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Subject: Re: MacChess vs. HIARCS

Author: Komputer Korner

Date: 15:52:40 12/25/97

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This has been  talked about ad infinitum on r.g.c.c. Whenever you have
only 1 cpu and 2 programs, no one has figured out a fair way to allow
independent permanent brain and regular thinking by the side to move at
the same time. Therefore the programs compete with each other with
Permanent brain turned off. THIS IS NOT FAIR with some programs at
faster than correspondence controls because of the move ordering
algorithms that depend on the permanent brain.. Therefore the only fair
way is to have 2 machines with autoplayer that allows  permanent brain
or else have 2 operators. To make sure that the match is completely fair
with 2 machines is to rotate the machines between the 2 programs for an
equal number of games each.



On December 25, 1997 at 01:44:51, Hans Havermann wrote:

>OK. I hadn't really meant to get into this when I posted my "Game
>Curiosity" but...
>
>When I suggested that a contest between MacChess and HIARCS couldn't be
>"fair", I was using the word in the sense of a game between *equals*.
>Since the two programs are anything but (equal) it wouldn't be fair to
>suggest that a contest between them could be fair. :-)
>
>Having said that, I agree that a contest between *unequals* can be made
>"fair". One needs only to have each program perform in an *identical*
>environment. Now, you can't get any more identical than the same
>machine. Having the programs run on two separate, only "roughly"
>identical, machines is (in my mind) less fair.
>
>Of course, individual programs would like an *optimum* environment to
>show off their prowess. HIARCS might do better if it weren't put in the
>background while MacChess is pondering its move. All I can say is that
>MacChess gets put in the background when HIARCS is pondering *its* move.
>It's still fair! MacChess will perform better if alloted more RAM: I
>have given my copy over 35 MB. Should I give HIARCS equal RAM to make it
>more fair? Not much point: HIARCS can't take advantage of it... Sorry,
>not my problem. If I had a gigabyte of RAM to throw at MacChess, I
>would. And it would *still* be a fair contest! :-)



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