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As an avid tournament chess player (USCF expert) for the last 30 years, I can say a few things with a degree of authority....While I am in the top 1% of active players rating-wise, the difference between me and top level Grandmasters is absurd. They have an incredible feel for what is right in a given position. I was good friends with GM Igor Ivanov before he passed - I once asked him how many moves ahead he calculates. He responded "Only one - but its the right one"..... Igor was the most brilliant human being I have ever known personally, he was also an incredible drunk. I witnessed him drink an entire fifth of Gin in a 2 hour span, and then demolish the reigning Arizona state champion in a traditional 40/2hr game. Afterwards we went back to my house, where he drank 2 bottles of Red wine while beating me 26 games in a row at blitz. I was able to eke out a draw in the 27th game.... What this tells me is the instincts of the top human players in the world are so perfectly honed, they do not need a functioning cortex to play chess at high level.....Enjoyed your column very much!!

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Thank you for sharing, that's a great anecdote (:

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