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Subject: Re: New SSDF list

Author: Dave Gomboc

Date: 17:33:46 12/05/99

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On December 05, 1999 at 20:03:59, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:

>On December 05, 1999 at 13:30:52, Albert Silver wrote:
>
>>On December 05, 1999 at 12:49:48, Christophe Theron wrote:
>>
>>>On November 30, 1999 at 01:32:41, Dave Gomboc wrote:
>>>
>>>>On November 29, 1999 at 09:10:26, Albert Silver wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Guadeloupe isn't exactly a hotbed for strong chess players. I'm not sure how
>>>>>much he can learn from such games.
>>>>>
>>>>>                                    Albert Silver
>>>>
>>>>I must concur, but am also compelled to comment that Christophe's war chest of
>>>>386s isn't exactly a hotbed of speed either. :)
>>>>
>>>>Dave
>>>
>>>
>>>That's exactly the point. Using a 386sx-20MHz again and again against players
>>>that understand where the weaknesses of the program are is a terrible test,
>>>believe me.
>>>
>>>For years, they wanted to play against Chess Tiger because it was fun to beat
>>>"the" computer.
>>>
>>>Tiger had no learning, and usually the same player tried to play the same
>>>unsound king attack over and over until he won. Usually it took several trials
>>>because the human player would do a tactical mistake. I did not prevent them
>>>from doing so.
>>>
>>>I have learned a lot with this.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>    Christophe
>>
>>I understand, and this brings to mind Ed's comment sometime ago in which he
>>explained how hard it was nowadays to see where and when Rebel was improving or
>>not, simply due to the depth and strength of the program. Naturally, it is much
>>easier to see what it is doing wrong at 6-7 plies than 11-12, nevertheless the
>>difference between a 2000 rated player and an GM rated 2500 is not merely one of
>>depth of calculation. Naturally, the GM is calculating far deeper, but there is
>>more involved. Suppose your program is getting 6-7 plies in a long game on your
>>386 and as such you have really maximized the knowledge and performance
>>according to what you have available. All the same, there are probably certain
>>things that simply cannot be done on a 386 that could be implemented on a more
>>powerful computer, because that more powerful computer has an edge that goes
>>beyond merely doing the same thing the 386 does but faster. This is why it is
>>impossible to properly compare programs like DB or Cray Blitz with other PC
>>programs. That is why comments like "if Hiarcs ran on a Cray it would be
>>stronger than Cray Blitz" have no meaning, as the program is inseparable from
>>the hardware. I think that as hardware develops, new things are possible in
>>programs that weren't possible in the past, but at the same time these newer
>>generation programs won't be retro-compatible, because what they do is only
>>possible with this new hardware.
>
>I'm seeing a big piece of crap here already refuted by De Groot
>many tens of years ago.
>
>He investigated the difference between what we would call now
>2200 players and international masters,
>however at standards of these times it woudl be a comparision
>between IMs and GMs
>
>One of the questions of the investigation was:
>Do GMs see deeper?
>
>Answer: NO
>
>Do GMs calculate more lines?
>
>Answer: NO
>
>Please read some older JICCA's as well.
>to get JICCA: herik@cs.unimaas.nl and herik@cs.rulimburg.nl
>
>One of those email adresses is valid i forgot which one.
>
>
>>                                     Albert Silver

De Groot said this in 1965, but I've also read in more recent books that GMs
_do_ calculate deeper than lesser players *when the position requires it*.
So the issue is not completely clear-cut.

Dave



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