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Subject: Re: Will Tiger or Rebel play?

Author: Ed Schröder

Date: 09:04:41 09/06/00

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On September 06, 2000 at 10:59:27, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On September 06, 2000 at 10:37:31, Ed Schröder wrote:
>
>>On September 06, 2000 at 10:24:18, Dave Gomboc wrote:
>>
>>>On September 06, 2000 at 04:12:01, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>
>>>>On September 06, 2000 at 02:20:28, Peter McKenzie wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On September 06, 2000 at 01:52:00, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On September 05, 2000 at 18:22:25, Jason Williamson wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On September 05, 2000 at 18:17:26, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On September 05, 2000 at 17:51:28, Peter McKenzie wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>How about it Ed & Christophe?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Hi Peter,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I haven't changed my mind. There is still no control. Until then...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Ed
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>What do you mean no control?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>That nobody knows the games are 100% real. To gain creditability these
>>>>>>games should be played in public (on the chess club or so) so everybody
>>>>>>can see what you are doing.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I understand it's an obstacle but it is my reason not to participate in
>>>>>>this tournament. The operator can do what he want as there is no control.
>>>>>>He can override moves, change the time control, force a move he likes and
>>>>>>and and.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Another way (although it solves not eveything) is that somebody else (the
>>>>>>TD) is send the program before the games and carefully checks the moves.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I think playing serious tournaments on Internet has a great future. More
>>>>>>it has the power to become a serious counterpart for the yearly world
>>>>>>championship computer chess if these kind of things are arranged well.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Ed
>>>>>
>>>>>With Internet events, a certain amount of trust is required.  I just don't see
>>>>>any way of getting around that in the near future.
>>>>>
>>>>>But consider this: does it really matter if someone tries to cheat??
>>>>>
>>>>>Can an operator really improve a program's performance?  Don't forget that the
>>>>>time control is quite fast (30 10, or 45 10).  I think that the programs are so
>>>>>strong now that even if someone cheated by manually choosing different moves, it
>>>>>would be very tough to do any better than letting the computer play by itself.
>>>>>
>>>>>For every move a human can improve on, there are probably 2 other moves where
>>>>>they just stuff up.  It might be easy to poke holes in computer play AFTER the
>>>>>game (hindsight is a wonderful thing), but not nearly so easy to do this
>>>>>confidently DURING the game.
>>>>>
>>>>>I guess someone could use another program to cheat with, but really lets not get
>>>>>too paranoid here.  Most of the participants are quite well known in these
>>>>>circles, and seem to be pretty trustworthy.
>>>>
>>>>There are many aspects, I will limit myself to one.
>>>>
>>>>Speaking only for myself: I don't want to become into the temptation to
>>>>cheat.
>>>>
>>>>[Q] Do I trust myself?
>>>>[A] Yes.
>>>>
>>>>[Q] Do I COMPLETELY trust myself?
>>>>[A] No.
>>>>
>>>>Here is a story from a long time ago, actually it was my first tournament
>>>>the WCCC 1986 in Cologne. Playing in the last round Rebel had a winning
>>>>position and if Rebel would win that game then Rebel was the new world
>>>>champion all classes.
>>>>
>>>>On a given moment it was considering 2 moves, the good move and a losing
>>>>move. When I saw Rebel was changing its mind to the bad move somebody told
>>>>me I should press the "force move" button so the good move would have been
>>>>played. I wasn't willing. Then the person in question moved his hand to the
>>>>"force move" button and "in a second" I had to decide what to do. I did the
>>>>right thing and pushed his hand away. Rebel played the bad move and Rebel
>>>>lost the game. After the game I was called stupid throwing away the title.
>>>>
>>>>In that remarkable "second" the option "why not" certainly crossed my mind
>>>>and I think that nobody is excluded from such temptations when so much is
>>>>at stake.
>>>>
>>>>[Q] What will I do next time?
>>>>[A] Probably the same
>>>>
>>>>So I end as I started: I don't want to become into the temptation to
>>>>cheat, not anymore.
>>>>
>>>>To make Internet tournaments trustworthy you need rules.
>>>>
>>>>Ed
>>>
>>>While it's good that you were able to resist the suggestion (and it's also good
>>>that you won in 1992 anyway! :-), not having a "force move" keystroke built into
>>>the software in the first place would have prevented any moral dilemmas from
>>>arising.
>>
>>In a public event there is at least the obstacle you can get caught. Let's
>>keep it that way.
>>
>>Ed
>>
>>
>
>
>Just remember that you have used an operator in the past that has used the
>"move now" button _many_ times at ACM/WCCC events.  So it _can_ happen there.
>It _can_ happen on ICC.  Do I think the probability is higher at one than the
>other?  No.  Those that will cheat will cheat.  Those that won't, won't.  I
>don't think the 'medium' being used matters.  Over the internet, over the
>phone, in person, via proxy, etc...  If someone wants to cheat, it would be
>practically impossible to prevent it.

In the Ten Commandments there is a commandment that speaks about not
bringing people in temptation. In Holland we say: Don't leave the fox
to watch the geese.

Ed



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