Just a little about me for anyone interested. I'm a mathematician and computer programmer going on over 25 years now. Ever since my mid teens I've been fascinated by the game of chess not so much for it's mechanics but for its mathematical properties. I will sometimes play an opening simply to study the probability of a win, loss or draw against players of various levels. The best way to do this is of course against strong rated chess engines as humans are still just that and prone to make mistakes. Even the best of them do.

My findings over the years have been inconclusive to say the least. This leads me to believe that to truly master the game of chess one needs to go beyond the simple math and logic. There is in actuality an art or imagination to this game. That is what separates the good players from the great players. The best examples of this are games where players seem to make totally illogical moves, making great material sacrifices only to be setting up their victory while totally taking their foe by surprise. These are truly the most enjoyable games to run through the trusty chess engine analysis programs. If you look carefully you will see a dramatic jump in move strength that seems to come out of left field, as opposed to the gradual rise or fall you will see in a typical game. Again, there are great examples of this in the database at this site. All you have to do is look for them.

I am by no means a great chess player as I don't have that special gift that creates the Fishers and Kasparovs. My rating is around 1700. I can hold my own against decent players but get totally demolished by true masters of this game. They make moves that I couldn't see coming if they painted a big red sign over them. These are the players I truly admire.

I hope you've enjoyed reading something about me. If you'd like to write to me I'm sure my email address is on here someplace.