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Subject: Re: A Question to Dr. Hyatt

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 07:38:43 01/13/01

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On January 13, 2001 at 00:09:54, Peter McKenzie wrote:

>On January 12, 2001 at 22:56:31, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On January 12, 2001 at 21:34:53, Peter McKenzie wrote:
>>
>>>On January 12, 2001 at 10:02:44, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On January 12, 2001 at 00:41:33, Garry Evans wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> A short while ago, i asked you on ICC, would you acknowledge that computers are
>>>>>of Grandmaster Strength if Rebel Won the Match against Van der Wiel, your answer
>>>>>Was yes!! So would you please honour this agreement and acknowledge here in
>>>>>Public that computers are GM Strength?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>2-3 years ago my estimate was that the programs were at about 2400-2450 on
>>>>the FIDE Elo level.  I would probably change that to barely 2500 for today's
>>>>much-faster hardware.  I wouldn't begin to suggest they are beyond 2500
>>>>yet, however.  They _still_ have a lot of weaknesses.
>>>
>>>Hi Bob,
>>>I don't usually participate in this sort of discussion but hey, its a slow
>>>progamming day :-)
>>>Personally I'd bump that 2500 up to around 2550, which I guess is 'GM strength'
>>>whatever that means exactly.
>>>
>>>I think its easy to over estimate the strength of humans, because they are
>>>capable of playing very profound chess.  However the practicalities of playing
>>>chess free of tactical mistakes are definitely non trivial, even for GMs.
>>>Relentless tactical pressure definitely works against GMs, a fact clearly
>>>exploited by players such as Kortchnoi and Fischer.
>>>
>>>Also, we now have comps that are more than capable of exploiting small
>>>positional advantages and grinding out points that way.
>>>
>>>I hear that GMs will 'learn to exploit computers', as if chess computers were
>>>just invented yesterday.  Of course they will score the occasional impressive
>>>anti-computer victory, but I think these are becoming increasingly more
>>>difficult to pull off.  Perhaps the trend is more a case of the programmers
>>>learning to exploit the GMs?
>>>
>>>cheers,
>>>Peter
>>
>>
>>I don't think we will really see how "bad" computers can be until we see
>>the day when computers play in human events with regularity.  IE until a GM
>>is _forced_ to address the issue of computers, he isn't going to do so.
>>
>>A good curve-ball pitcher is simply bound and determined to throw his curve,
>>until he finally realizes that there are a few batters that are going to
>>knock him off the mound.  Then he begins to learn which batters like the
>>curveball and he throws them sliders or fastballs or changeups or whatever.
>>But until _he_ (he being the pitcher) finally accepts the fact that he simply
>>can't throw a curve past some batters, he is going to keep trying.  And keep
>>watching as his pitches get knocked into the parking lot.
>>
>>But sooner or later, he will begin to "throw to the batter" and not "to the
>>catcher" and then he becomes a _real_ pitcher.  And those batters that can
>>_only_ hit curve balls begin to have real problems since it is very difficult
>>for them to adapt to sliders or whatever...
>>
>>the human GM players haven't gotten to that point yet, although if you watch
>>on ICC, you see a few "new breed" GM players.  I watched Mecking rip a well-
>>known program several games (and about 100 Elo points) to pieces the other
>>night.  Because he played the right kind of positions.  I have watched GM
>>players play Crafty 10 games in a row, finally quitting when they get a draw
>>on the 10th game.  Against the computer they are beginning to play very
>>deliberately toward drawish positions because that raises their ratings (since
>>the comps on ICC are usually rated above them).  Humans will eventually respond
>>when the challenge is recognized.  Right now computers are a novelty in the
>>GM tournaments.  I doubt computers will become very commonplace there, which
>>means they will continue to do pretty well vs the humans.  Until they invade
>>the human's territory enough that the humans decide to take action.
>
>Computers may be a novelty in GM tournaments, but they are not a novelty to GMs.
> I think many if not most active GMs (in particular those that make a living
>from playing chess) would be using Fritz or some other program for checking
>analysis at the very least.  Kasparov has stated publically that he does this
>for example.  Probably some GMs are using computers to play training games too.
>
>I would think that having your own personal copy of a program would be about the
>most helpful thing possible for a GM preparing to play that program.

Maybe.  But in talking to several, they _still_ think that in a serious game,
they can play their normal openings and slug it out.  Some do this on ICC and
simply lose 30 games in a row.  And then win 1.  And they say "I knew I didn't
have to change my style of play, I can beat this thing with a normal opening."
And then they promptly lose another 30 in a row (blitz of course).



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