Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: Computers in national championships

Author: Jürgen Hartmann

Date: 14:30:56 04/06/00

Go up one level in this thread


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


>1. Has a computer a nationality?

If its no special hardware like Deep Blue, I think the software is important.
Then the software's nationality is the nationality of the programmer.

>2. Can a computer be a national champion?

Only if (big If!) it wins the national championship.

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

Getting invited to the national championship makes you a kind of member by
honour, doesn't it?

>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?

No, unless the programmer(s) has/have several passports. Fritz should not play
for e.g. the French title, I think. Maybe in the French league, but not in the
national team/championship.

>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.

Thats not nice indeed. It seems the downside of the extraordinary PR and
sponsoring support created for chess in the Netherlands.

>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?

Yes, I think so. There should be a computer board in every team. Like in the
Israeli League, grandmasters killing computers seems possible and is exciting.
Will need huge sponsoring money for FIDE and the players probably.

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

I am interested in whether Hollands clearly strongest chess software can win the
national championship. Frankly, I slightly doubt this.

>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?

Then we should call him "Human National Champion" and the program "National
Champion".

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

If a democratic decision is reached by the governing bodies - yes.

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

Thanks for the interesting questions,

Jürgen.



This page took 0.01 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.