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Daily Speculations The Web Site of Victor Niederhoffer & Laurel Kenner Dedicated to the scientific method, free markets, deflating ballyhoo, creating value, and laughter; a forum for us to use our meager abilities to make the world of specinvestments a better place. |
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2/10/2005
Position, by Nigel Davies
I am thinking about this very seriously, and in my
hands is
Znosko-Borovsky's book on the middle game.
Here is a quote from the chapter on the valuation of
positions in which he examines a position in which
Black 'appears' to have many cumulated advantages:
"Yet in spite of the gain in all elements Black was
defeated after very few moves.
"From this it follows that, even with a full agreement
of all elements, one cannot rely too much on such an
external judgment of position.
"On what can we build an internal valuation of
quality? Is it some curious unaccountable instinct,
"Positionsgefuhl" as the Germans call it; or can we
make certain deductions founded on objective facts?
Undoubtedly such an instinct plays a great part, and
its significance is shown both in the judgment of
position and also in the working out and realization
of plans.
"The more difficult the position is, the deeper are
the characteristic features, the less noticeable are
superiority and inferiority and the greater is its
meaning. It is possible to say that this instinct
shows itself in the guessing of the qualities of a
position before they are visible. If a player is less
gifted, he does not realize and does not account for
them, but very often notices them later on when their
results are imminent. Therefore this instinct helps to
the discovery of the true path in the game and is more
dangerous to the opponent, because he does not
understand all the peculiarities of the position and
does not see the menace. The real facts, however, also
play a very great part, since chess, being an
impersonal game, cannot be reduced merely to a matter
of guesses...."