Author: Dann Corbit
Date: 14:14:23 05/30/01
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On May 30, 2001 at 16:04:42, Alan Grotier wrote: > >Once again I agree with you. >Of course a chess program must have an opening book repertoire to be able >to compete.But it seems to me with my limited knowledge that too much emphasis >is put on developing an opening book to give the program it's strength. When it is the best possible source of strength, the programmers would be idiots not to use it. >From a consumers stand point I would prefer to have a chess engine that can >play good chess with-out an opening book because it understands or at least >attempts to understand the position / situation at any given moment. Delete your opening book then. ;-) >This does not mean precluding learning features or other enhancements! >Just no book included. Easily accomplished. >Then one must be able to add any opening book of choice including the program's >author book which would presumably be the strongest. > >I own F5.32 and it does not make opening stupid moves with book-off. >With book-off as black it plays: e4 e5, d4 d5, c5 e5 and b3 e5. > book-off as white it plays: d4 or e4. I notice that chess engines have preferences. When I used to play crafty without an opening book, it almost always played the sicilian dragon. But I guarantee you that without an opening book, chess engines will play really stupid moves from time to time. The faster the time control, the worse it will play. An experiment: 1. Remove your opening book. 2. Set the board to this position: [D]r1bqk1nr/pppp1ppp/2n5/b7/2BpP3/2P2N2/P4PPP/RNBQ1RK1 b kq - 3. Have it analyze away. If your engine says: dxc3 then it's wrong. Nge7 is much better. A computer with a good opening book won't play that. A computer without an opening book is very likely to play dxc3. Let it buzz away until it finds the right move. Consider how it would turn out in a blitz game. On many occasions, Vincent has shown severe weaknesses even in 16 ply or more computer analysis for opening positions.
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