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Subject: Re: How would Hitech do against Crafty and others?

Author: Bruce Moreland

Date: 10:47:47 01/18/01

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On January 17, 2001 at 15:43:22, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>And the difference between HiTech and today's programs is _not_ 300-400
>elo.  It is not even 200. Hitech Reached beyond 2450 USCF, which is certainly
>beyond 2400 FIDE.  I don't believe we have a 2600 FIDE program around today,
>no matter what the hardware, with the possible exception of Deep Blue itself.

I think it's very possible that Hitech could consistently lose 3 out of 4
against modern stuff running on the best hardware, which is what is required for
a 200 point delta.

I don't think that you make a very strong argument when you take a national
rating against humans, convert it to a FIDE rating, estimate the FIDE ratings of
current computers against humans, then compare.  Every aspect of this is
controversial.  You could start a 50-post thread about how to convert from USCF
to FIDE, for instance, not that I have any intention of starting it.

Computer chess people have always had two problems to solve -- computer vs
human, and computer vs computer.  I think that they are very distinct problems.
People who used to use supercomputers to play against 80286 machines were not
receiving much of a challenge, and who knows what kind of bizarre thinking was
adopted without there being much difference in outcome.  Everything you do looks
like genius when your opponent is searching 5 plies.

I think the disadvantage of having to pioneer, combined with the lack of readily
available serious computer competition, is such that I doubt that Hitech would
do very well against modern programs running on superior hardware.

The micro programmers have travelled in a competitive herd for years.  Everyone
knows if they are weak or strong.  If they are weak, there is great incentive to
make changes in order to get strong -- despair because someone else outsearches
you by a ply on the same hardware is a powerful motivator.  This has to result
in stronger computer vs computer play than working in a near-vacuum for years.

bruce



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