zodiac can influence play *great article^

Yes, Joyce did write the article as is shown on the site..  Mr Silman does have it on his site, so if you are trying to discredit the article I would suggest playing mr silman, or discussing the absurdty he has posted on his site.  he is a fairly, lol , intelligent human i presume.   Todd     knowledge is power, refusal to learn is preparation for demise.

A lot of people don't believe in Astrology, and for the most part, the idea that the planets themselves can exert a force over such great distances is mostly baseless in the realm of science.  However, even as an Astronomer, I can totally appreciate Astrology's contributions to history and human behavior as a Social Science.  The ancients were acutely aware of the cycles of the heavens and the changing seasons, in order to plant crops successfully and organize their commerce through the use of calendars.

Crackpot idea?  Not really.

easy now trysts. for someone who doesn't believe you sure are getting a head of steam.  just because some people in this world go only by what science can prove(>>?) is no reason to discredit what others Feel and Believe. After all the world is flat and we came from monkeys right? lol

bye the way,  basic point is this,  i don't neccesarily believe in astrology as being anything close to a set in stone plan for our lives.   However alot of people do at least occaisionally read and flirt with the idea of relating to others b ased on many different criteria. This breakdown of how people that "believe" in astrology may tend to act, can be a weighted factor into how someone might choose to play. that is knowledge, and enlightening that a world class player would choose to at least consider others beliefs when choosing how to dismantle them.   amen

I might note that whether or not astrology can be said to be objectively true is beside the point.  If someone finds it appealing this belief may likely effect their style of play, their confidence otb, and their approach to chess in general.  This in turn would likely have some influence on their chess skills, maybe for the worse, but quite possibly for the better.  It's psychology -- identifying as a certain type of player, whether that type is 'positional', 'aggressive', 'calculating', 'like Tal' (if we give ourselves far too much credit), or 'as a Leo' can give someone a prototype to relate to, which can help structure their playing style, study, emotional relationship with chess, etc.  If a person identifies with a certain conceptual construction the objective validity of that construction does not enter into the equation: the psychology will be the same regardless of the objective truth of the matter.  It's about how a player understands him or herself, because it is how one understands oneself that will have a real effect on one's playing.  This is not to say that some methods of understanding might be more effective than others, but simply because I may not identify with being a Leo player -- and although I put no stock in it I do like how it meshes with my own understanding of my playing style -- does not mean that it cannot be in anyway useful for other players to think of themselves in that way, especially if this makes them a pychologically stronger player helps them focus on certain areas of improvement.

that's why i hold a lot of stock in my giant flying purple elephant. without him i'd suck even more at chess.

I might note that whether or not astrology can be said to be objectively true is beside the point.  If someone finds it appealing this belief may likely effect their style of play, their confidence otb, and their approach to chess in general.  This in turn would likely have some influence on their chess skills, maybe for the worse, but quite possibly for the better.  It's psychology -- identifying as a certain type of player, whether that type is 'positional', 'aggressive', 'calculating', 'like Tal' (if we give ourselves far too much credit), or 'as a Leo' can give someone a prototype to relate to, which can help structure their playing style, study, emotional relationship with chess, etc.  If a person identifies with a certain conceptual construction the objective validity of that construction does not enter into the equation: the psychology will be the same regardless of the objective truth of the matter.  It's about how a player understands him or herself, because it is how one understands oneself that will have a real effect on one's playing.  This is not to say that some methods of understanding might be more effective than others, but simply because I may not identify with being a Leo player -- and although I put no stock in it I do like how it meshes with my own understanding of my playing style -- does not mean that it cannot be in anyway useful for other players to think of themselves in that way, especially if this makes them a pychologically stronger or player helps them focus on certain areas of improvement.

A lot of people don't believe in Astrology, and for the most part, the idea that the planets themselves can exert a force over such great distances is mostly baseless in the realm of science.  However, even as an Astronomer, I can totally appreciate Astrology's contributions to history and human behavior as a Social Science.  The ancients were acutely aware of the cycles of the heavens and the changing seasons, in order to plant crops successfully and organize their commerce through the use of calendars.

Crackpot idea?  Not really.

Bobby F. Pisces
Gary K. Aries
Anatoly K. Gemini
Capa. Scorpio
Alekhine. Scorpio
Lasker. Capricorn
Anand. Sagittarius
Topalov. Pisces

Yes the planets gravity does affect you but not quite as much as the delivery room doctor. So shouldn't the astrologers account for whether the doctor is on the left, right or center of your mother when you're born? When you're born is when they care about, isn't it? It seems to me that a more important time for gravitational influences would be at the point of conception but you never hear them talking about that.