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Subject: Re: SSDF Rating List Less Chessmaster? Why?

Author: Chessfun

Date: 14:53:57 10/20/03

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On October 20, 2003 at 09:23:50, James T. Walker wrote:

>On October 19, 2003 at 11:41:17, David H. McClain wrote:
>
>>On October 19, 2003 at 10:37:05, James T. Walker wrote:
>>
>>>On October 19, 2003 at 10:21:41, Michael P. Nance Sr. wrote:
>>>
>>>>On October 19, 2003 at 08:43:30, David H. McClain wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Gentlemen,
>>>>>
>>>>>I may not be alone with these thoughts but it is incomprehensible that
>>>>>Chessmater 9000 is continually not included on your list.  It has been available
>>>>>for more than a year.  You are welcome to have my legal copy of Chessmaster if
>>>>>that is the problem.  With the SSDF list shown on a ChessBase owned web site one
>>>>>begins to wonder whether including Chessmaster has not been allowed by Chessbase
>>>>>because it gives very strong competition to Chessbase products.
>>>>>
>>>>>SSDF continues to ignore Chessmaster 9000 as does Chessbase while other truly
>>>>>independent testers test Chessmaster regularly and without preference. Is the
>>>>>SSDF list truly independent?  The impressions being formed by many of us
>>>>>regarding this continual "oversight" are not favorable.  Can anyone on SSDF give
>>>>>an honest and reasonable explanation or has that not been allowed either?
>>>>>
>>>>>The integrity of the SSDF list, in my opinion, continues to degrade as an
>>>>>independent chess program test organization regardless of the many fine people
>>>>>that volunteer.  Perhaps the real name of the SSDF list should be SSDF list, an
>>>>>affiliate of Chessbase, Inc.  You are insulting the intelligence of many that
>>>>>attend and contribute to this forum by continually omitting the latest
>>>>>Chessmaster versions from your list.
>>>>>
>>>>>DHM
>>>>\
>>>>I think You hit on the quent essential Issue. This un-resovled Problem has been
>>>>gone over,complained about, and agrued about time and time again. It has been
>>>>put to rest,and keeps resurfacing over and over again. Chessmaster is a Chess
>>>>Program,the positives and negatives concerning It really aren't imporant. Is an
>>>>absorption By Chessbase the end result here? Something to think about.>>>>Mike
>>>
>>>Maybe someone from SSDF will answer you.  Meanwhile I will give my guess.
>>>Chessmaster 9000 does not support auto232.  The only way to play it would be
>>>manually and that is unrealistic to ask of SSDF operators.  They could play "The
>>>King" engine in another GUI but without it's own book.  This again is not
>>>desireable in my opinion.  The King engine uses a different type of end game
>>>tablebases that only it/Chessmaster GUI can deal with.  I would also like to see
>>>Chessmaster on the SSDF list but the fault lies with the company that produces
>>>it not SSDF and I don't believe Chessbase has anything to do with it.
>>>Just my opinion/guess.
>>>Jim
>>
>>Jim,
>>
>>Chessmaster 8000 is listed way down on the SSDF list.  Someone had to play the
>>games.  With the many members of SSDF it appears to me that if only a few would
>>play one or two games manually with the SSDF parameters there would be enough
>>games played to set a precedent and standard.
>>
>>The King is listed in many tournaments and is also played on many chess servers
>>including Playchess.com and ICC.com.  It is played against all engines by
>>independent testers on this forum.  How did they do it?  The excuse you stated
>>for not testing Chessmaster 9000 is weak at best and this is not meant as an
>>insult to you.  It just is not a logical explanation for this Chessmaster
>>omission.
>>
>>It also appears to me that there are enough Chessmaster games stored on the
>>Playchess server for Chessbase to accumulate that an evaluation could be
>>determined.  Chessbase's silence, along with SSDF is puzzling.........
>>
>>DHM
>
>The SSDF did test CM8K manually.  It was a lot of work and I don't blame them
>for not doing it again.  When games are played manually many things can go wrong
>and the testing becomes suspect (IMHO).  Sometimes one game will take over 8
>hours.  I have tested CM6K in this manner and I know what is involved.  A few
>games would mean nothing for a reliable rating.  You need hundreds.  The
>Chessmaster played on the servers is NOT Chessmaster 9000.  It is "TheKing"
>engine and some other book.  Sometimes it's a modified engine which plays very
>different from the original.  It is usually played in a Chessbase GUI where
>auto232 is also available.  To have credibility the games also have to be
>controlled in some manner.  The hardware needs to be consistent and verified.
>Doing this on the internet without the ChessMasters own book is not interesting
>to me.  In my opinion, the program is only complete when competing with it's own
>book.  If you want to place blame, then blame the author and blame the software
>company for not supporting auto232.  They were aware what the requirements are
>for SSDF testing and they chose not to support auto232.  Perhaps they are not so
>confident of it's performance at 40/2 under controlled conditions.  Blaming
>Chessbase is stupid.

Very well put Jim.

I would add though as I'm sure you know CM will auto 232 against CB programs at
least for a couple of games it will. Maybe even Johann knows or has a way to
auto play against other programs, as I would assume he does make some tests
against other programs.

Sarah.



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