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Subject: Re: Question of SMP Tiger from CSS

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 08:43:10 05/02/01

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On May 02, 2001 at 02:32:27, Chessfun wrote:

>
>
>>A SMP version of Tiger exists. Actually existed last year.
>>A friend of mine went on a long hollyday last year, and instead of leaving his
>>dual system unused at home, he lent it to me.
>>I developped a SMP version on top of Chess Tiger 12.2.
>>But as I already told several times SMP was not a priority for me. So once I had
>>SMP working, I disabled the code in Tiger's source code. I did not erase it of
>>course, I just deactivated the relevant parts of code.
>>Since then, Tiger has evolved on many points, including a different internal
>>move coding and a different hash table structure.
>>So now I cannot just reactivate the SMP code. It will not work directly. I need
>>to reactivate it and adapt it to what has changed in the latest Tiger engines.
>
>>It's not a lot of work. The principle of the SMP algorithm does not have to be
>>rewritten, it's just a matter of adapting the code.
>
>>I just asked for a little delay in order to do that and to double check that
>>everything was working.
>
>>You can have your doubts about this SMP version, but after all if I send a SMP
>>Tiger that crashes in Cadaques, I will be the one to look stupid, not the
>>organizers of the Kramnik match.



I'm willing to let a lot of hype slip by, but not _everything_.  It seems you
are saying you developed an SMP search over a weekend.  I have too much
experience with parallel search to believe that.  I don't think I could even
steal my SMP code and move it into something like gnuchess in a single weekend,
and get it working reliably.

Believe me, this is _not_ a weekend task.  It is not a month task.  It is really
not a year task.

I would not ever believe there is an SMP Rebel until there is a windows version
of Rebel.  DOS is _not_ capable of running on an SMP platform itself, much less
managing threads in any way...  I have a _really_ hard time believing that a
robust SMP algorithm is a week-end project, unless I am a far worse programmer
than I believe.  And unless _everybody_ else that has done one is also pretty
incompetent as well...




>
>Actually I have seen to many of your ideas these past few months actually come
>to pass to doubt either your word that one existed, or that you could have got
>it working with the additional changes since 12.2 within a stated timeframe.
>
>It is a shame if one had existed that after April 8 at CSS the organizers were
>not contacted immediately.
>
>
>>Completing the DF-DJ match has taken a full week, and that was the amount of
>>time I have asked for. It was possible to run the DF-DJ match, and then let the
>>winner play against SMP Tiger.
>
>That really don't sound right as that implies Tiger gets a bye into the final.
>Naturally you could have run a tourney of 24 games then insert Tiger to play
>both the Deeps.
>

I agree.  The "last entry" has the best chance.




>
>>Some people have said that I have kept a "secret" around the SMP Tiger. That's
>>not really the spirit. I have no plan to commercialize the SMP Tiger in the near
>>future, so I was not trying to keep a secret in order to create a surprise.
>
>
>No I understand what your saying. You have always said SMP wasn't something you
>were in a rush to get done. But now what we actually have is a working 12.2 that
>you say you could have got ready in 2 weeks. One week prior to the match between
>the Deeps then it would be ready.
>
>With you previous statements on SMP what made you originally spend the time
>implementing it in 12.2?
>
>>Actually I am currently working on another project, which has a higher priority
>>for me, and this one can be called a secret. It will not be a secret anymore in
>>a few days. Actually I think a few people can already guess what I am working
>>on.
>
>My guess. A Tiger for Palm !
>
>Sarah.


I _really_ dislike this argument.  "I am not telling anybody what I am doing,
but I am certainly going to be pissed if they exclude me because they didn't
ask, not that I would have told them anyway."

I think the exclusion of Ferret is a _far_ more serious issue that seriously
damages any credibility this "qualifier" might possibly have had...



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