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Subject: Re: BGN's "no-time" argument soundly refuted

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 09:16:19 05/08/01

Go up one level in this thread


On May 08, 2001 at 11:57:07, Larry Proffer wrote:

>On May 08, 2001 at 11:43:29, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On May 08, 2001 at 10:58:01, Larry Proffer wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>Thank you for your reply. I concur.
>>>
>>>What we do know is that Fritz and Junior are, to all intents and purposes
>>>'equal', or very nearly 'equal'.
>>>
>>>If we need to find a winner, it makes *no* difference how many games we play.
>>>
>>>If we play one game, Fritz has a 50% chance, Junior a 50% chance.
>>>
>>>If we play one thousand games, Fritz has a 50% chance and Junior has a 50%
>>>chance.
>>>
>>>Number of games is not relevant when they are so closely matched.
>>
>>I guess that the number of games is relevant and if the number of games is
>>bigger the better learner is going to win and it means probably that Fritz is
>>going to win after many games because Fritz has a bigger book so it is more easy
>>for it to learn to go for lines that the opponent does not understand.
>>
>>Uri
>
>1. This, of course, opens up a lot of questions as to why machines were switched
>after a few games. This would have killed Fritz's learn files.

Why?  Everything could have been moved easily.


>
>It is known that 'book-learning' can have bad effects, particularly after a
>string of losses. The effect can be to push the program away from its usual
>openings into even worse areas of the book. The desire, of course, is to hope
>that it gets pushed away from the losses towards soemthign less bad, but, in
>practice, it can be pushed into even worse regions from which there is no
>escape.


I don't know "where this is known" from..  If you lose a game with a specific
opening, and you don't play it again, you won't lose that game again..



>
>Books are so large, and the pathways produced by learning so unpredictable, that
>this effect is quite common.

I have been doing "book learning" for 5 years now.  I don't see this at all
and I have a big book.


>
>So another question is why carry out a machine switch whose effect would have
>been to kill the learnt data?
>
>
>2. We know about learning in computer chess. Would you tell us if it (comp-comp
>learning) has any relevance at all in 'finding the best opponent for Kramnik'.
>Doesn't the luck involved with this bi-program learning process (remember, the
>learning pathways are almost infinite - we don't know where they lead, and they
>may make things worse) just add to the general fact that Fritz still has 50%
>chance, and Junior still has 50% chance?

Learning is part of the engine.  In a match vs a human, a computer had _better_
have good learning skills or it will lose the same game over and over..




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