Is abstract knowledge incompatible with literal memorization?

Yahoo Mental calculation and Abstract chess group?

• Hello. I'm curious how many people here would be interested in this type of group? I work in retail, but part of what keeps my brain alive is it's fascination with numbers. I've devised my own mental methods for getting exact prices (more exact then the register shows) with the various discounts the stores have to offer, usually1 or 2 digit percentages. For example, shoes cost $69.95 and with 15% off they are now $59.4575. Your final sale purchase is $276.76 and is now $207.57 (207,570 normal arithmetic) after 25%. all of this can be done mentally and is quite fun, and I'm sure kids would like it. With normal arithmetic I've developed my own way to compute a 6X6 multiplication problem, which can be either a number in the ten or hundred billions. I've also developed a method for Truman Henry Sanford's calculation of 365,365,365,365,365,365 (you wan wiki the 36 digit answer) squared. I mentally did 475,475,475,475,475,475 squared which gave 226,076,927,778,629,479,879,028,177,326,… Getting this answer is actually very very simple. I say abstract chess meaning playing entirely in your mind. While blindfold chess is a test of visual memory and seen as a sideshow, I see abstract chess as using logic and reason only to play with precision and beauty, and throwing, memorization regurgitation, and repetition in the trash (the stuff, IMO, which ruins this game by limiting people scope based on silly points that try to limit a limitless game like chess:)) It would be cool to bounce these ideas off of others and be an environment where various thinkers can share and give knowledge. So is this the right place to create this group, or not? Is there already a group like this? thanks:)

• Answer:

  I've created the Abstract chess group. If anyone is interested, you're welcome to join.