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Subject: Re: Bad Joke?

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 21:21:50 04/16/01

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On April 16, 2001 at 23:16:03, Chessfun wrote:

>On April 16, 2001 at 22:51:17, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On April 16, 2001 at 20:08:12, Rajen Gupta wrote:
>>
>>>On April 16, 2001 at 19:53:23, Peter McKenzie wrote:
>>>
>>>>On April 16, 2001 at 18:38:42, Mike S. wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On April 16, 2001 at 15:52:33, Peter McKenzie wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>(...)
>>>>>>Firstly, any qualification tournament should be an author operated manual
>>>>>>tournament on hardware selected and supplied by the author.  Only this way can
>>>>>>we be certain that each program will play at its best.
>>>>>
>>>>>Do you realise that this is a double-edged sword, at least for a top class
>>>>>commercial product? The customers don't get author operation, or hardware
>>>>>selection and supply by the author, when they buy a program.
>>>>>
>>>>>So if I am repeatadly told, this program is at its best operated by its author
>>>>>etc., I'm going to think it will not be at it's best when I use it myself on my
>>>>>two years old computer, compared to other programs that do not claim this. It's
>>>>>pure anti-PR.
>>>>>
>>>>>Although I wonder if a program calculates faster, if the author clicks the
>>>>>mouse. :o)
>>>>
>>>>Very funny :-)  But really, I think your joke is misplaced.
>>>>
>>>>Its not that the programs can't play their best when the author is not present,
>>>>the point is that if the author is present we can be SURE that the program is
>>>>operating conditions which are optimal for it.
>>>>
>>>>If the program is operated by a 3rd party, then it is still possible that the
>>>>program is operating under optimal conditions BUT we have a number of issues:
>>>>
>>>>1) The 3rd party is unlikely to be as careful as the author.  The author has
>>>>invested many years in his program, and therefore has much greater motivation
>>>>for making sure that everything is set up 100% right.  All those little things
>>>>like selecting the right book, turning pondering on, configuring for the right
>>>>number of CPUs, setting the right hash sizes, making sure that no other
>>>>processes are stealing CPU, making sure tablebases are installed correctly etc
>>>>etc.
>>>>
>>>>Of course a 3rd party will probably get these things right, but if you had to
>>>>bet your life on it I think you'd rather have the program author doing it.
>>>>
>>>>2) The author will be much more capable of diagnosing any problems than a 3rd
>>>>party.  Problems?  What problems you say.  Well, lets think about hardware
>>>>problems for a start.  Memory can fail from time to time, and of course hard
>>>>drives can fail too.  And how about the CPU?  Remember when Ed Shroeder managed
>>>>to demonstrate that his Kryotech chip was faulty in one of the Rebel matches?
>>>>
>>>>These things are somewhat rare, although they are more common on the sort of
>>>>state of art hardware that is likely to be in use.  In any case, the author is
>>>>likely to spot the problem (and recommend a course of action) before anyone
>>>>else.
>>>>
>>>>3) Fairness: of course the 3rd party should be impartial, but how can we be sure
>>>>of this?  I don't personally know the people involved in the Kramnik
>>>>qualification match, although I assume they are probably fair and unbiased.
>>>>However I would have alot more faith in a competition being fair if the authors
>>>>were present because I know they are going to make sure that they are getting a
>>>>fair deal.
>>>>
>>>>Its like the old saying goes: 'Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to
>>>>be done'.
>>>>
>>>>That about sums it up really.
>>>>
>>>>Regards,
>>>>Peter McKenzie
>>>
>>>HI PETER: APPARENTLY CHESSBASE IS MORE THAN HAPPY FOR ENRIQUE TO OPERATE BOTH
>>>PROGRAMMES. IF SHREDDER AGREES TO ENTER THEN I THINK THERE IS GOING TO BE A
>>>REPRESENTATIVE FROM MILLENIUM TO OVERSEA ITS OPERATION (OR SO I GATHER)
>>>
>>>IT IS CHURLISH TO CLAIM THAT PEOPLE DONT KNOW WHO ENRIQUE IS. HE IS ONE OF THE
>>>MOST IMPARTIAL, AS WELL AS RESPECTED FIGURES IN COMP CHESS BESIDES BEING AN
>>>EXPERT IN THE FIELD. HE HAS BEEN OPERATING THE CADAQUES FOR SEVERAL YRS
>>>INCLUDING SHREDDER AND REBEL (BOTH OF WHICH NORMALLY DONT ALLOW THEIR GAMES TO
>>>BE PUBLISHED.)
>>>
>>>WHO BETTER CAN YOU THINK OF TO RUN SUCH A SELECTION?
>>>
>>>RAJEN
>>
>>
>>I think Enrique would be a great choice to run such a tournament, assuming
>>that the authors themselves can not attend.  But in this case, no such
>>tournament is needed.  The opponent for Kramnik is intuitively obvious to
>>the most casual of observers...
>>
>>PS _please_ fix your capslock key.  Shouting (SHOUTING) is considered poor
>>manners.
>
>Regardless of the opinion of Shredder being the obvious opponent,
>what do you do when you casn't reach terms with Shredder?.
>You get another candidate but naturally still ask shredder if
>it wants to participate. Naturally the reply is negative.
>
>Then to play a match you try to determine what other candidates
>are available and you seek help from the SSDF...all seems ok to me.
>
>Sarah.


First, what do you _really_ know about the "failed negotiations?"  I don't
know a thing.

Second, the SSDF is _not_ the place to go to get a challenger.  This is
_clearly_ the place for the ICCA to be involved, since the ICCA is affiliated
with FIDE and sanctions the two recognized computer chess titles.



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