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Subject: Re: Adaptive null move pruning

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 14:30:08 02/29/00

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On February 29, 2000 at 11:06:45, Sanjiv Karnataki wrote:

>On February 29, 2000 at 08:39:14, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On February 29, 2000 at 03:19:00, Bas Hamstra wrote:
>>
>>>On February 29, 2000 at 01:34:48, Sanjiv Karnataki wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hi All,
>>>>
>>>>I just finished reading Ernest Heinz's article on the subject and I had a
>>>>question about the code sample. It uses a routine called "try_null" that is not
>>>>given in the article and the only thing the article says is "tries to avoid
>>>>superfluous null-move searches that do not really promise to cut off as decided
>>>>by the function try_null"
>>>>
>>>>Does anyone know how that decision could be made? I was thinking of trying it in
>>>>my program.
>>>>
>>>>Thank you
>>>>
>>>>Sanjiv.
>>>
>>>For instance if material is more than PawnValue below Alpha,chances are there
>>>will be no cutoff. Not perferct of course.
>>
>>
>>Also the hash table trick (used in crafty and many other null-move programs)
>>can be used.  If you get a hit on the hash table, but the depth is not deep
>>enough to let you take the true score of cutoff score, it still might be good
>>enough to prove that a null-move search won't fail high (see search.c in Crafty
>>source, look for "avoid_null".  Then look at hash.c to see how this gets set to
>>disable a null move at this position.)
>
>I had a question about that:
>
>Crafty also hashes the threat flag if the null move failed low to mate-in-N. Why
>does it not use that in hash.c also to avoid null move?
>
>Thank you.
>
>Sanjiv.


threat should be set already...  'threat' means this leads to getting mated if
you 'pass'.  If that is set, null-move shouldn't be done.  But if that is set,
this node can't fail high from the hash table either, so it still won't be
done...



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