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Subject: Re: singular extension

Author: José Carlos

Date: 15:29:06 08/20/00

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On August 20, 2000 at 18:15:48, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On August 20, 2000 at 16:13:22, Frank Phillips wrote:
>
>>Can anyone sketch out the singular extension algorithm.  I found some general
>>information on the net, but nothing that helps me understand how to implement it
>>in a PVS alpha/beta search.  Descriptions tended to mention only that it is
>>invoked when there are only a few good moves in a variation.  Since alpha/beta
>>does not yield the value of moves other than the principal variation, I am not
>>sure what this means in practice.
>>
>>Frank
>
>
>The simple case is on the PV search.  When you search the first (and
>hopefully best) move at each ply, you search the remainder of the moves
>with alpha-w, beta-w, where w is some window offset (say 1/2 pawn).  If
>all the other moves still fail low, then the 'best' move is better than
>the remaining moves by at least 1/2 ply.  You re-search the 'best' move
>one ply deeper.
>
>Ie some programs search deeper if there is only one legal way out of check.
>Suppose there are three legal ways out, but two of them drop all kinds of
>material.  There is only one "reasonable" move and singular extension will
>follow it more deeply than the other two 'silly' moves...

  This suggests me an idea, I don't know if it has been tried:

  Suppose you've searched all moves at depth d. Then, at depth d+1, the PV move
has a bigger value then at d. In that case, you could simply go to d+2 without
looking at the rest of the moves.
  Only when the PV value drops down at any depth, search the rest of the moves.

  Just a thought...

  José C.



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