Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: Neural Networks Recognise Patterns!

Author: Tom Kerrigan

Date: 15:23:13 06/29/00

Go up one level in this thread


On June 29, 2000 at 16:23:20, Graham Laight wrote:

>On June 28, 2000 at 16:16:30, Bruce Moreland wrote:
>
>>On June 28, 2000 at 13:58:28, Graham Laight wrote:
>>
>>>I assume that what you're talking about is a database of piece patterns that can
>>>occur in a chess game, together with some indication of what these patterns
>>>mean.
>>>
>>>Unfortunately, when we try to suggest that a NN is the best AI instrument for
>>>abstract pattern recognition, all we seem to hear is that NNs are quite
>>>incapable of being trained to recognise chess patterns - as if the mechanism of
>>>the human brain is some sort of magic...
>>
>>It's easy to write an algorithm that can tell the difference between an X and an
>>O.
>>
>>It's harder to write one that tell the difference between the a bunch of good
>>guitar players, and tell you why one of them is the best, and why one solo was
>>his best solo.
>
>The whole idea of using tools like NNs, genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic is
>that they CAN be used to attack problems that are difficult to write algorithms
>for.
>
>If a need to rate guitar music arose, which tool would you reach for - a NN
>package, or a C++ compiler?
>
>>I suspect that chess is more like the latter problem than the former.
>
>Exactly. You seem to be debating FOR the proposal!
>
>>Humans see patterns in positions, but they are also very good at weighting the
>>values of these patterns in specific cases, and they back this impressional
>>knowledge up with good calculating ability.
>
>Yes - very true!  And if we want the computer to do the same, we're going to
>have to give it some of what a human has.
>
>>I encourage other approaches, of course.  If they can be made to work, it would
>>be significant in many ways.  It would be nice if it could actually happen
>>before the centennary of the work of Turing and Shannon though.
>>
>>Personally, if I had to pick a multi-generational problem to work on, it would
>>be colonization of a nearby star system, rather than a "pure" AI approach to
>>computer chess.
>
>I suspect that if the NN approach to doing chess (in my view, an NN to recognise
>the existence of each type of pattern in the presented position, and one big

I don't understand what you mean by "pattern."

If you mean something that humans can't scientifically articulate, like "king
attack," then a NN might be a good idea. (...although a NN that can identify
king attacks might as well just play chess by itself...)

But there are a tremendous number of patterns which can be recognized with 100%
accuracy with simple procedural logic (e.g., "doubled pawns"). Using a NN to
detect doubled pawns would be extremely stupid.

-Tom



This page took 0 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.