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Subject: Re: DESPERATE to have everything new already tested for next SSDF rating lis

Author: Bob Durrett

Date: 12:44:34 10/21/02

Go up one level in this thread


On October 21, 2002 at 15:27:36, Peter Berger wrote:

>On October 21, 2002 at 15:16:25, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On October 21, 2002 at 14:36:00, Peter Berger wrote:
>>
>>>On October 21, 2002 at 14:31:46, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>
>>>>On October 21, 2002 at 14:28:23, Peter Berger wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On October 21, 2002 at 12:15:23, Kurt Utzinger wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>a)
>>>>>>since at SSDF they are testing at 120'/40 [many thanks for this great work] but
>>>>>>95% of all users are (only) playing blitz games
>>>>>>
>>>>>An interesting statement. I wonder if it is true that 95% of the users prefer
>>>>>blitz games, wouldn't it be more useful if the SSDF tested the programs at a
>>>>>faster time control? Although it is true that slow time controls improve the
>>>>>quality of the games, it might be a bad idea to test at time controls only a
>>>>>tiny group of people use.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I think that a lot of users are interested in slow time
>>>>control and they may not use computers for comp-comp games.
>>>>
>>>>I believe that the correspondence players are interested in the
>>>>program that is best in slow time control.
>>>>
>>>>They do not use programs for comp-comp tournament but for analyzing
>>>>their games.
>>>>
>>>>Uri
>>>
>>>I agree - but for this group the SSDF results might be of little interest, too,
>>>because they are much too fast.
>>>
>>>Here results in complicated testsuites for long time searches might be much more
>>>interesting.
>>
>>Test suites are not a good substitute for games.
>>
>>I believe that the best estimate that we can get for
>>the ability of programs at long time control is the ssdf list.
>>
>>Uri
>
>Again I agree - but you said that people were interesting in analyzing their
>games or to help them in correspondence games.
>
>If this doesn't mean that they want to let their programs play all the moves (
>which looks a little senseless), we talk about doublechecking moves.
>
>Then results in testsuites might be indeed be more helpful than games at 3
>minute/move time control.
>
>To take it a little further : why is 40/120 such a special time control for
>computergames ?
>
>This makes no sense at all to me, if this isn't the time control people use most
>often with their programs.
>
>The reason for the special status is clear: it is the time control the strongest
>humans use (or used to use) most of the time for their tournament games and
>people are interested in time controls that are similar with their silicon
>beasts.
>
>When it is about comp-comp games I don't really understand why 40/120 should be
>special or hold a higher reputation, especially if it is far away from the time
>control people usually use with their computers.
>
>Speaking only for myself:
>
>I use either very fast time controls for doublechecking games for tactical
>errors or very long overnight analysis for very difficult positions - so 40/120
>is of no special merit to me.
>
>
>If you take into account the speed progress of hardware a special status for a
>certain time control makes even less sense IMHO.

In the USA, most of the tournaments are USCF-sponsored.  USCF provides a rating
for over-the-board tournaments.  Most of these tournaments are at slow time
controls.

In other countries, perhaps a similar situation exists.

Slow time controls have always been the rule rather than the exception in
over-the-board tournaments.

Internet chess is a different ball of wax.  Blitz rules in internet chess.

Bob D.



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