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Subject: Re: Computers in national championships

Author: Dave Gomboc

Date: 12:32:21 04/06/00

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On April 06, 2000 at 11:22:35, Jeroen Noomen wrote:

>Hi everybody,
>
>There have been a lot of reactions to my last posting, in which I told about
>Fritz SSS* taking part in the Dutch championship. Unfortunately most of the
>debate was related to 'should computers be allowed to play in human
>tournaments'. This is of course an interesting subject, but for me the big point
>is that we are talking about the national championship of my country Holland.
>
>That a computer can take part in such an event raises the following questions:
>
>1. Has a computer a nationality?

When the hardware is general-purpose, I'd say it doesn't matter exactly where it
is made.  Software, on the other hand, would have the nationality of its
creator(s).

>2. Can a computer be a national champion?
                  ^
               program

That's up to organizations to decide.

>3. Players in a national championship are members of the national federation.
>   Can a computer be a member of a national federation?

Ditto.

>4. Can the same computer take part in several national championships?
>   F.e. if the French, the German and the Brittish Chess Federations agree
>   that the same computer can play in their national championship, could we
>   have one and the same player be a champion of many countries?

Can a human with dual citizenship participate in both national championships?

>5. What about the rules, that state that if there is a free place in the
>   championship, this should be given to somebody with the highest rating or
>   to somebody who was knocked out in the semi finals. This has been violated
>   now and this player has every reason to complain.

Rules should be followed.

>6. What if the machine will be the champion: Can (in this case Holland) this
>   country put the machine on board 1 of the Olympiad team?

That would depend on FIDE.

>7. I am interested in who is the strongest player of my country. A computer
>   program has nothing to do with this.

I don't think that's true.  The computer program might be the strongest player
of a country.  Or it may simply be a chess player to measure the strength of
other players against.

>8. A national championship is a serious event, now that Van der Sterren
>   refuses to play, his loss by forfeit is affecting the result. What f.e.
>   if Van der Sterren scores the most points, but will be 2nd because of the
>   loss by means of forfeit? Isn't Van der Sterren champion in that case?

He won't come in second if he scores the most points.

>9. Can a national chess federation oblige somebody to play a computer? IMO
>   this can NEVER be the case.

That question appears to have been answered.  Van der Sterren is not playing the
computer program. :-)

>I'll be very interested in the comments of other readers of CCC on these
>questions! Thanks in advance and have a good day.
>
>Jeroen

Dave



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