Photo: “Rhino and Zebra Playing Chess”. Illustration from The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base. (1988)
My uncle could see nine moves ahead in chess. Nine moves. I could never understand how one could predict the future moves of an opponent by sheer chance. A predictable opponent makes predictable moves, yet a wild-card opponent makes unpredictable moves.
When the clock tick-tocks closer to the eleventh hour, I turn my attention to the artists, the curators, the comedians, the writers, the kind-hearted gamers, the crafters, the actors, the art historians, the musicians, the podcasters, the coders, the robotics engineers, and the astronauts to get a glimpse of the situation from their perspective.
My heart pours out to all the webcomic creators at the Duck Webcomics, and I follow quite a few, from the Eurasian continents whose peace of mind completely shifted after the tumultuous current events of last week. I am sending my love and support to you and your families during this difficult time.
So, going back to the posed question: How many moves ahead should one see? As many as it takes to figure out that the answer is “Love”.
“And far above, upon a hill beyond the Tennis Court,
The Rhino and the Zebra sat in silence, deep in thought.
They studied every Rook and Pawn, each King and Queen and Knight,
Then both agreed it looked too hard, and quit without a fight.”
- The Eleventh Hour (1988)
.::.
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How Many Moves Ahead Should One See?
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Feb. 28, 2022
4 likes!
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EssayBee at 1:53PM, Feb. 28, 2022
Creative works, no matter how planned, can still throw curve balls at you. I tend to have things pretty well planned out, but sometimes story arcs or characters just insist on doing things their way. (And, truth be told, I've found that their way is usually better than my plan.) But it certainly helps to have a plan, just the same.
Andreas_Helixfinger at 10:10AM, Feb. 28, 2022
For a long time now I feel like I've been spending more time planning ahead with my creative works then actually getting things done. Spending more time making and remaking the pieces, arranging and rearranging the board, positioning, strategizing and scheming, trying to predict every move ahead. But now I think, I hope, that I'm finally done planning and I can just get in gear and go. Also, me and my mom play chess over at her and my dad's house sometimes. Neither of us is any good at it, but we still play. Winning or losing one move at a time.
PaulEberhardt at 9:46AM, Feb. 28, 2022
I've always been crap at chess, no matter how hard I tried. However, planning ahead for stories and such, or how students react if I do this or that in a lesson has always worked just fine. I guess, it's not everybody's game.
Ozoneocean at 8:05AM, Feb. 28, 2022
I have that book as well as Animalia and his dragons calendar. Love Graeme Base! I can see about 4 moves ahead usually... but it depends on the opponent. With world events it's a lot easier XD
KAM at 5:10AM, Feb. 28, 2022
Well, chess pieces have moves they must make, and a person can calculate which potential moves could be a problem in the future, so they can make moves that can force the other player to make a certain moves or lose pieces, whereas the wild-card opponent is more likely to be dependent on luck rather than strategy.