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Subject: Re: Never Say "Impossible"

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 15:41:43 05/09/01

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On May 09, 2001 at 13:33:21, Uri Blass wrote:

>
>The rules of chess say that the if a game takes more than 9999 half moves both
>sides can ask for a draw by the 50 move rule.
>
>If you do not assume that both opponents are stupid in your calculation then it
>is clear that one of them will ask for the draw so you can assume for practical
>purpose that it is a draw.


Suppose it is a game, for "winner takes all" where if it is drawn, nobody
gets a cent?  Will you claim the 50-move draw there or will you keep trying
to win the pot of gold?

Then you see why I say that unless someone proves that chess is won for white
or black, which is not going to happen for a few thousand centuries, then I
will keep playing.  Until the end of time if needed, hoping for my opponent to
make a mistake...


>
>I can prove for a bigger constant that there is not.
>The shortest mate is of less than 10^100 plies because every game of 10^100
>plies include repetitions and if there is a mate there is a shorter mate with no
>repetitions.
>
>Uri


That doesn't make the length of all possible games finite however.




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