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Subject: The biggest failure of all times

Author: jefkaan

Date: 10:05:09 10/07/03


according to Vincent Diepeveen in an older message on
a Dutch mailing list about computer chess, the program
Bookbuilder is the biggest failure of all times.

On average it now is downloaded thousand times per month,
and about one in fourhundred (who apparently can afford it)
are buying the program; ofcourse its also very cheap (29$).

The program was conceived by a Dutch engineer, namely myself,
who thought maybe chess could be solved in a similar way
as 4-in-a-row. Subsequently then unemployed whizkid, yet
not-a-kid anymore Bas Hamstra (author of the Tao engine)
offered to convert my ideas into a program, using some
up-to-date & modern C+ algorithms. Sofar, just like
Bookup, ChessAssistant, also Bookbuilder, has been able
to identify 1.e4 as an opening move which is at least
as good as 1.d4, thereby refutating claims by former
correspondence chess world champion Hans Berliner
that chess possibly could be solved with 1.d4!?

Whereas during my pioneering work a wasnt a very good
chess player, and while having both a job, starting a
software company, and experiencing health problems
as well as multipile mortality incidents in my family,
a certain Vincent Diepeveen was eager to point out
that my chess rating in Holland was one of the
lowest when i started; ofcourse completely irrelevant
as well as inaccurate as my rating was not considered
valid as i hadnt played enough games yet, this
information was used against me by VD trying to
disqualify me as
1) author of chess program 'Djenghis' (according to VD
i was only the operator of MSCP, made by Marcel Kervinck)
2) someone who cannot program
3) someone who cannot play chess.

Last year, my TPR in the Dutch competition was above
1900. During my holiday last month in Budapest, i
defeated a 2000+ player in a rapid tournament.
Apparently, as result of using Bookbuilder almost
daily as a hobby, my tournament results are increasing
about 300 points per year, even although i started
at a relatively high age of 35+ with competitive/club
chess; ofcourse i'm not claiming to continue this
trend as then it would be a world record compared
with another 'oldie' in chess, namely Korchnoi,
but personally i think its a valid refutation
of Vincents claims and accusations.

Within three years i promise will defeat Vincent in a
chess game, whether on Internet or OTB.
I also would like to ask him how good his program
Diep is selling (maybe his attempts to cooperate
with Eric Schiller in an opening analysis program
being able to assess positions of unorthodox program
will give him succes, but personally i doubt it).

Like Vincent, used to claim:
"competition is useful".

Well, later on i might also show him my programming skills
whether or not as stand-alone programmer or as leader
of a team may be a little better than assumed by him..
best regards,
Jefk



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