Here is an extremely funny and excellent book review about Vol. 1 of the <Duncan Suttles> book.

It's written by <mack>, who is our friend here at <CG.com> and quite famous for NOT being the person who called <Dom> a "Miserable Git" for not celebrating St. Patty's Day.

Turns out it was <The Slid> who called <Dom> a git.

Anyhoo, the review is great and here it is at this weblink:

Nope. The implants actually ensure that only these workers' *arms* can enter the strongroom. And there's a lot of, you know, dismemberment about. Hacksaw crime is rising.

Far as I know, you can doctor those Quadropods so they don't bark. It's called *spaying*, or something like that.

Could you provide the link for, or the text of, that Hans Ree article? I've searched on <Chess Cafe> but can only find the 2001 article about GMT becoming ICCF WC, and his game against JvO. That article did say JvO invited GMs to comment on his games in progress, but little else.

tHANKS, <Augalaval> and thanks for dropping by.

CG.com had the avatar in there stock for some reason.

It's <Marie Antoinette> and it was painted by <St. Nickholas of Thebes> or something. I can't remember.

But <User:Boomie> knows who painted it. Apparently he's quite famous.

I wrote this:

<Jess>: <I'm very, very curious about which is more effective: A Centaur team composed of a small selection of GMs

or

A Centaur team composed of hundreds of amateurs>

The composition of the team doesn't seem to me of much relevance re the strength of that particular team, when given that the amateur team has a number of well educated members, with good positional understanding, and sufficient experience with various systems.

I'll <try> to explain...

With those conditions met for the Amateur team (easily in our 3 world teams sofar but much more significantly in the current one), the determining, differential factors re the playing strength are:

-- dedication

-- amount of hours of hard work <available> -- as well as being put in, continuously (24/7)

-- organizational structure for every imagineable subvariation

-- motivation, resulting from an atmosphere of mutual encouragement, sense of humour, and the people managers among the members who have the capacity to mend arguments, which are also a necessity/unavoidability in nutural group dynamics.

So IMO, the team that delivers the most horsepower on all those elements (and I haven't even been nearly complete in the 4 elements I mentioned), should be the stronger team, IE playing the stronger moves, most of the time.

I'll go even a step further:

For me, I doubt if it is even a <reasonable assumption> to consider ANY small selection of GM-teams being able to deliver a strength of play, comparable to that of a World Team like ours.

Going by the experience I have personally with analysis by guest GM level commentators during super GM tournaments (in Holland in my case)-- makes me convinced that the difference in understanding and vast experience, is quickly compensated, and then overtaken, by the advantages I mentioned earlier in a Team composed and run like our World Team.

Which would mean that our games sofar are a mismatch, but over the last 2-3 years of observing "our" games I am convinced even a small selection of GMs would <not have much of a chance of getting anywhere close to a 50% score> against "us." ("us" being the team as it developed to its current level)

This is all my personal opinion, of course, and I may well overlook something, but I think the current format favors the "large team" heavily over the selected small group of GMs.

======== ========= ========== =========

A bit lengthy, unnecessary, and a few aspects I overstated, as well as I left several aspects unattended.

BUT IT'S A START

When I have some more time I'll get back to where <possibly, the selected GMs Team would have an advantage over "us"> -- IMO that is.

heh I just noticed you zapped your post and asked you about it at your house and here it is at my house!!!

QUACK11

My response to your excellent analysis on this question, and a further request for your opinion, is at your house.

Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun! (http://www.batguano.com/Vigee.html)

So I was close then!!

Why is the website called "bat poo"?

NOt quite sure what you're referring to.

Your computer might be broken?

Who do you think would win?>

I'm inclined to say that the 3 days/move would have to be extended to well over a week.... ;-)

Seriously, it would make a huge difference indeed, and a whole new organizational set with different assignments would become necessary...