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Subject: Re: MODERATION

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 13:31:27 07/20/02

Go up one level in this thread


On July 20, 2002 at 16:13:39, Christophe Theron wrote:

>On July 20, 2002 at 15:53:15, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On July 20, 2002 at 15:37:00, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>
>>>On July 19, 2002 at 23:12:28, Ricardo Gibert wrote:
>>>
>>>>On July 19, 2002 at 23:08:16, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On July 19, 2002 at 22:15:31, Ricardo Gibert wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On July 19, 2002 at 21:43:40, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On July 19, 2002 at 15:50:44, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On July 19, 2002 at 15:25:48, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2002 at 12:14:10, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>On July 18, 2002 at 05:58:56, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>On July 17, 2002 at 13:18:40, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 16, 2002 at 11:01:23, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 15, 2002 at 13:11:09, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On July 15, 2002 at 08:37:34, Omid David wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I don't think using double null-move is a good idea in practice, since in
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>midgame the chance of zugzwang is negligible and thus it's superfluous (I doubt
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>if even DIEP uses it). However the contribution of double null-move is that it
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>gives legitimacy to the null-move pruning idea, proving that it _is_ a correct
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>search method (anyway, no one doubts null-move nowadays).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Why does double null move prove that null move is a correct search method????
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Doing two null moves in a row means going back to standard search (a search not
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>involving an illegal move like null move is).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I fail to see how it legitimates null move.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Double nullmove legitimates (duh can't you use easier to spell words)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>itself, for the obvious reason that it is provable now that a search
>>>>>>>>>>>>>depth of n ply, where i may pick n, is going to solve any problem you
>>>>>>>>>>>>>give it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>OK, I see now.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>However, it is not true.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>Due to a nasty interaction with the hash table algorithms, just allowing 2 null
>>>>>>>>>>>>moves in a row will NOT solve any problem.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>What you refer to is a practical impossibility (assuming you have
>>>>>>>>>>>a efficient search) :
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  your assumption is that from a root position r
>>>>>>>>>>>  with transition of some moves to position p, side stm to move and
>>>>>>>>>>>  depthleft=d:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  r ==> p(stm,d)
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  that you visit this position with properties that
>>>>>>>>>>>  before this move you have made 1 nullmove or less.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  so ==> r , nullmove , p
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>  Now a major problem for such an event to occur is that
>>>>>>>>>>>  after 1 nullmove, sides change the side to move.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Why is this a problem?  IE in my case, position P reached thru a path
>>>>>>>>>>with a null-move and position P reached thru a path without null-move
>>>>>>>>>>are _unique_ positions...
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>If so, your programs loses a lot of opportunities to prune because it detects
>>>>>>>>>less transpositions. But maybe it avoids some problems and is benefical in the
>>>>>>>>>end, I do not know.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>How much do programs earn by pruning based on hash tables?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Today I do not use hash tables to prune the tree.
>>>>>>>>I am interested to know how much rating programs earn from
>>>>>>>>using hash tables to prune the tree.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>1)Did someone do the experiment of comparing the rating of
>>>>>>>>a chess program when hash tables are used only for things like order
>>>>>>>>of moves and the rating of the same program when hash tables are used also for
>>>>>>>>also to prune the tree.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>2)How much speed improvement do programs get in middle game
>>>>>>>>from pruning based on hash tables?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Uri
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Try position fine 70 with and without.  Without you might get to depth 15
>>>>>>>or so.  With it you can reach depth 40.  A _significant_ gain...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>You're trying to drive Uri crazy aren't you?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Did you really think Uri could not think of an example of a position where
>>>>>>having hash tables makes a significant difference?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Do you really think being able to search a position like Fine 70 to a depth of
>>>>>>40 instead of 15 will make a difference in a programs playing strength?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Don't you realize people are liable to react to such a reply as yours above as a
>>>>>>troll?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Please try to be a bit more thoughtful.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>There was _no_ troll involved.  Point by point.
>>>>>
>>>>>fine 70 _is_ an important hash test. It represents a near-best-case for
>>>>>hashing.  Which is the best you can do.  It increases the search depth by
>>>>>at least a factor of 3x in terms of plies searched.
>>>>>
>>>>>Will that help the program?  Clearly in king and pawn endings I see 20+ ply
>>>>>searches _all_ the time.  And _that_ definitely helps for those positions where
>>>>>K+P endings are reached.
>>>>>
>>>>>But if you want to take a middlegame position, hashing is worth at least a
>>>>>factor of 2x based on tests I have run in the past.  I can always run them
>>>>>again.
>>>>>
>>>>>So to summarize, fine 70 was and is legitimate.  It _clearly_ shows that
>>>>>hashing makes a significant difference.  I hardly see why _your_ post wouldn't
>>>>>be considered a "troll" in fact.  As it attacks a legitimate point in a
>>>>>utterly simplistic and wrong context...
>>>>>
>>>>>Perhaps you should follow your own advice and try to be more thoughtful.
>>>>>_prior_ to posting???
>>>>
>>>>I did. You didn't...again.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Bob's post (the one you originally responded to) was perfectly fine. He just
>>>gave a meaningful information.
>>>
>>>Your posts are really borderline. I really fail to see what is the problem with
>>>Bob's post.
>>>
>>>Please don't start a war here. There is really no point.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>    Christophe
>>
>>I asked simple questions.
>>
>>I got a response but not to the questions that I asked.
>>
>>I asked:
>>1)How much speed do you earn from using hash table
>>to prune the tree in the middle game relative
>>to using hash tables but not using them to
>>prune the tree(not how much speed
>>I can get from hash tables in the middle game).
>>
>>2)How much rating can I expect from using
>>the hash tables to prune the tree.
>>
>>The response that I got are:
>>
>>1)Using hash tables to prune the tree is very important
>>in some endgames.
>>
>>2)Using hash tables help to get factor of more than 2
>>in the middle game.
>>
>>Nothing of these responses answered my questions.
>>
>>I have no problem with not getting a reply
>>because people may not know the right reply to
>>my questions but I prefer to
>>get replies to the questions that I ask and not to the
>>questions that I did not ask.
>>
>>The fact that I got from Robert hyatt only
>>informationa that I did not ask is the reason that
>>Ricardo Gibert said that Hyatt did not follow the thread.
>>
>>Uri
>
>
>
>I think Bob gave you the information he has, and I see no reason to blame him
>for doing so.
>
>In any case if you want my opinion on your questions, using the hash table to
>prune is definitely a gain, even if it is very small (maybe it's 10%, and I
>consider this to be a HUGE gain, but my point of view might differ from yours),
>and so my opinion is that any serious program should do it.
>
>Maybe you want to do it later, when other more important things have been added
>to your program, but you will eventually have to do it if you want your program
>to be as strong as possible.
>
>I would advice to do it right now, because it is very easy to do. So why wait?
>
>
>
>    Christophe

I have reasons not to do it.

My evaluation is not only a function of
the leaf position (the difference today
is very small but I may do it bigger in the future)

Uri



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