The Axiom System – Part 4: Justification in Chess
Principles, Justification and Evaluation — perhaps the most mistreated trio in all of chess. In the previous article, I suggested that in unknown positions, the decision making process consists of solely two processes — seeing and evaluating. In this article, my goal is to begin to explore the evaluation process in greater depth. However, unlike […]
The Axiom System – Part 3: How Do We Make Decisions
In the previous article, I explored the idea of starting from scratch to develop a framework for understanding practical chess, anchoring our approach in the most concrete and reliable element available – the actual experience of playing chess. In this article, we will build on that foundation to establish the initial axioms of our framework […]
Cheating: Trust and Traitors in Chess
How can we simultaneously tackle the two heads of the cheating beast — detection and trust? Seemingly every chess player nowadays is familiar with the challenge of cheating in chess — and I don’t think I need to explain why. On lichess and Chess.com forums, Reddit, Twitter, YouTube, and even in the news, you will […]
The Axiom System – Part 2: Typical Arguments in Chess
In my previous article in this series, I highlighted that many of the answers provided by modern chess culture, while appearing sage and wise, are often surprisingly shallow. I also stated that to better understand how we can improve as chess players, we need to develop a more robust and comprehensive understanding of practical chess. […]
The Axiom System – Part 1 – Introduction
An adult newcomer to chess might find themselves simultaneously impressed yet overwhelmed by the game’s extensive literature, rich knowledge base, and specialized terminology. A game that may seem relatively simple at first, but reveals layers of complexity to those who delve deeper. Overall, one gets the impression that they are entering into a realm where […]