How Many Moves Ahead Should One See?

Photo: “Rhino and Zebra Playing Chess”. Illustration from The Eleventh Hour by Graeme Base. (1988)

My uncle could see nine moves ahead in chess. Nine moves. I could never understand how one could predict the future moves of an opponent by sheer chance. A predictable opponent makes predictable moves, yet a wild-card opponent makes unpredictable moves.

When the clock tick-tocks closer to the eleventh hour, I turn my attention to the artists, the curators, the comedians, the writers, the kind-hearted gamers, the crafters, the actors, the art historians, the musicians, the podcasters, the coders, the robotics engineers, and the astronauts to get a glimpse of the situation from their perspective.

My heart pours out to all the webcomic creators at the Duck Webcomics, and I follow quite a few, from the Eurasian continents whose peace of mind completely shifted after the tumultuous current events of last week. I am sending my love and support to you and your families during this difficult time.

So, going back to the posed question: How many moves ahead should one see? As many as it takes to figure out that the answer is “Love”.

“And far above, upon a hill beyond the Tennis Court,
The Rhino and the Zebra sat in silence, deep in thought.
They studied every Rook and Pawn, each King and Queen and Knight,
Then both agreed it looked too hard, and quit without a fight.”
- The Eleventh Hour (1988)


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