User loginNavigation |
MacKinnon and Gluckie at The OpenFans of Keith MacKinnon and Jamin Gluckie (and we all know who you are) will be delighted to know that most of their games at the currently-in-progress Canadian Open have been broadcast LIVE at the MonRoi web site (http://monroi.com/watch/?tnm_id=1406, free registration required). So, fire up that web browser, pop a nice big bowl of popcorn, relax, and watch the carnage! 
|
Active forum topics |
||||||||||
This sounds like a good
This sounds like a good topic for an HCI (Human Computer Interaction) paper. As much as people like to moan how primitive pencil and paper are, there isn't a perfect electronic replacement yet. Can you elaborate why you find the devices distracting?
Before giving reasons as to
Before giving reasons as to why I prefer to not use a Monroi in tournament play, I'd like to clarify that the "empirical proof" I provided before was meant as a joke. Of course the fact that I lost to Friedel and Martchenko (and also Ashton) has more to do with the strength of my opponent than the fact that they were using a Monroi. In general I do not find it distracting when my opponent uses a Monroi, only when I use one instead of the regular pen and paper.
Part of the reason why I find the Monroi distracting is because I have to shift my focus away from the board in order to record the moves. This is not the case with a pen/paper where I can scribble something without much thought. The solution is probably just to use the Monroi more often to become more used to it, but at this point I'd rather not do that.
The other reason I find Monroi's distracting has little to do with the PCM's design and everything to do with my psyche during a game. For example, at last year's Canadian Open I used my Monroi in every game, and in almost every game I had a completely losing position, often against much lower rated opponents. In the back of my mind I couldn't help but think, "Not only am I playing terribly, but everyone is watching my terrible play".
Performance Anxiety
I wondered how broadcasting yourself digitally compared to having a crowd of real people standing around you - fascinating. As for the focus shifting, that is a common problem with gadgets, as you have to be more precise than when dealing with paper.
For the latter problem, I think with me the MonRoi would have the opposite effect. During some games, I would notice something wrong with my score sheet and feel obligated to correct it during the game. "Darn, I missed White's move ten moves back and now I'm recording White moves in the Black column and vice versa." Perhaps an electronic gadget would help with that.
Monroi's are cool
but they do seem like they could be distracting in such a big tournament setting. It may help for me because it'll get me to go a little bit slower, but I don't know if that's so for good players like Keith and Jamin.
Also, Jamin, because you're not at your home obviously, Nigel Reynoldson has sent his registration in the mail for the BATB.
Monroi - Neutral
I am neutral on the subject of using the Monroi PCM. It's a cool device. When they give me one to use, I'll use it, but I don't ask for one.
Monroi PCM
I deliberately left my Monroi PCM at home for this tournament because I had a feeling it was negatively affecting my play. I have used a Monroi at Canadian Opens in Montreal in 2008 and Edmonton in 2009 and in both tournaments I had disastrous results. Here in Toronto, I've lost all of my games where a Monroi was used by my opponent (GM Friedel, Martchenko), and won where no Monroi was used (Davy, IM Day, Karmalkar).
Incidentally, there are many other players who refuse to use Monroi devices, such as Jack Yoos, because they feel it is distracting. Maybe I'm onto something here, or maybe I'm just superstitious.