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Subject: A Bigger Chess Game - Would It Help Humans Or Computers?

Author: Graham Laight

Date: 09:51:34 02/22/01


Here's the current chess game:

 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|BR|BN|BB|BQ|BK|BB|BN|BR|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|WR|WN|WB|WQ|WK|WB|WN|WR|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Now, suppose we make the game bigger, by doubling the pieces, as follows:

 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|BR|BR|BN|BN|BB|BB|BQ|BQ|BK|BB|BB|BN|BN|BR|BR|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|BP|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|WP|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
|BR|BR|BN|BN|BB|BB|BQ|BQ|BK|BB|BB|BN|BN|BR|BR|
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

As you can see, I've also increased the size of the board to 15x15. There's
nothing special about the way I've increased the size - it's just an example.

The question is - who would this help more?

For the computers, this would be devastating. It would massively increase the
number of possible move choices at every ply for the entire game. It would kill
their ability to look a long way ahead.

On the other hand, it would quickly increase the tactical possibilites, and make
it much more difficult for humans to avoid making short term errors.

My judgement is that chess modified this way would lower the playing standards
of the computers far more dramatically than it would the humans, and thus allow
us to start beating them easily again.

-g



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