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Subject: Re: Fine tuning the engine's strength

Author: KarinsDad

Date: 10:27:33 07/26/00

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On July 26, 2000 at 11:45:30, John Coffey wrote:

[snip]
>
>My concern is that attempts to choose from a random list of moves will produce
>the same kind of effect that we see with some programs - where they will play
>really well on some moves but do something completely stupid on another.  I have
>had games with Fritz (on a lower rating) where it clearly could have won a king
>and pawn endgame but started making random king moves and lost.   It was much
>too obvious that the computer was throwing the game.   It seemed bad to struggle
>so hard against the computer the whole game only to have the computer completely
>botch it.
>
>Now maybe the idea of playing well on some moves and bad on others is how 1200
>players actually play.  I prefer to have an consistant standard that I am
>playing against - so even if the program doesn't make one move blunders (unless
>we set the nodes really low) I am going to get a more consistent feel throughout
>the whole game.  I feel that this is a better training method for
>me trying to improve my game.
>
>It is hard to define how many bad blunders a 1200 should make.   I have played
>1200's in tournament who drop pieces.  On the other hand, I just lost to an
>1100 in a tournament who didn't seem to make any mistakes the whole game.  (I am
>an A player.)
>
>Yes, I wish for the ability to set the think time to fractions of seconds per
>move.
>
>John Coffey


You must not have carefully read what I wrote. I never said to play random
moves. I said to play one of the best x moves, probably based on a bell curve
decision, and probably limiting depth for the lower settings.

At setting 1200, the program might search the best 7 moves at a ply 4 depth, and
the position scores result in:

1) +0.2    9%
2) +0.19  12%
3) +0.14  16%
4) -0.12  26%
5) -0.74  16%
6) -1.15  12%
7) -6.74   9%

as the best 7 moves with respective probabilities of being played.

So, the program will often play a somewhat ok move in this position and
occassionally play move #7. However, the ply was only 4, so move #7 might
actually be the best move on the board.

At setting 1600, the program might search the best 5 moves at a ply 6 depth, and
the position scores result in:

3) +0.31   8%
2) +0.26  23%
1) +0.19  38%
6) +0.07  23%
5) -0.21   8%

as the best 5 moves with respective probabilities of being played.

You'll note that the order and scores of the moves has changed due to searching
deeper ply. Additionally, there is a lesser chance of playing an inferior move
since only the top 5 moves are examined.

At setting 1650, the program might use the same algorithm as 1600, but shift the
probabilities for a given move up:

3) +0.31  11%
2) +0.26  37%
1) +0.19  31%
6) +0.07  16%
5) -0.21   5%

Yes, there is randomness in this approach, but it is not linear, nor is it based
off random extremely bad moves.

Additionally, the scores of the x moves could play a part in the percentages as
well.

KarinsDad :)



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