Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: Chess Tiger - Is It Really 2696 ELO?

Author: Graham Laight

Date: 02:51:41 12/24/99

Go up one level in this thread


On December 23, 1999 at 20:46:54, Albert Silver wrote:

>>>I would be fascinated to hear about this advantage it converted in the second
>>>game.
>>
>>It obtained the advantage courtesy of its opening book in game 6. It converted
>>it into a win.
>
>Reread my question.

OK - I thought you meant the the second game it won.

In game 2, the Spanish "Ruy Lopez" opening was used. Through good play, DB (as
white) managed to maintain an advantage throughout the game - slowly squeezing
the life out of GK's position. Finally, it obtained a position in which GK (and
all the experts present) believed that he was lost, and so GK resigned.

In fact, it was later shown that there was a complicated repetition draw
available - but I don't think that this is relevant to this discussion.

>Rebel Tiger has not been tested by the SSDF, you are mistaken.

I refer you to http://www.rebel.nl - on this page, Ed clearly claims that Rebel
Tiger has been tested by SSDF, and that this program now tops the SSDF rating
list with 2696 points.

>I have Chess Tiger the internal CA5 engine using a CA book, Fritz 5.32, Fritz 6
>(only played a couple of blitzes so no notch on my quiver), Hiarcs 7.32. Rating?
>No idea. Those were among the top though.

Fritz 5.32 = 2574 +- 24 64Mb 200 Mhz
Fritz 6 = not rated
Hiarcs 7.32 = 2572 +- 27 64Mb 200 Mhz

>>
>>>>However, it's not good enough to beat them in the comfort of one's home.
>>>
>>>Really? I don't think that would make any difference. I wouldn't beat a GM in
>>>the comfort of my house either.
>>
>>OK. But it has been statistically demonstrated that "self administered" IQ tests
>>tend to score more highly than "overseen" IQ tests! Can't think why... :)
>
>What do statistics have to do with this? I don't have to go about proving I have
>beat them, it's a _fact_ to me (your skepticism is your problem). I have never
>beat (nor played) a human rated 2700, but I do not need to to know that I will
>be pulverized on the board. For me that makes it CRYSTAL clear the programs are
>not knocking on the 2700 door. I am not trying to convince you they are not, I
>am telling you from my knowledge. You can believe it or not at your convenience.

>>>>If he
>>>>played them under competitive conditions, some extra considerations would come
>>>>into play:
>>>>
>>>>* Some of the evaluation factors would be changed, so that he may not be able to
>>>>predict their moves so accurately
>>>
>>>Predict? I honestly don't understand what you mean by this.
>>
>>I am suggesting that if you play your computer a lot, you'll learn to predict
>>what moves it's going to make.
>
>I do not cook the games, and I play them infrequently.
>
>>
>>>>* The whole thing, from opening books to evaluation factors could be tuned to
>>>>produce an optimum game against HIM.
>>>>
>>>>This is the reality that GK faced against DB in May '97.
>>>
>>>What is your point? I never said I was unbeatable, not even that I had a
>>>positive score against the damn things. :-) Only that I could NEVER have scored
>>>a single point against 2700 human player. Ever.

This is all good and valuable information which I will take into account in
formulating my own opinions on the subject. But, at the risk of sounding
disagreeable, but in order to clarify my thoughts, I have to offer the following
observations:

* The machines you play are only rated at about 2570 on the SSDF list - barely
into the grandmaster range

* I do not question your integrity (well - only slightly!) - but when one
self-administers a test, there are many ways one can balance the odds in one's
own favour. Perhaps looking at the computers' analysis, for example, to "pass
the time while the computer's thinking", or maybe the odd move back because
"that's not what I'd really have played", or possibly setting the computer to
play aggressively because "it's more fun!". It may be that you're a man of 100%
integrity - but unfortunately I've seen too many chess players (who don't favour
the computers) play!

* You appear to be admitting that you lose most of your games against these
programs

* I've observed that some players who play computers regularly improve their
playing strength without realising. It may be that if you enter a rated
tournament, your own rating will rise!

>>>>If anti-computer chess is alive and well, why did IM Dan Hergot lose to Hiarcs
>>>>in early '97 - to what is now an old version of Hiarcs on old hardware?
>>>
>>>He didn't play anti-computer chess.

>>>>And why did GM Ruslan Scherbakov lose to Rebel Century?
>>>>
>>>
>>>He didn't play anti-computer chess either. Furthermore, I never said a computer
>>>could never beat a GM. That would be completely wrong. I only said they are not
>>>GMs IMO.

Most grandmasters did not think that DB played good positional chess against GK
(except in game 2), and GK most definitely DID play anti-computer chess!

>>>>And why did the computers beat the humans overall at the last Aegon tournament
>>>>(1997)?
>>>
>>>Were the humans all GMs overall?
>>>
>>>                              Albert Silver
>>
>>No - but not all the computers were top notch either.
>
>What they do against weaker players is not the issue. You claimed they were
>beating up on GMS. What was the score of the GMs rated over 2500?

Unfortunatley, I don't know what the ratings of the top computers were at the
time of the last Aegon. From memory, I think that the computers have risen quite
sharply in the SSDF ratings over the last 2-3 years.

>>Is there anyone from the SSDF following this thread?
>>
>>Can you tell us when the last time the ratings scale was checked for correlation
>>with the FIDE rating scale, please?
>
>It never correlated with the FIDE scale. It _did_ correlate to the national
>Swedish Elo ratings up to 1993 through SSDF's efforts to organize and include
>games played against human opponents.
>
>                                  Albert Silver

As far as I know, nobody has seriously suggested that the Swedish Elo ratings do
not correlate well with the FIDE ratings.

-g



This page took 0 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.