Author: Robert Raese
Date: 15:33:39 05/13/01
Go up one level in this thread
On May 12, 2001 at 15:00:19, Mogens Larsen wrote: >On May 11, 2001 at 20:20:38, Edward Seid wrote: > >>I'm new to the Rebel brotherhood. My purpose in getting Rebel was to operate >>a playing engine on the various chess servers, FICS and USCL for now, and to >>play rated games against strong humans (2000+) only. >> >>I'm not even 2 full days on the servers but have found myself captivated by >>the trials of HiddenDragon, my Chess Tiger 14.0 anti-human engine. >> >>Given the rating requirement of HiddenDragon's formula, games aren't as >>frequent as other computers with more lenient requirements. So whenever I >>hear the sound of moves being made and pieces captured, I find myself >>rushing to the computer, glued to the monitor, cheering my hero on. (The >>scenes from 'Gladiator' come to mind, when the crowd chants in a forboding >>unison... 'Maximus, Maximus, Maximus...') Even in the middle of night when I >>wake to visit the bathroom, if I hear the sounds of battle, I go to the >>computer half-asleep to give my support, as if it mattered. >> >>As the operator, I had a silent agenda... to see how long HiddenDragon could >>remain undefeated. I dislike draws too, but this is high-level chess and to >>expect only victories would be too much. So I looked forward to a long >>non-losing streak. >> >>Like any parent wanting the best for his child, I spent 2 days downloading >>the complete 3/4/5-man endgame tablebases from Robert Hyatt's FTP. And also >>like a parent, I'm concerned whenever my child goes out into the real world. >>Is the CPU fast enough and running cool? Is Windows 2000 a stable, >>crash-resistant platform? Should I shut down all tasks to free up resources? >>How will he play this game? Will his opponent treat him with respect or will >>he let the last 10 minutes expire without moving? >> >>Every parent envisions great things in a child's future. How long will his >>undefeated streak be... 100? 500? 1000? Or could HiddenDragon be so strong >>and talented, so cunning, a virtuso of the chessboard as to go undefeated >>forever, allowing an occasional draw as a sign of respect for the human >>race, his creators? >> >>And so this went on for the major part of 2 days. After a dozen or so games, >>most rated against strong humans but some unrated against other computers, >>HiddenDragon didn't lose. But I had reason for concern. He allowed 3 draws. >>One was against a human barely over the 2000 threshold. And another was by >>repetition in an ending that I thought was worse for HiddenDragon. Maybe a >>stronger opponent could have taken my prodigy, my hero to the mat. Could >>that be possible?? Or was HiddenDragon just tickling the fantasy of his >>human opponent, filling him with thoughts of victory but knowing the truth >>of the position... it is a draw. >> >>I lived a wonderful life for nearly 2 days... until this morning. That's >>when reality caught up with me in the form of a 2220 human playing 15 15 >>standard. I didn't train HiddenDragon to be a chicken and he's not a >>quitter. Really, he isn't... there's no option to resign or accept/offer >>draws automatically :) He tried his best but finally succumbed to mate after >>80+ moves. >> >>Emotions filled me. Disappointment, sympathy, anger, vengeance. Had I >>expected too much? Am I partly to blame? What could I have done better... an >>overclocked CPU? DDR RAM instead of SDRAM? did I rush him into competition >>without proper preparation? should I have waited for a better opening book? >> >>As I've had the morning to ponder this and I sit typing this in the early >>afternoon, I've come to accept reality. I did the best that I could and so >>did HiddenDragon. I can reflect upon these past days and smile. There were >>tense moments when the evaluation turned to -1.00 and I'd pull at the >>remaining hair of my already balding head. There were exciting moments like >>forcing simplifications in order to have mate in 26 (thank goodness for >>endgame tablebases). And there was a great display of exact play in a Q vs >>Q+P ending where HiddenDragon played the weaker side perfectly, saving the >>draw (another thanks to the tablebases). And I haven't even mentioned the >>complex tactical resources HiddenDragon found during the games. >> >>There's a saying that states "the journey is the destination". With the >>anticipated release of the AMD Palamino CPU, sneak previews of >>dual-processor motherboards to support the new chip, and DDR RAM becoming as >>mainstream as SDRAM, my journey with HiddenDragon is just beginning and I >>look forward to more adventures with my new companion. > >Thank you for explaining the inner workings of a computer chess program >operator. I must admit that I don't understand why anyone would do that on a >regular basis unless you're the actual author. Spending time and money, worrying >about every single loss. But you paid the cash for the program and the usage is >entirely up to you, so good luck with your Tiger account. > >Mogens. i'll tell you some other reasons why: 1. victory is victory... whether you are winning a game yourself, or your favorite soccer team is winning... victory is fun, period. and the more you invest yourself in that pursuit of victory, the more fun it is, and the downside, defeat, means more too. this is one of the reasons gambling, for example, is so popular despite the fact that most people are lousy at it and lose money... it makes the game so much more important... you are invested in the outcome... we "identify" with our machines, because it's more fun that way... than just watching "some program" beat "some other program". we cook up opening books that will stump our opponants, we do all we can to help our computer win... it's more fun that way. 2. many of us realized long ago that we would never win the world championship of chess, let alone ever make it to grandmaster or even master status... but we respect those players who can rise to that level... human OR computer... so some of us can experience what it's like to beat a real grandmaster in realtime, without sacrificing years of our life to that goal... instead, we watch "our boy" beat the grandmaster, and we identify with that victory... do you see? not everyone is like this, but i have found myself thinking, as i watched tiger crush a human grandmaster in blitz... "that's right, now you hesitate long... we are about to show you checkmate in 15 now you see it too late..." WE! lol that feeling of power is undeniable, and odd, to say the least... but understandable i think. 3. another reason is the community... we operators "run our machines" against each other like dragsters, or street rods... and in the meantime, we may talk shop... "are you using deep fritz today?" "yes... changes to your opening book? i see you finally beating up on X..." "true, changes there, but none against your tiger book..." "well, i have 128 MB new DDR RAM..." "let's go... 30 games, 5 3, autoplay..." "excellent..." ... this leads in some cases to more personal relationships... "where are you from? how old are you?" etc... i've made some interesting friends on the chess server from other parts of the world... "running your machine" can be a way of bonding, making friends. there are other reasons, but i'll just mention this last one as a personal insight on the "power" of chess... when i suffered a difficult divorce 10 years ago, chess was the only thing that could help me keep my "inner balance"... i had no friends to turn to, i had to face alot of hard truths about myself and about my marriage, sometimes it was too much to bear. instinctively i spent every free moment, long hours, absorbed in the logical, solvable problems of the chessboard, rather than the crazy, unsolvable problems of my life... and it helped me manage the crisis, "internally" so to speak, until my heart was in the right place again. troubled times come and go, now is a troubled time for me again... nothing life or death, but a very hard time... when i have too many things on my mind and almost none of them are in my control... "running my machine" at ICC is a fun and absorbing escape... no apologies! it's all good! AND, i am learning more about computers and chess than i ever have in my life... :)
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