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Subject: Re: Mathematical question regarding chess

Author: Gordon Rattray

Date: 06:08:08 08/01/01

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On July 31, 2001 at 22:35:26, Christophe Theron wrote:

>On July 31, 2001 at 19:18:36, Roy Eassa wrote:
>
>>On July 31, 2001 at 15:26:08, Ed Panek wrote:
>>
>>>On July 31, 2001 at 15:24:48, Roy Eassa wrote:
>>>
>>>>On July 31, 2001 at 15:21:17, Ed Panek wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Lets say I have a move generator that selects a random move every time it is its
>>>>>turn. What are the odds against it drawing/winning a game? Is it less likely
>>>>>than winning a game of Keno with all the correct numbers picked?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Is the opponent Kramnik or Deeper Blue?  Or a human rated 400?  Or another such
>>>>"random" program?  I think this matters.
>>>
>>>Lets try a random opponent first...and then Kramnik
>>>
>>>Ed
>>
>>
>>Obviously, the chance of beating another random-playing program is 50% (not
>>counting draws).
>
>
>It depends how is programmed the random opponent.
>
>If the opponent just picks a move at random, odds are 50%.
>
>If the opponent is a program that does some sort of of alpha beta on a tree
>where the leaves receive random numbers, this opponent will win very often.
>
>That means: a random evaluation function is much stronger than a program
>choosing a move at random.

Do you assume that a move leading immediately to checkmate, stalemate, etc.
returns a meaningful (non-random) value?  If not, I don't understand why your
claim holds true?  I assume a "random evaluation function" to be random for
*all* positions.

Gordon


>
>This does not answer your question but probably gives food for thoughts about
>what randomness means, or is good for. :)
>
>
>    Christophe
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>The chance of beating Kramnik or another top-notch grandmaster is so small as to
>>be essentially zero.  Perhaps one in (ten to the power of 40).
>>
>>What might be most interesting is estimating the chance of beating an extremely
>>weak human player -- I don't know how low ratings go, but say USCF 400.  (I have
>>a friend with a 4-year-old daughter who knows the rules of chess but not much
>>more.)  Then the question becomes: how much better (or worse?!) than random are
>>that player's moves?



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