Author: Howard Exner
Date: 09:05:37 11/13/00
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On November 13, 2000 at 09:04:37, Bob Durrett wrote: >On November 12, 2000 at 21:30:07, Howard Exner wrote: ><snip> > >>These attacking engines are lots of fun and may prove advantageous over human >>opposition. If programmers spend alot of time on exploring such possibilities >>they might feel it a waste just to toss the engine out just because it does not >>perform as well versus other computers. > ><snip> > >This makes me wonder whether or not a program can contain two distinct blocks of >code, one block playing chess the usual way and the other block being "an >attacking engine" as suggested above. > >The idea is NOT to have both blocks of code working at the same time, each >stealing computer resources from the other. > >Instead, this idea is to have some low-overhead evaluation function operating >continuously [or just every now and then] whose purpose is to determine which of >the two blocks is most likely to produce the best results. In positions where >it seems likely that an attack would be appropriate, the "attacking engine" >block of code would be turned on, but in positions where it seems unlikely that >an attack would be appropriate the other block of code would be turned on. The >block of code not in use may not need to be in RAM but, instead, would be copied >from the hard disk when needed and erased from RAM when not. > >The real issue, it seems to me, is whether or not it is possible to create and >use code which would perform a "low overhead evaluation function" without >slowing down the program significantly. > >The envisioned benefit of this approach is that the programmer could "have his >cake and eat it too," i.e. play strong both against humans and against >computers. I've always thought programmers did this sort of thing in their eval. Have knowledge that extends certain positions like king side attack patterns or passed pawn scenarios. So in a sense they are changing mindsets but maybe not to the extent that you are suggesting. The possibility of the "aggresive personality" taking over may backfire too in positions that are not ripe for that mode - the attack is ill conceived and dwindles away into a negative score.
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