Connecting the rules
Connecting the rules in a framework
I have asked Claude (AI) lately to collect all chess rules he could find. He found about 150 rules. Often these rules are hanging somewhere in mid-air. Because the rules tend to be provided with too little context. Now the task is to hang them on the LoA (line of attack) framework. Take for instance the rule "improve your worst piece". That only applies when an attacker is not on its LoA yet. Otherwise it makes no sense. The LoA system provides structure and hierarchy to the rules. It provides the context so you can judge how to value the rules whenever you have conflicting rules.
The LoA framework is especially important to get feedback from your games. Without a framework, you make the same positional mistakes over and over again without noticing it.
A framework makes you life easier and helps you to make faster positional judgements, but it is not going to win you many games.
Tactical chess language
In order to win games, you have to become more proficient in the tactical chess language. Positional rules are blunt, in a way. Most people can decide "this a position where I can force an endgame with opposite colored bishops, let me try to draw". But getting the most out of a position by milking all tactical opportunities is a totally different animal.
You can only do so once you have absorbed a broad vocabulary of tactical words. So that is the main job. Let me give an example.
1r3rk1/pp1R2p1/4p3/3p3p/3P2nP/2PB2Q1/PP1q4/5RK1 w - - 0 27
Ivanchuk, Vassily vs. Almasi, Zoltan, Varadero 2016
The LoA framework gives you the invasion routes of the white Queen. The queen can invade via c7 or e5. e5 is at this moment defended, and the immediate Qc7 consumes a tempo.
The LoA framework gives me a clue what I want: invade on c7. Now I have to work out the tactics. In an ideal world, the needed tactical words are already absorbed. If not, calculating the lines will become a tedious task.
Bd3, Rf1 and pawn h4 form the outer boundaries of the killbox. Rd7 is the crowbar. The white Queen is the invader that must chase the black king into a corner of the killbox.
You must absorb from this position:
- the LoA related stuff
- the killbox related stuff
- the tactical "words" that are involved in the specific lines
That will be my main approach the next years.
On another note
I'm experimenting with using my learning method for score keeping. I'm a terrible writer during a game, and I suffer from changing attention back and forth to the brain part that writes done the score. I hate it, and it takes a lot of energy and attention. I will let you know if it works.
There are some interesting ideas in your commentary.
ReplyDeleteIn war and in chess, the enemy always gets a “vote”, especially if you are careless in giving the enemy time to hit you.
Regarding the example position:
“the immediate Qc7 consumes a tempo” [TRUE] and also removes protection from White’s King, giving Black the necessary “breathing space” to checkmate White.
“Rd7 is the crowbar.” That reminds me of the “three-piece rule”: one piece to sacrifice to tear open the killbox, and two pieces to coordinate the checkmate.
I have no idea what “rules” Claude found; here’s a widely referenced source for some strategical and tactical ideas related to this type of position.
My System, A chess manual on totally new principles, Aron Nimzowitsch, Quality Chess, © 2007, 2016
Part I The Elements - Chapter 3: The 7th and 8th ranks
Commentary:
It is extremely important to become used to conducting operations on the 7th rank in such a way that one has a specific object of attack in view from the very start It is characteristic of the less informed amateur that he chooses the opposite way of acting, he “flounders about”, i.e. he first looks to the right, then to the left. No, the rule is to choose an object of attack.Such an object can, as we have seen, be a pawn or a square. It doesn’t matter which, but just swimming about aimlessly would be a strategic disgrace.
2. Convergent and revolutionary attacks on the 7th rank • Seizing a square (or pawn) with an acoustic echo (a simultaneous check)
Nimzowitsch gives these two examples of the distinction between the convergent and revolutionary attacks. The target square changes depending on the type of attack.
Diagram 70:
FEN: rr3bk1/2R3p1/7p/8/pp2N3/4Q3/6PK/8 w - - 0 1
Diagram 71
FEN: rr4k1/2R3pp/5p2/7Q/6P1/pq1P4/6PK/2R5 w - - 0 1
GM Aagaard gives a computer checked alternative to the main line, which was dismissed by Nimzowitsch. He is also careful to note that it would be unfair to discredit Nimzowitsch for not delving deeply into this alternative, simply because the main line illustrated his point more succinctly about the two approaches.
the rule is to choose an object of attack
ReplyDeleteThe next step is to work out the lines. Here the "chess language" plays a role. If your vocabulary is big enough, that is a breeze. Otherwise, you have to work for it with system 2. Which is slow, energy draining and error prone.
That is the indicator whether you have absorbed the "tactical words" of the "chess language". That indicator tells you how often to repeat this problem. Until you have absorbed the words.
It is not only about the words. It is about their meaning too. In diagram 70 1.Nf6+ is about threatening mate, and the freeing of the 7th rank as a consequence to prevent the mate. These variations are checked by system 1, not system 2.
There are a lot of similarities between system 2 and LLM's (Large Language Models). In the video I showed you, the LLM was presented as "brainless". The tokens are just meaningless squiggles. The only thing the LLM does is to predict them without interpreting them.
ReplyDeleteYou can have an interesting conversation with a LLM. But you need to add discrimination to it in order to use it well.
I asked Claude about a bird with two names. I asked "what is the difference?". There is where it started to hallucinate. It associated the two names with two different birds. I asked about the Latin names, and he came up with two different Latin names. Despite it was the same bird.
PART I:
ReplyDeleteOut of curiosity, I asked Claude to "Find chess principles expressed as rules." I only got 50 “rules.” Here are the results.
{Claude}
I'll search for established chess principles that are commonly expressed as rules to give you the most comprehensive and current list.
chess principles rules fundamental - 10 results
-Principles of Chess – Chess.com chess.com
-The Principles of the Opening | Chess for Beginners – Chess.com chess.com
-10 Classic Chess Principles You Need to Know – TheChessWorld thechessworld.com
-Opening principles - Chess Strategy Online chessstrategyonline.com
-Chess Strategy - 5 Key Concepts to Learn – Chess.com chess.com
-Chessbrahs fundamental principles - Chess Forums – Chess.com chess.com
-Chess Opening Principles for Absolute Beginners – Chessable Blog chessable.com
-The 3 Most Important Chess Opening Principles – CHESSFOX chessfox.com
-6 Essential Chess Opening Principles: A Guide to Chess Masteryhercules
chess.com
-Chess Endgames | 10 Principles for Beginners – Chess.com chess.com
Let me get more comprehensive information about chess principles across all phases of the game.
chess rules principles middlegame endgame complete list - 10 results
-List of Chess Endgame Principles – CHESSFOX chessfox.com
-strategy - Middle game and endgame principles - Chess Stack Exchange
stackexchange.com
-Chess Endgames | 10 Principles for Beginners – Chess.com chess.com
-Endgame principles - Chess Forums – Chess.com chess.com
-Endgame Principles – Chess.com chess.com
-Chess endgame – Wikipedia wikipedia.org
-5 More Opening Rules – ChessKid.com chesskid.com
-Mastering the Art of the Endgame: Key Principles to Secure Victory – Chess.com chess.com
-7 Most Important Middlegame Principles – TheChessWorld thechessworld.com
-Opening / Middle Game / End Game? - Chess Forums – Chess.com chess.com
Based on my research and knowledge, here are the fundamental chess principles expressed as rules, organized by game phase:
Opening Principles
- Development and Piece Activity:
• Develop your pieces quickly [Principles of Chess - Chess.com]
• Try to develop your knights towards the center [Principles of Chess - Chess.com]
• A knight on the rim is dim [Principles of Chess - Chess.com]
• Don't move the same piece twice in the opening
• Knights before bishops (generally)
• Develop with purpose, not just to get pieces out
- Center Control:
• Control the center [Principles of Chess - Chess.com]
• Fight for central squares with pawns and pieces
• Try to put your pieces on squares that give them maximum space [Principles of Chess - Chess.com]
- King Safety:
• Castle early and often
• King safety is arguably the most important principle [Chess Opening Principles for Absolute Beginners - Chessable Blog]
• Don't weaken your king position unnecessarily
- General Opening Rules:
• Don't bring your queen out too early
• Don't make too many pawn moves
• Complete development before launching attacks
Middlegame Principles
- Piece Activity and Coordination:
• Improve your worst-placed piece
• Coordinate your pieces for maximum effect
• Trade your inactive pieces for your opponent's active ones
- Pawn Structure:
• Avoid doubled, backward, and isolated pawns [Opening / Middle Game / End Game? - Chess Forums - Chess.com]
• Create and exploit pawn weaknesses
• Use pawns to control key squares
- Strategic Concepts:
• Play on the side where you have an advantage
• Create multiple threats simultaneously
• Improve your position when there are no tactics
- Attack and Defense:
• Don't attack without adequate piece support
• Defend actively when possible
• Look for tactical motifs and combinations
That must be a few hundred questions ago. I cannot find it. I have a paid version of Claude, and you can ask it to do a deep search which takes about 45 minutes. Furthermore, I poked it a few times in order to provide more detail. Proposing certain websites like reddit et cetera.
DeleteI was a bit disappointed, because the rules were a bit coarse grained.
PART II:
ReplyDeleteEndgame Principles
- King Activity:
• Get your king close to the action – ideally in front of your own pawns [List of Chess Endgame Principles – CHESSFOX]
• Your king becomes an active participant in the endgame [7 Most Important Middlegame Principles - TheChessWorld]
• Cut the enemy king off from the action when you can [List of Chess Endgame Principles – CHESSFOX]
- Pawn Play:
• Passed pawns must be pushed
• Rooks should be placed behind passed pawns [List of Chess Endgame Principles – CHESSFOX]
• Create and advance connected passed pawns
• Opposition is crucial in king and pawn endings
- Piece Activity:
• Activate your pieces before your opponent's
• Centralize your king and pieces
• Create multiple weaknesses in your opponent's position
- Winning Technique:
• Keep it simple/simplify when you have a winning advantage [Endgame principles - Chess Forums - Chess.com]
• Don't allow stalemate tricks
• Know basic checkmate patterns
Universal Principles
- Material and Tactics:
• Don't hang pieces (leave them undefended)
• Always look for tactical opportunities
• Calculate forced sequences accurately
• Material count is the most straightforward strategic concept [Chess Strategy - 5 Key Concepts to Learn - Chess.com]
- Time and Initiative:
• Don't waste time with aimless moves
• Maintain the initiative when you have it
• Force your opponent to respond to your threats
- Positional Understanding:
• Key concepts include piece activity, piece mobility, pawn structure, space, and king safety [Chess Strategy - 5 Key Concepts to Learn - Chess.com]
• Control important squares
• Improve your position step by step
These principles serve as guidelines rather than absolute rules, and strong players learn when to break them for tactical or strategic reasons. The key is understanding the reasoning behind each principle so you can apply them appropriately in your games.
{END Claude}
PART III:
ReplyDeleteIs this similar to the list you got? Would you please post the query that you gave Claude to get 150 rules?
Personal viewpoint:
LLM seems to be a very clever parrot with an extensive foundation of knowledge and a fantastic search engine. When humans encounter such a phenomenon [without knowing or understanding any of the underlying processes], there is an unconscious projection that because the LLM presents as “intelligent” (without attempting to define that term), therefore it must be sentient because all human examples displaying this type of “behavior” are automatically deemed sentient.
Arthur C. Clarke expressed it in his Third Law:
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
We’re still stuck with TANSTAAFL; we still have to do the work.
We might overestimate our own intelligence here and there. A lot of our "knowledge" sounds like a parrot too.
DeleteYou’re famous!
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What is PoPLoAFun in chess?
Reference #1: Temposchlucker: Logic AFTER The Vulture's Eye December 12, 2022
https://temposchlucker.blogspot.com/2022/12/logic-after-vultures-eye.html
“Funny” how Claude found the information on your blog, then attributed it to Chess.com. I guess attribution isn’t one of Claude’s strong points. Oh well, when you have the entire Internet at your disposal, I guess it’s inevitable. . .
{Claude}
Based on the search result I found, PoPLoAFun in chess appears to be an acronym that stands for:
• PoP = Points of Pressure
• LoA = Lines of Attack
• Fun = Functions
This is a chess analysis and training methodology that builds upon the concept of "The Vulture's Eye" (taking a high-level overview of the position). "Only when we have identified the PoPs, filtered them, and identified the various lines of attack to those PoPs, then we can begin figuring out the FUNctions that each attacker/defender plays and then how those roles can be modified to our advantage." The Principles of the Opening | Chess for Beginners - Chess.com
The PoPLoAFun Method
Process Flow:
1. Identify Points of Pressure (PoPs) - Find weak squares, vulnerable pieces, and critical areas in the position
2. Map Lines of Attack (LoAs) - Determine how pieces can attack or defend these pressure points
3. Analyze Functions (Fun) - Understand what role each piece plays in attacking or defending
Strategic Application: Our intuition (System 1) guides us through the process so that we focus on the SALIENT features, ignoring everything else (at least initially). I think of it as "drilling down" into the details from the vulture's eye view, using the PoPs, LoAs and FUNs The Principles of the Opening | Chess for Beginners - Chess.com
This methodology appears to be a systematic approach to position analysis that:
• Starts with a broad overview of the position
• Identifies critical pressure points and weaknesses
• Maps out how pieces can attack or defend these points
• Analyzes the specific functions each piece serves
• Helps determine how to modify piece roles to gain an advantage
The method seems designed to help chess players develop a structured approach to analyzing complex positions by breaking them down into these three key components, allowing for more focused and effective decision-making during games.
{END Claude}
Funny indeed! The knowledge of the world at your disposal. AI has difficulties to conceptualize stuff though.
DeleteThe ideal "prompt engineer" is a software developer. You can "code" in plain English. You still have to solve the ambiguities yourself, though.
ReplyDeleteA video about AI Chess and learning
ReplyDeleteFascinating presentation! Thanks!
DeleteBTW, I asked Claude if it was constrained by Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics. It's answer: No.
:)
DeleteThe video gives an exact representation of my method. It makes clear what I can safely ramp up (the amount of problems) and what I must slow down (time per problem). It indicates how to optimize it.
Diminish what to learn per cycle but step up the amount of repetitions in order to prevent the cognitive overload of system 2. Furthermore, make use of as much help as you can get by themed problems, and seeing the solution beforehand.
DeleteI have the feeling that I finally found the right pace.
Delete