Author: Enrique Irazoqui
Date: 08:22:28 05/04/98
Go up one level in this thread
On May 04, 1998 at 08:12:23, Jouni Uski wrote: >From different SSDF posts I get the feeling, that probably SSDF will >stop their ratinglist service soon! And persons like Ossi Weiner and Ed >Schröder are speeding up this by their childish attacks against SSDF! >Additionally also some SSDF person have lost their computer chess >interest (I am myself as interested as 15 years ago!). >Let's hope that SSDF still manages at least two additional years! And >they need our all support... If it is true that some new programs will not be available to the SSDF with auto232 capabilities, then the SSDF list will be in deep trouble. Without Genius, Rebel, Nimzo and Shredder, it won't be very meaningful. It all started February 22nd, when Fritz 5 became first with a 55 points lead over the second. Ever since, we heard: 1 - The non available autoplayer Fritz 5 cheated, and that's why manual and autoplayed results were claimed to be different. Some demanded that autoplayed games would not be counted for rating purposes. 2 - The engine in the autoplayer version of Fritz 5 is not the same as the commercially available. 3 - The autoplayer Fritz 5 works only with the Powerbook and on machines with at least 64MB ram. Other programs have no requirements of this kind, and therefore testing conditions are unfair. 4 - The fact that ChessBase can tune their engines and books against the opposition without allowing the other programmers to do the same, gives ChessBase an obvious advantage. As a consequence, some programmers will refuse to deliver auto232 versions of their new programs to the SSDF. It has been proven by Ed Schröder that the autoplayer in Fritz 5 is clean. By replaying the games posted by Tony Hedlund it is easy to verify that the engine tested by the SSDF is identical to the commercial Fritz 5. From all the people that claimed otherwise and accused ChessBase of cheating and the SSDF of going along with it, I would have expected an honest apology as public and enthusiastic as their prior and false accusations. It never happened and I very much doubt it will. In fact, they still demand that games autoplayed by Fritz 5 are not counted. As for point 3), it is the first time a program has this kind of requirements. I find them quite sensible and I think other programmers should also make sure their programs are not tested on substandard hardware. Right now, this gives some advantage to Frizt 5, but in my opinion the way to go is not shooting CB from making sure their program is properly tested. Point 4) is, I think, the troublemaker, the only real one. I see two ways to solve it: a - ChessBase releases the autoplayer Fritz 5. b - Other programmers follow the example and release auto232 versions only for the SSDF. I think a) is a much better option because not only solves the problem, but it allows all of us to autoplay all programs. Nevertheless, once manufacturers made a point it seems metaphysically impossible for them to modify it. I don't know if this is a reflection of the secretive, pathologically untrusting ways of the chess computer world, but one thing is for sure: the SSDF may very well end up being the victim of all this. Meanwhile, everybody seems to wait for everybody else's move. Wait, do nothing and let the SSDF go into deep trouble. Enrique
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