One DEO quote.

[Alex_Moiseyev]

On the top of front EDA website page there is a quote from Derek Oldbury:

"Draughts is a duel, a battle of ideas. You win your game because your ideas are better, stronger, than of those of him whom you play."

Incorrect ! In my very stroing opinion, draughts is not a battle of ideas, it is a battle of personalities ! If you are strong player with soft spirit - you will never be on top. Draughts (checkers) is not only art and/or science, it is also a SPORT

Comments are welcome.

Regards,

Alex

[john reade]

There are other factors, such as book knowledge for the openings, visualisation. the winner is the one who can see the furthest, and concentration, many a game is lost through a lapse of concentration.

[tommyc]

quote from Derek Oldbury:

"Draughts is a duel, a battle of ideas. You win your game because your ideas are better, stronger, than of those of him whom you play."

Quote......Alex.........Incorrect ! In my very stroing opinion, draughts is not a battle of ideas, it is a battle of personalities ! If you are strong player with soft spirit - you will never be on top. Draughts (checkers) is not only art and/or science, it is also a SPORT
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In reply to Alex and DEO...................
Quote tommyc............."Draughts is too complex a game to be explained in so litte words"

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[Ingo_Zachos]

Well, I don't think that there is a contradiction, John/Tommy

Alex is saying that you need some features in your personality to become a top player, he does not recommend that this player should not study books or practise his/her visualisation skills, but rather that the player will do all this with the desire to become a good player and that his personality will kind of drive him to make this efforts.
If I am correct, he indicates that the force behind the effort that the person makes is motivated and supported by his personality.

I don't think he is wrong here, as stamina, ambition, thoughness, dilligence and discipline r features that a good player needs.
Of course, checkers is a "war of individuals/persons" and not a group game or a joint effort by a team, so it is the nature of the game that calls for certain "soft" skills in yone's individual personality.

Also he is right that it is a sport, but also a science and to a far lesser degree an art, so a person does also need some features in his personality that support scientific work, or he/she would make no or only slow progress and would run into the more profound preparation of his opponent, so I disgree to a certain extent to his conclusion that "soft spirits" r not needed, as Alex himself in my mind shows how helpful features as dilligence and the disclpline both on the board (concentration, "keep cool" , quick perception) and in the "homework" (study books, games of the opponents, magazines, and all this with discilpine and a great time effort= dilligence)are.
I don't think that agressiveness alone or the much quoted "killer instincts" r the only and most valuable features of a top player, but who has both killer instincts and "soft" skills like discipline and dilligence will make it.
It is, however, possible that a certain player has some of these features more then others, but I think that he needs "soft" kills as well as "killer instincts" to develope to his/her best strenghts.

My personal conclusion:
You need certain features to become a champion in a highly competitive individual game like checkers, and who lacks them will have a serious handicap. But these features are not only "killer instincts" and do, not that surprisingly, due to the scientific nature of our game, require "soft" skills!

Greetinx from Dortmund on a rainy sunday,

Ingo Zachos