− | : | + | :Man: Wanna? |
:Cueball: Uh, ok. | :Cueball: Uh, ok. | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Man and Cueball playing chess.] |
− | : | + | :Man: *Move* |
− | : | + | :Cueball: *Move* |
− | : | + | :Man: *Move* |
− | : | + | :Cueball: *Move* |
− | : | + | :Man: *Move* |
− | : | + | :Cueball: *Move* |
− | : | + | :Man: *Move* Checkmate. |
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− | :[ | + | :[Cueball standing and staring at the chess board.] |
− | :[ | + | :[Man returns to his computer.] |
:Cueball: This game isn't very well-designed. For starters, knights are too weak... | :Cueball: This game isn't very well-designed. For starters, knights are too weak... | ||
− | + | {{comic discussion}} | |
− | + | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] | |
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− | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Chess]] | [[Category:Chess]] |