Ashley’s Secret: “Aikido Chess”

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[AikiWeb System]

Posted 2010-10-20 16:18:46 by Jun Akiyama
News URL: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6748

Here's an article entitled, Ashley's Secret: "Aikido Chess" (http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6748) on chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley who is applying his interpretation of aikido principles within his chess playing. Ashley started training in aikido in 1998.

From the article: "Like with Aikido, you are using your opponent’s movement/energy against him. "Okay, he pushed a pawn... now the two old squares it was guarding are no longer guarded... how can I use this to my advantage?" or "His bishop came off of the a2 - g8 diagonal and now his knight is no longer defended. How can I exploit this?"

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[mathewjgano]

Posted 2010-10-20 16:18:46 by Jun Akiyama
News URL: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6748

Here's an article entitled, Ashley's Secret: "Aikido Chess" (http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6748) on chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley who is applying his interpretation of aikido principles within his chess playing. Ashley started training in aikido in 1998.

From the article: "Like with Aikido, you are using your opponent's movement/energy against him. "Okay, he pushed a pawn... now the two old squares it was guarding are no longer guarded... how can I use this to my advantage?" or "His bishop came off of the a2 - g8 diagonal and now his knight is no longer defended. How can I exploit this?"

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I dig it! I do something similar in my laughable games of chess. Lately I've been working on the idea of leading my opponant to where I want him or her to move (gambits). Chess reinforced a lot of important lessons for me; it's a good way to practice tracking multiple things at once, both for your own structure(s) and for that of your "partner."
p.s. And while I'm thinking about it, anyone interested in a game can contact me via facebook: they have a good chess application I play all the time.

[guest1234567]

Posted 2010-10-20 16:18:46 by Jun Akiyama
News URL: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6748

Here's an article entitled, Ashley's Secret: "Aikido Chess" (http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6748) on chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley who is applying his interpretation of aikido principles within his chess playing. Ashley started training in aikido in 1998.

From the article: "Like with Aikido, you are using your opponent's movement/energy against him. "Okay, he pushed a pawn... now the two old squares it was guarding are no longer guarded... how can I use this to my advantage?" or "His bishop came off of the a2 - g8 diagonal and now his knight is no longer defended. How can I exploit this?"

___________________
~~~ To submit a news item to AikiWeb's front page, click here (http://www.aikiweb.com/news/submit.html). ~~~

It sounds interesting, there are so many things in daily life where you can use aikido principles

[niall]

There was another book a few years ago called Samurai Chess: Mastering Strategic Thinking through the Martial Art of the Mind by Michael J Gelb and Raymond Keene.

As a chess book it was quite superficial but the seven samurai(!?) principles in it were cool:

1. Take the Initiative: Attack
2. Follow Through: Go for the Knockout
3. Impenetrable Defense: No Openings
4. Timing: Control the Tempo
5. Distance: Control the Position
6. Master Surprise and Deception
7. Yield to Win: The Art of Sacrifice

[guest1234567]

There was another book a few years ago called Samurai Chess: Mastering Strategic Thinking through the Martial Art of the Mind by Michael J Gelb and Raymond Keene.

As a chess book it was quite superficial but the seven samurai(!?) principles in it were cool:

1. Take the Initiative: Attack
2. Follow Through: Go for the Knockout
3. Impenetrable Defense: No Openings
4. Timing: Control the Tempo
5. Distance: Control the Position
6. Master Surprise and Deception
7. Yield to Win: The Art of Sacrifice

Very good:) all of them but the last is the best

[Dan Hover]

Interesting but not sure I actually buy his thesis in application to Aikido. Primarily by seeking to exploit weaknesses in opponent's strategy becomes somewhat anathema to the 'harmonizing" philosophy of Aikido. Also he uses a zero sum gain analogy which isn't altogether appropriate for Aikido. For example his citation of having 1000$ now means he has the chance to lose 1000$. Thereby in a sense restoring some sort of balance but not in the aikido sense. Could I not lose $1000 on my own without having to win or inherit $1000 to begin with. Or merely deposit that same amount in the bank? Or better yet, donate it to charity? I may have achieved some balance but overall I have a net positive, as opposed to a net zero. Make sense?

Secondly in Chess like in any other sport you are seeking a victory over one's opponent. Whereas in Aikido the opponent by and large is yourself, hence the phrase "true victory is self victory" This analogy of chess is more appropriate to BJJ whereas the exploitation of your opponent's move is highly desired and the height of strategy. Much like a "forking attack" in chess, BJJ has the "double attack" of an armbar or choke. Which would be directly analogous to the aformentioned "forking attack".

You do have some similar concepts in Aikido but none so concrete as that in BJJ, not saying that BJJ is thereby better than aikido, merely that the chess analogy fits BJJ better than it does Aikido, for me.

To me the height of Chess strategy is not, what is your best move, but what is the move that is worst for your opponent, the one that would inflcit the most damage to their position on the board, or in jutsu terms would inflict the most damage to their physical structure.