Re: Melee Events

[kuijt@umiacs.UMD.EDU]

Corun asks about Live Chess.

Live chess (combatants being pieces) turns out to be a fine show, and
a bloody poor game.  The spectators sort of like it, although they
really don't get a good view.  For the combatants it is boring,
tiring, and lots of other bad things.  Why?

In any chess game, there are a lot of the pieces that NEVER MOVE.
NEVER.  Unless the game is very long.  How would you like to be one
of the 16 pawns?  Half the pieces are pawns, and only 4-6 of them
are important, and most of the rest never get to make a capture,
or in some cases even a move.  Similarly for rooks.

Strategy in live chess has nothing to do with chess.  You put your
best fighters as your Queen, Knights, and Bishops, and get them out
there as fast as possible, and try to make captures as much as possible.
"protection" (in the sense of being backed up by another piece) is
irrelevant.  

The result is that the good fighters who are chosen to be offensive
pieces get a lot of fighting, and 24+ other people get to stand around
in their armour for a long time.  At least in a 64 person double-elim
list you can sit in the shade and take some of your armour off, and
you are assured that EVENTUALLY you will get to fight.  In a typical
live chess match 16-20 pieces never get to fight or move, and most of
the rest get one fight.

That is my experience, based upon participating in several of them
at Tower Tourneys.

Dafydd