I don't think quitting alcohol is superstitious. Alcohol can damage brain cells, cause neuroinflammation and dehydrate, amongst other things, all of which could take off an edge, which in certain cases could be the razor edge between victory or loss. I think that's a sensible thing to do personally.
Recently I saw a Euwe's reply from a 1978 interview about the 1935 match and drinking: "I don't think he was drinking more than he usually did ... actually, Alechin's walk was not steady because he did not see well but did not like to wear glasses, so many people thought that he was drunk because of the way he walked."
On one hand it contradicts the thesis that Alechin was drinking heavily, on the other, it indicates that at that time, he indeed used to be drinking when playing chess.
It's so interesting.
@patriots_12 said in #10:
> honestly its not that bad buddy
It's awful. Just look at it. You can only use art this bad if you don't care at all about the quality of art. There's no care or feeling or attention to detail in it, because it was thrown together by an unknowing robot. It doesn't mean anything. Look at the chessboard. We are chess players, but somehow even we don't care that the chess pieces don't resemble actual chess pieces and their placement on the board makes no sense. And the man is playing chess against a large black knight. And for some reason there is a dart board floating in the image, and all the numbers on it are messed up and grotesque. There's two sets of numbers on the dartboard. That doesn't make any sense. The light from the lamp comes out behind the lamp. That doesn't make any sense either. It's all meaningless and carelessly thrown together, and somehow we care so little about art that we accept it. It amazes me.
Water on the left, two pens on the right
Giving up drinking, as Alekhine did, appears to have been a wise health decision in his case, not superstition.
To add to this blog: Some "superstitions" are actually working. (obviously) Not in the way that they add luck or skill, but performing a ritual before a game actually helps getting you in the right mindset.
For example: if you have been putting on the same bracelet before each match, after a while your brain recognizes the habit of putting on the bracelet and will be matching it with "focus". Because, everytime you put on the bracelet, it is time to focus.
After a while you create some kind of Pavlov effect that putting on the bracelet automatically gives you focus. Also forgetting it can throw you off balance. Eventhough it has nothing to do with the bracelet itself, it can help you to get in the right mindset.
@BenLloydChess said in #14:
> It's awful. Just look at it. You can only use art this bad if you don't care at all about the quality of art. There's no care or feeling or attention to detail in it, because it was thrown together by an unknowing robot. It doesn't mean anything. Look at the chessboard. We are chess players, but somehow even we don't care that the chess pieces don't resemble actual chess pieces and their placement on the board makes no sense. And the man is playing chess against a large black knight. And for some reason there is a dart board floating in the image, and all the numbers on it are messed up and grotesque. There's two sets of numbers on the dartboard. That doesn't make any sense. The light from the lamp comes out behind the lamp. That doesn't make any sense either. It's all meaningless and carelessly thrown together, and somehow we care so little about art that we accept it. It amazes me.
I agree.
I think Lichess should do better moderation about AI-generated images, because it's becoming more and more annoying, both qualitatively and quantitatively. bloggers certainly save time rather than having to search for human-made photos or drawings, but I don't know if anyone realizes how bad that can make it look. why not put a photo of the bracelet in question in the blog? or an archive photo of Alekhine?
I'm not judging the content, but the ever-increasing arrival of AI in cover images.
there should be certification or mention of content made by AI or simply discourage the use of images created by artificial intelligence
@BenLloydChess said in #14:
> It's awful. Just look at it. You can only use art this bad if you don't care at all about the quality of art. There's no care or feeling or attention to detail in it, because it was thrown together by an unknowing robot. It doesn't mean anything. Look at the chessboard. We are chess players, but somehow even we don't care that the chess pieces don't resemble actual chess pieces and their placement on the board makes no sense. And the man is playing chess against a large black knight. And for some reason there is a dart board floating in the image, and all the numbers on it are messed up and grotesque. There's two sets of numbers on the dartboard. That doesn't make any sense. The light from the lamp comes out behind the lamp. That doesn't make any sense either. It's all meaningless and carelessly thrown together, and somehow we care so little about art that we accept it. It amazes me.
well its ok. maybe its the man's imagination. idk
dude only one guy look his opponent in the eyes while shaking hand :S