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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