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Subject: Re: Just learning capability?

Author: Dann Corbit

Date: 12:12:25 06/13/00

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On June 13, 2000 at 14:35:51, Mogens Larsen wrote:

>On June 13, 2000 at 14:12:21, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>
>>Let's say one program has a better evaluation function than another. Or searches
>>faster. Should it be handicapped in the name of equal terms?
>>
>>-Tom
>
>You're comparing something inherent to a chess program to something which isn't.
>Apples and oranges IMHO.

Actually, the search process also contains a large amount of data.
With deep blue, weren't there something like 4000 tunable eval paramters?

Data structures + Algorithms = Programs

Algorithms operate on data.  Opening books are not really a big table of
answers.  They are informed choices -- a stockpile of information that *must* be
weighed.  You can look at the won/loss/draw percentage.  You can look at the ELO
of players who make a particular choice.  You can look at computer tactical
analysis of the position.  Using these factors (and many others) you can make
decisions about what to play.  But you can't just play some ideal line, because
eventually some weakness will be found and you will lose every game with it if
you play the same thing over and over [Surely you have seen this very effect
with some of the weaker programs that do not learn and do not introduce
probability].  Therefore, your program *has* to learn to be competitive at the
highest level.  It also must introduce some element of probability.

It's not like opening a book and reading "Kasparov says to move the bishop
here..." since the programmer must still weigh all the data at his disposal and
make an informed choice based on many different components.

The same thing is true for every other stage of the program.  Data is read in
and analyzed.  This analysis is used to form a decision.



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