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Subject: Re: Match Junior 6a - Tiger 12e (40 in 2 hr, 20 in 1hr) completed...

Author: James T. Walker

Date: 06:18:31 03/29/00

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On March 28, 2000 at 05:30:50, blass uri wrote:

>On March 28, 2000 at 05:13:32, Enrique Irazoqui wrote:
>
>>On March 28, 2000 at 04:39:32, Bertil Eklund wrote:
>>
>>>On March 28, 2000 at 03:20:18, blass uri wrote:
>>>
>>>>On March 28, 2000 at 01:24:18, Bertil Eklund wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On March 27, 2000 at 09:53:57, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On March 27, 2000 at 09:06:01, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On March 25, 2000 at 23:13:49, Tina Long wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On March 25, 2000 at 14:28:13, James Robertson wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On March 25, 2000 at 13:41:28, Roger wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Would tablebases for Tiger have changed this result at all?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Roger
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Maybe a quarter of a point.... My experience with tablebases is that if the
>>>>>>>>>program is moderately smart it doesn't benefit tremendously from them.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>James
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Ed Schroder said about 6 months ago that Tablebases were worth about 10 points
>>>>>>>>on the SSDF scale.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I'm 70% sure he said that! I'm 100% sure that Ed said once that something was
>>>>>>>>worth very little rating points.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I'm glad I could add some real detail to this discussion.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Tina Long
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Ed is wrong there.  it is _amazing_ how many comp vs comp games end up in
>>>>>>>krp vs kr, with the side without tablebases losing most of those.  There are
>>>>>>>other endings too (KQP vs KQ, see for example crafty vs nimzo in the ICCT
>>>>>>>tournament last month).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The wrong way to test this is to play A with, vs A without.  the right way to
>>>>>>>test this is A without vs B without, then A with vs B without.  But A ought to
>>>>>>>be reasonably close to B without tablebases...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Tablebases have a great future no doubt. But what is available at the
>>>>>>moment (4-5 pieces) its value for Rebel is not more than 5-10 elo I
>>>>>>would say because:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>a) most cases are simply covered by chess knowlegde;
>>>>>>
>>>>>>b) the loss of speed during search because of all the
>>>>>>disc access.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>So I don't think I am wrong when the subject is Rebel.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Things might change dramatically when for instance the complete
>>>>>>6 pieces become available. +100 elo easily for chess programs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Ed
>>>>>
>>>>>Hi!
>>>>>
>>>>>I agreed totally with you some months ago but todays best programs uses the TBs
>>>>>in the search very efficient. In example Hiarcs and Nimzo began to find the Tbs
>>>>>with 10-11 pieces on the board (tournament time) but today Crafty, Fritz6,
>>>>>Junior6 and Shredder4 find the TBs with 15-16 pieces on the board. These four
>>>>>programs are probably the best in endgames, only Tiger without TBs come close.
>>>>>
>>>>>I guess the above programs earns 25-50 elo with TBs.
>>>>>
>>>>>Bertil
>>>>
>>>>1)The fact that they find the tablebases does not say in how many cases the
>>>>tablebases change the result and we cannot know from this about the elo
>>>>improvement.
>>>>The only way to know is by testing the program with tablebases and the program
>>>>without tablebases.
>>>>
>>>>2)It is known that crafty also could find the tablebases with 15-16 pieces some
>>>>monthes ago.
>>>>
>>>>Uri
>>>Hi!
>>>
>>>I have followed a lot of games, when the above mentioned programs wins the
>>>endgame. I don't think it's only a coincidence that these programs and maybe
>>>Tiger seems to play better endgames than i.e. Nimzo, Hiarcs, Rebel Genius Mchess
>>>and so on.
>>>
>>>2. Yes and Crafty plays very good endgames.
>>>3. Endgames becomes more and more important for todays programs, and I guess
>>>Tablebases is the most efficient way to go.
>>
>>I agree with you. I didn't count the games in which tablebases were decisive,
>>but I think they add at least half a point every 20 games or so.
>
>
>It is hard to count the number of games because we often do not know what was
>the result without tablebases.
>
>I think that tablebases are sometimes counter productive when you play against
>someone who does not use tablebases because the program may prefer a simple draw
>instead of going to a drawn KRP vs KR that it can practically win.
>
>The program may prefer a simple loss of KQ vs KQPP instead of going to a lost KQ
>vs KQP that it can practically draw.
>
>The only way to know the value of tablebases is by testing and you cannot know
>only by watching games.
>
>Uri

Hello Uri,
A few weeks ago I posted the results of my tablebase test.  I used Chess Tiger
vs Hiarcs 7.32.  I played 200 games using Hiarcs with tablebases and 200 games
with Hiarcs without tablebases.  The difference in performance was approximately
40 rating points.  This is a relatively small sample and there is of course room
for error but is a good starting point for estimating the value of tablebases.
Jim Walker



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