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Subject: Is "knowledge" catching up with "speed"?

Author: Graham Laight

Date: 06:16:27 11/13/97

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On November 13, 1997 at 07:13:03, Chris Whittington wrote:

>This is not directed specifically at Amir .......
>
>I think the whole lot of you are avoiding the crucial issue from the
>games at WMCCC.
>
>The fast searchers, even with 767 alphas, were expected to sweep the
>board. Manifestly they didn't.
>
>Some other fast searchers, running on PC's also under-performed
>according to expectations.
>
>Several programs (ranging from very slow, to quite fast, but none of
>them brute monsters) were not even spoken about before the WMCCC as
>being of any interest, performed way above expectations.
>
>One program (self-promotion prize Kim-il-Sung already awarded) running
>at 4000 nps did really rather well.
>
>Something is going on, and none of you is addressing it.
>
>Compare the cock-crowing and hubris from before the event ....
>
>The old knowledge-speed issue which gets jumped on as
>boring/tedious/been through it all before/our way is best by the usual
>culprits rears its ugly head again :)
>
>Chris Whittington

If increasing computer hardware speed is tipping the knowledge/speed
battle in favour of  knowledge (which seems to be the prevailing
doctrine), then one could expect the following effects:

If a clever program played a quick one at low time controls (e.g. game
in 5), the quick ones should win.

At medium time controls (e.g. tournament chess times), it should be
getting more even.

At long time controls, the clever programs should be dominant.

So - if Tal was to play Fritz at a rate of 1 hour per move, would it
have a better chance of winning? It should have. According to Chris, Tal
should be the perfect program for correspondence chess.

However, I have my doubts and suspicions as to whether it really would
dominate at long time controls. I agree with the theory, but I have
nagging doubts as to whether practice would agree with the theory. Has
anyone done any testing along these lines?



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