Author: Mike S.
Date: 01:16:18 10/09/00
Go up one level in this thread
On October 08, 2000 at 18:52:24, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>On October 08, 2000 at 09:28:44, Mike S. wrote:
>>Should programs be able, or be allowed, to move in *zero* seconds of thinking
>>time?
>
>how about posting this in the mailbox of ICS admins instead of
>asking whether we want our programs to move fast, logically
>we want our programs to move as fast as possible. if timestamp only
>counts in 1/10 of a second, logically a program can move faster as that,
>so then it moves in 0 seconds. Logical. End of discussion.
>
>(...)
>Anyway i know your next post is about why programs are allowed to search
>so deep within a second (like several plies) where you make pure blunders,
>so that randomness should be added.
>
>Is it?
Not at all. I wasn't talking about ICS play mainly (in fact, I hardly know what
timestamp is). What I have in mind, is the normal user situation ("offline"),
where he plays blitz games using a mouse, or even a sensor board. In the seldom
cases when he reaches a "dead draw" position at the end of a game, he probably
cannot agree a draw - because the program refuses to accept, and he must loose
on time because the program can play 10 or more moves in 1 or 2 seconds.
Of course, anybody can choose a time control with increment. But I think it is
desireable, to have fair conditions under time controls without increment too.
As I mentioned in another posting, I'm not playing blitz myself, and I have
always tried to express my opinion that playing computer opponents is generally
*not* unfair in any way. But I thought this zero, or nearly zero, thinking time
is an exception, chess programmers might want to think about and improve. I may
be wrong.
This is not meant to keep a program optimally competitive for fast bitz games on
ICS, but more to create user friendly conditions for your (future) customers. I
could imagine to include such a minimum thinking time in a "etiquette" setting,
which would be applied if the opponent is human, and could be switched off is
desired.
Regards,
M.Scheidl
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