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

Author: Wayne Lowrance

Date: 10:21:07 05/08/01

Go up one level in this thread


On May 08, 2001 at 12:16:19, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>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..
>
Bob, I think that I have at times destroyed book lines for normal time controls
by playing blitz and bullet with losses. But these lines may be perfectly sound
for long time controls. I do not know this to be fact.

Also another thought. Consider two opening main lines a.) Line (a) is in fact
better than line b). But against a better program line (a) loses, _not_ because
it is a bad line, it just lost. Maybe line (a) was playing a superior cpu, a
superior program and it lost.

Opening line (b) is inferior to line (a) stipulated and will loose even worse
but now both of the lines, as I understand are Kaput.
>
>
>>
>>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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