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Subject: Re: Unfair play by chessbase and tiger at auto232 player

Author: Ed Schröder

Date: 00:05:15 03/27/01

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On March 27, 2001 at 03:03:05, Ed Schröder wrote:

>On March 27, 2001 at 02:21:40, Lex Loep wrote:
>
>>On March 26, 2001 at 17:10:56, Ed Schröder wrote:
>>
>>>On March 26, 2001 at 13:56:06, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hello People,
>>>>
>>>>Why design a protocol for auto232 player?
>>>>
>>>>That is the basic question.
>>>>
>>>>My interpretation is that this protocol needs to
>>>>be followed to play games at the auto232 player then.
>>>>
>>>>The protocol as designed by Chrilly and Stefan is
>>>>having a number of commands.
>>>>
>>>>The most important is that one is called 'slave' and the
>>>>other is 'master'. Now being master says shit about whether
>>>>you play better chess, but it says something about what
>>>>your function is within the protocol.
>>>>
>>>>If you are master, then your function is to start the game
>>>>and afterwards ship your opponent the command to save the game.
>>>>
>>>>Let's first discuss the chesspartner interface which is used for
>>>>Gambit Tiger. Gambit Tiger is giving very little problems on the
>>>>auto232 player, let's start mentionning that. It doesn't have
>>>>big demands to play a game. It's happy very soon. No need to
>>>>have a machine with zillions of megabytes of RAM, no need to
>>>>have 7.5 GB of EGTBs on the harddisk before it start playing.
>>>>
>>>>It plays no problems there.
>>>>
>>>>however, WHY does it have an UNMARKED checkbox by default
>>>>to let the other guy save the game when Tiger is Master.
>>>>
>>>>This means the opponent is by default NOT ALLOWED to save the
>>>>game.
>>>>
>>>>This is very unfair behaviour.
>>>>
>>>>It's like playing a grandmaster for the first time, then
>>>>ship the grandmaster to a clinic. They operate him and he has
>>>>lost all memories about the game!
>>>>
>>>>Of course you can avoid this by difficult programming. So saving
>>>>the game during the game already. Learning during the game etcetera.
>>>>
>>>>BUT WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE PROTOCOL THEN?
>>>>
>>>>In my opinion it is UNFAIR to by default leave this checkbox unmarked.
>>>>
>>>>In the default settings it must be marked!
>>>
>>>
>>>It is no problem to set the option "marked" as default. I will forward
>>>the topic to Lex. Maybe he has his reasons, I don't know.
>>>
>>
>>The options you set are remembered from session to session, thus
>>once you have set the option on, it stays that way as default.
>>
>>Lex


>Yes, that is true.

>But there are some programs that rely on "learning" during "save
>game" and so I think it is justified to set "save opponent game"
>to "on" as default setting which was the original complaint of
>Vincent.

Correction!

Of course such a change should not disturb the quality and stability
of auto232 in general. That decision is up to you.

Ed


>
>
>>>One plausible reason is that people don't have an interest at all to
>>>have the games saved twice. Of course you as a programmer want to have
>>>the games saved in your own format.
>>>
>>>But then chess programmers are not in the majority concerning the volume
>>>of end-users who only care about a wellknown format such as having the
>>>games in PGN.
>>>
>>>So I think you are in the minority here, buy hey the option is there
>>>and that is the main important thing.
>>>
>>>Ed
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>The same applies to chessbase products but even worse.
>>>>
>>>>First it is very worried about having the right openings book to
>>>>auto232 play. Secondly it wanted more hashtables and at least a
>>>>machine with 128mb RAM. Further it wants all EGTBs installed on harddisk.
>>>>
>>>>Only after all those criteria are met, then finally fritz wants to
>>>>auto232 play.
>>>>
>>>>The first box you see then it already has by DEFAULT UNMARKED a markbox
>>>>which will ship a 'save game' command to the opponent after the game.
>>>>
>>>>This is pretty unfair!
>>>>
>>>>So it wants itself the BEST POSSIBLE conditions, like at least 128mb RAM,
>>>>a lot of EGTB installed. Hundreds of megabytes of harddisk for a big
>>>>openingsbook etcetera. All those criteria it wants in order to not even
>>>>by default give the opponent a 'save game' command after the game,
>>>>DESPITE THAT THIS IS THE PROTOCOL!
>>>>
>>>>Now people can legally complain that their protocol looks like Chrilly/Stefans
>>>>protocol, but that it is not the same, and that the only differences
>>>>are that by default chessbase ships some extra commands in order to
>>>>recognize whether on the other side is also a chessbase program and that
>>>>the other thing is to by default leave the 'save game' for the opponent
>>>>is unmarked.
>>>>
>>>>all legal crap. JUST GIVE THE SAVE GAME COMMAND by default.
>>>>
>>>>That chessbase wants their own main product to win the auto232 matches
>>>>somehow by shipping commands to other chessbase interfaces to get certain
>>>>things done, that is completely their own responsibility and decision.
>>>>Quite logical decision actually. I would want Fritz to win too if it was
>>>>my main product. I'm not here to speak for how chessbase must run their
>>>>company. That is their own business.
>>>>
>>>>But i'm here for those who want a fair match between non-chessbase products
>>>>and a chessbase product, as well as chesspartner-tiger,
>>>>which in future also is going to lose from Fritz as i understood.
>>>>
>>>>I understand that programs not learning are greatly influenced by
>>>>this default unmark trick.
>>>>
>>>>You can produce your own PGNs and only those can get interpreted, whereas
>>>>opponent is NOT allowed to show as slave the pgn, except if that
>>>>programmer works around this.
>>>>
>>>>Much easier as everyone doing a hell of a lot of effort is simply to
>>>>give everyone that 'save game' command.



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