Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site isieng.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!ut-sally!pyramid!isieng!wendyt From: wendyt@isieng.UUCP (Wendy Thrash) Newsgroups: net.games.chess Subject: Re: The Secret of being a Chess Master Message-ID: <192@isieng.UUCP> Date: Thu, 9-Jan-86 16:34:24 EST Article-I.D.: isieng.192 Posted: Thu Jan 9 16:34:24 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jan-86 06:14:24 EST References: <269@ihlpf.UUCP> <102100005@haddock.UUCP> Reply-To: wendyt@isieng.UUCP (Wendy Thrash) Organization: Integrated Solutions, San Jose, CA Lines: 18 >> writes: >> I vaguely remember some psychological studies which indicated some >> unlearned traits which good masters possess but are relatively lacking >> in the rest of us. The term I remember is "eidetic memory" and the test >> was how well the subjects could reconstruct chess positions after >> examining it for a short time.... > Andrew Tannenbaum replies: > This seems misguided. If the test positions were sensible chess > positions, then a master would see them the way you would see > sentences.... Andrew is quite correct, but the studies were well-done. On positions arising from actual (or, at least, possible) games, masters were far superior. Random arrangements were also tested -- masters were no better than woodpushers. This is often used as an illustration of chunking in psychology texts, as the masters simply noted who had castled where, which files and diagonals were controlled by what, and so on.