[pcthrowaway]

> their advantage over normal human beings is very small when positions are completely randomized.

The book you referenced does not say they're comparable to normal players at playing from a random position.

Normal players are almost as good as them at recalling a nonsensical board of random pieces.

The suggestion that the advantage of a chess master over a normal player is "very small" at playing from a random position is laughable.

[epolanski]

I obviously meant it as a delta over the recognizable lines.

[pegasus]

That wasn't obvious at all. I interpreted it as the chess masters lacking an advantage at playing from randomized position, which would be consistent with the claim you were supporting, as opposed to recalling which is neither here nor there.