Logically Speaking, Period 6, 26 May '09

[offthelisthero.livejournal.com]

Small desks were scattered throughout the classroom when the students arrived. On the desks were a checkered board, a stopclock, two closed boxes and two handouts.

"Computer programming is heavily logic based," said Mohinder. "Some of the earliest programs were written to simulate already existing games. The first chess-playing software was written in the fifties and forty six years later a computer beat a world champion under competition conditions." He backtracked into a quick summation of the rules of the game.

"Rather than using intuition or experience, these machines were programmed to sift through millions of possible outcomes several moves ahead, assess those and play the one with the best possible outcome. And on a more human scale that's what you're going to do today. Now, chess is only one of several logic heavy games - ones that have a limited or no dependence on chance - there's checkers, stratego, go..."

"Your boards are set up ready to play, so choose your game."

[OCD is up. Have at!]

Comments

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Gladly," Valentine said, grinning a little. "So, basically," Valentine said, as she started setting up the pieces, "what we have here is a metaphor for war, in 32 pieces and 64 squares. You'll notice that the most abundant piece is this little guy, the pawn. Their numbers make them more expendable, but they're use is also not to be underestimated. They sit in front of all the...we'll say...fancier pieces."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

"Ranking officers?" she suggested, studying the board. "Which means there's got to be a leader and a second in command?"

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"I think that would be us," Valentine said with a grin, "since we direct all the action without ever really getting into it personally. We do have knights, though," she pointed out the horse shaped pieces. "Their movements are restricted to an L-shaped pattern like this, or this, or this." Her finger danced over the squares as she explained. "And bishops," moving along to the one with the little balls on top, "move diagonally. The rooks here," she pointed to the castle towers, "at the end move in straight lines."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

"How do the pawns move?" Ino asked, poking one. "And the leaders back home would be terribly offended at the idea that they don't go into conflict at all, but I see your point."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"The leaders back at my home would be terribly offended at the idea that they should," Valentine muttered. "And the pawns move forward. On the first move, they can move forward two spots, but after that, only one. And, unlike the other pieces, when they take another piece, they have to do it diagonally; they can't take a piece directly in front of them."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

Ino looked amused. "If that's how it is, then they probably won't stay leaders for long in more than name. Nature abhors a vacuum. Why do the pawns get an extra space in the first round? Because they're the backbone of your army?"

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Because the first step is always big?" Valentine offered. "But every step after that is slower and more trying? I don't really know, but that's not a bad guess."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

"Isn't there a saying that even a stopped clock is right twice a day?" Ino asked dryly. "So it might be that. I've no idea what the creators of this game were thinking. What are the other pieces called--we've got pawns, knights, bishops, and rooks."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine chuckled a little. "Anyone can turn out a saying if they think on it hard enough. Anyway, the last two are the king and the queen. This one's the queen, most arguably the most valuable piece on the board, since she pretty much has completely free movement. So, whatever the creators of the game were thinking, at least they gave the queen some power. The king is important in that he cannot be captured or it's game over. If the king is threatened to be captured, but can still escape on the next round, that's check, but if he's trapped, it's checkmate and the game is won. He can only move one space at a time, but in any direction."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

"So the queen is the killer, and the king is the useless stay-at-home?" Ino sounded intrigued. "Suddenly this game got more fun."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine chuckled a little. "Yeah, I've got to admit, that is definitely one of the better details of the game."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

"Our current leader back home is a woman," Ino said, grinning. "Our guys say she's the most beautiful woman ever and she can kill you with her little finger."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Have you seen her?" Valentine asked.

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

"When she's giving speeches, and sometimes at other points."

Ino searched for a word.

"She's--impressive."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"If she could probably kill you with a finger," Valentine said with a grin, "I'll bet."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

Ino grinned back. "Not just her threat? She's just got presence. Like some people have hats. She just wears it. And you know she's the leader and would know even if she didn't say anything."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine's grin grew just the slightest bit wistful. "I know a few people kind of like that..."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[intraspective]

"Yeah?" Ino asked, curious.

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"My brothers," Valentine said, and then shook her head, rolling her eyes a little, "probably kind of cheesy, and probably a completely personal bias to boot, but that's what it's like with them for me."