Author: Keith Ian Price
Date: 15:04:13 07/26/02
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Hi-- Since Thorsten seems busy, I'll take a stab at it. If it isn't right he can say where it needs correction, and maybe tell the meaning of Spiegelwelt (mirror world) since it seems like a figure of speech which cannot be directly translated, and the meaning of which I don't know. The article follows: Chris Whittington The retired programmer of Chess System Tal DOS and WINDOWS talks about his life after computer chess: Fishing rods, pearl diving and breakfast--or how I put aside the midlife crisis and did more meaningful things than chess programming and computer chess. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We go to meet the master of the "mirror world" on a visit to England's most fertile region, where the sun shines more often than elsewhere in England. Looking 40 kilometers westward to the shallow hills lying far away, one could actually believe that this is heaven on Earth. Chris lives in an idyllic Anglo-Saxon community, that was established about 800 A.D. There is an old Norman church from around 1100 A.D. and the houses are predominantly wooden with thatch roofs. On a small rise close to a small river, lies Chris' house. It smells of fruits, and bees and all sorts of insects whiz in the air. Here and there one actually sees grapevines. It feels like you are in a small paradise. No factories for far and wide--only farmyards--but everything is small and ecological. We cross over a small bridge, next to which a old bunker stands forgotten in the countryside. You can still see the tank traps of World War II. One is completely worn out by the many animals that Chris keeps. Chris has a badger, a fox (!) and seven sheep. fifteen chickens, a dog, and three cats. The river is full of fish, many rare birds sing various songs nearby at the river. Herons fly across in front of us and woodpeckers hammer in the distance. According to Chris, he has planned a small riverboat, three Alpacas (!) and a tennis court. "Furthermore, my wife would like a swimming pool", he says, and looks to Heaven, with a gesture that says: "Where does this all lead? What comes next?" Two more cats will soon be coming; and two of the chickens will soon hatch eggs, so that soon ten new chickens could arrive. The gardening is a full time job. Everything thrives splendidly, because this area is, as I have already explained, the most fertile area in England. I watch Chris for a long time among his animals and in the garden; and to me, he seems a little like that man from the mountains with his bear. Will he do nothing more with computer chess? He looks like he is annoyed with me: "Computer-chess?!" Rather he digs the spade into the ground and shows us the earthworms and other animals in the pile of turned soil. It seems, the computer chess is far behind him now. In the past. Somewhere before the discovery of this paradise. And our history begins here, but read it for yourself... (End of article, but pictures and a future interview follow)
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