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)

[yakkoyaks.livejournal.com]

Yakko took a seat at one of the desks and said, "Well, pull up a chair and I'll teach you how to play! Don't worry about the handout, it's easier to just jump into it."

Yakko was totally planning on making up rules that made it impossible for him to lose. It was entirely logical to do so!

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir looked at Yakko for a moment before shaking his head and pulling up the sheets.

"Sorry. I learn best slowly."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[yakkoyaks.livejournal.com]

"Well, while you're learning, I'm just going to start stacking the pieces on top of each other to make a mega king," Yakko said. And he started doing exactly that.

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He kept reading.

"...it doesn't mention a mega king."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[yakkoyaks.livejournal.com]

"It's probably in there at the end," Yakko said. "It should be right after the part on super kings since you need two of those to make the mega king."

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"...there's not enough to make more than one megaking," he pointed out, starting to get the feeling that something was awry here.

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[yakkoyaks.livejournal.com]

"It doesn't matter. You couldn't beat a mega king anyway," Yakko pointed out.

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"And how do you get one right off? It says here that you have to get to the other side just to make a king!"

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[yakkoyaks.livejournal.com]

"Oh, you can't. This is me just passing the time while you read," Yakko said.

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Aha."

"Why?"

Re: Playing 3 (LS)

[yakkoyaks.livejournal.com]

"I eat too much sugar," Yakko said, pulling a box of cupcakes out of his pants pocket. "Want one?"