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Subject: Re: alpha-beta is silly?

Author: Komputer Korner

Date: 10:01:19 06/04/98

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On June 03, 1998 at 14:09:19, Thorsten Czub wrote:

>On June 02, 1998 at 05:37:40, Don Dailey wrote:
>
>>Hi Innman,
>>
>>I did not look at the position yet, but I know that Alpha/beta will
>>not throw out a good move.
>
>
>Isn't exactly this the problem ?
>I mean the problem for programs to understand the sense of a NOT-best
>move ?
>How will they understand the plan of the opponent SOON enough if they
>don't follow them ?

Alpha beta has nothing to do with plans nor strategies nor sacrifices
....etc.
It simply allows you to stop searching a subtree when you know that one
of the opponent's replies will knock you out anyway. You don't invade
Russia if you know that you will lose the war because of a certain
Russian defence called "Winter". You will not waste your time thinking
up attack strategies against other Russian defences when "Winter" will
kill you anyway. That is all Alpha beta is. Nothing more. If you want to
follow 2nd best  move candidate strategies, alpha beta will save you
time even here in not having to search certain subtrees. So alpha beta
is an objective mathematical device not a subjective one. It is such a
simple concept that it should be called an arithmetical rule. Calling it
mathematical makes it seem too important.



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