Are the engines and the AI helping chess progress or preventing the average player from developing his own thinking process?
I get upset talking about this topic because I see a generation of tech-addicted people (not only chess players), that relies on instant gratification, assistance in problem solving, in developing opinions and in many other critical aspects of what is supposed to be done by an intelligent being.
In chess, this process is amplified by engines and, recently, the AI. They outdo us by such a wide margin that there is no odds we could be given anymore to hold our ground in a game. This made the engines the lords of chess and the all mighty presence which is asked to resolve the doubts we have. Similarly to the way discussions have been replaced by simply googling stuff, leaving groups of people without the thrill of fighting over an irrelevant topic for eight hours.
In chess, thinking with your own head is critical. Not only to be able to find a good move, but more importantly, to be able to create thinking patterns which you are then going to be able to apply in games.
If you rely on engines to give you ideas, then your studies are going to lack their most important aspect – creativity!
I am of the (subjective) opinion, that engines and AI should not be used except for a post mortem analysis of your own games. And even in that case, only after you have given your best to understand the position and detect and correct the mistakes made yourself.
#chess #AI