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Subject: Re: Neverending story with incomplete tablebases

Author: Ed Schröder

Date: 06:13:25 08/16/03

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On August 16, 2003 at 03:24:47, Johan de Koning wrote:

>On August 15, 2003 at 04:03:32, Gian-Carlo Pascutto wrote:
>
>>On August 15, 2003 at 02:03:28, Johan de Koning wrote:
>>
>>>The job of an engine is to search a position,
>>
>>The goal of an engine is to play chess games.
>>
>>A user may use it to analyze positions. In that case, not being
>>able to remember analysis when moving throughout the variations
>>is a weakness, not a strength.
>>
>>>and the result should depend only
>>>on that position. Like the power of a car engine should depend only on its RPM,
>>>not on how fast the car moves or how fast the car moved 1 minite ago.
>>
>>Power doesn't mean anything. It's an internal parameter
>>that only indirectly relates to real world performance.
>>Acceleration or speed does. They do depend on past situations.
>>
>>>Sticky TT (or reorderd piece lists :-) cause the engine to have a mind of its
>>>own. Things with a mind of their own, like cats and (wo)men, are unreliable and
>>>don't make a good tool.
>>
>>You sound like a kid that believes in Santa Claus.
>>
>>Nondeterminism is something you can live with. Forget about getting
>>the engine working on multiprocessor if you don't.
>
>So far you sound like someone trying to mimic Vincent. :-)
>
>I listed predictability as the first of 7 reasons to clear the TT. I did not
>list any reasons to preserve the TT, though they do exist (else there wouldn't
>be any discussion).

But he wants to hear the 8th reason :)

Here is my guess, you are marking all kind of positions in the HT to extend that
position the next time (iteration). It's the reason why you can not afford to
have a big HT and why you must clear it, otherwise the tree would explode.

Am I close?

Ed :)




>If you regard an engine as a tool then predictability is a pretty good reason to
>clear the TT. If you regard an engine as an experience providing program then
>you couldn't care less. Different opinions, different priorities, I guess. But
>keep in mind that my opinion is better then yours.
>
>>>>Why should overwriting be a problem. Sure, it will be filled with a lot of
>>>>useless info.
>>>
>>>The useful positions will be gone.
>>
>>How exactly is this worse than clearing it? (All positions gone).
>
>It isn't worse. It just means that the alleged performance gain of sticky TT
>during game play applies to less than half of the moves.
>
>... Johan



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