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Subject: Re: Understanding Basic Search Techniques is Hard! Please Help.

Author: Ricardo Gibert

Date: 15:22:23 02/09/01

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On February 09, 2001 at 11:29:52, Eran wrote:

>
>As a beginner in chess engine programming, I study the book "Scalable Search in
>Computer Chess" and other downloadable articles about the basic search
>techniques: minimax, negamax, and alpha-beta pruning. Unfortunately, I do not
>understand them, because they are not crystal-clear. In other words, I have a
>hard time figuring out how the basic search techniques work and how to apply
>them to chess engine programs. I am a bit surprised to see that the basic search
>techniques are difficult. Moreover, any book teaching a beginning chess
>programming does not exist nowadays.
>
>What can I do exactly in order to understand them very clearly please?
>
>I would appreciate your help.
>
>Thank you,
>Eran

The techniques are not as difficult as they seem to be. What happens is the
people that know what they are doing in technical fields are notoriously bad at
explaining what it is they know. Fortunately, there are exceptions and you just
have to find them.

For instance, in physics Richard Feinman was noted for his ability to explain
things clearly. So much so, that other physicists would come to him and explain
*there* ideas to *him*. He would then explain the *same* idea *back* to them in
his own inimitable and clear way and they would thereby understand their *own*
idea better.

Good luck.



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