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Subject: Re: SSDF and the programmers............

Author: Ed Schröder

Date: 02:41:06 03/18/98

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>Posted by Enrique Irazoqui on March 17, 1998 at 19:45:08:

>Not such a sophisticated learner, by the way. A simple one, a human-like
>one. A learner that repeats the opening line when winning and avoids it
>when losing, just as we do. In the process, it takes care of double
>games.

Here you go "a sophisticated learner"................

You want us to solve everything with learners????

Where is the chess engine (the main reason why people buy chess
programs) in your point of view?

Well, I will give you a very good and (hopefully) convincing example
that COMP-COMP learners have the potential to cheat on SSDF.

Before doing so I like to emphasize this topic is about COMPUTER VERSUS
COMPUTER games as played on the Swedish Computer Rating List also called
the SSDF. This topic is not about learning in normal Human-Computer
games.
Rebel supports that and the learner software will be further improved.
This little introduction in order to avoid confusion.

The example...

I now know that the Swedish interrupt matches and then later restart the
match. All ok and understandable and nothing wrong about that.

BUT..................

looking at my code with this "new" information I can make advantage of
that information and add special learning -ROTFL- software which will
gain at least 30-40 ELO points on SSDF.

This is no joke. I checked the Rebel9 book learn software and I can
do it if I wish. This is crazy no? It's crazy because the 30-40 elo
improvement is counted as a gain of playing strength. That's what
the list implies or?

And now the $64,000 question....

Shall I?

It's a cheat no?

It's a cheat because it hides the REAL strength of an chess engine.

The SSDF list (as I always have understood) is meant to order chess
programs in a list based on playing strength. These days my only
conclusion is that "learners" do have too much influence to succeed
that goal.

It's my fear that competing in SSDF will end in fights between
"sophisticated learners" (as you like to name them) instead of
the original goal which is fights between two strong engines.

This whole "learning" (as currently programmed and in relation to
SSDF) is a cheat in itself which I don't want to be a part of
(anymore). Look at the above example. It's crazy, no?

- Ed -



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