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Subject: Re: Computer Chess is pointless

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 01:31:54 01/09/02

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On January 08, 2002 at 18:54:20, Bas Hamstra wrote:

>On January 07, 2002 at 14:52:49, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On January 07, 2002 at 14:42:35, Bas Hamstra wrote:
>>
>>>On January 07, 2002 at 12:06:24, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>
>>>>On January 07, 2002 at 11:44:44, Bas Hamstra wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On January 07, 2002 at 10:29:12, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On January 07, 2002 at 07:35:14, Bas Hamstra wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On January 07, 2002 at 07:08:08, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On January 06, 2002 at 21:17:43, Bas Hamstra wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>...because the fastest hardware simply wins. You can invent all kind of
>>>>>>>>>ingenious tricks, but it's nothing compared to faster hardware. On 2x faster
>>>>>>>>>hardware Tao just crushed GT 3x in a row and won the latest 10 15/0 games at
>>>>>>>>>FICS against strong opponents on slower hardware. Come on, the only fair way to
>>>>>>>>>compete is on equal hardware. I don't want to buy a computer twice a year just
>>>>>>>>>for CC tournaments, that's ridiculous. IMO the competition would be much more
>>>>>>>>>satisfying on equal hardware. Factor 2 hardware difference means hard to win for
>>>>>>>>>any program against a not too bad opponent. Anything above that makes the
>>>>>>>>>chances *way* too small to be fair. Yet that is quite normal in tournaments and
>>>>>>>>>you won't hear anyone about it. Program X played this AMAZING knight sac
>>>>>>>>>againtst program Y!! Hardware differences seem to be simply ignored. And that's
>>>>>>>>>crazy, in fact.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Bas.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Then why didn't Zugzwang win IPCC99. It is not a bad program at all.
>>>>>>>>In tests it completely annihilated the commercial programs they tested
>>>>>>>>against.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Zugzwang was at like 512 alpha processors and getting millions of nodes
>>>>>>>>a second. I can't even remember how much, but zugzwang is already a slow
>>>>>>>>program on a PC...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>...it was using (making use of message passing and thereby losing many
>>>>>>>>factors of speed but it is worth it) global hashtable and was having more
>>>>>>>>Mhz and bigger hashtables than anyone else.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>This though the 17 ply searching Cilkchess at like 256 (or 500?)
>>>>>>>>sun processors wasn't searching undeep either. Yet it lost chanceless from
>>>>>>>>8 ply searching Lambchop.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>How do you explain that?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Yes, I expected this.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>a) The probability that the "best" program wins a tournament is far smaller then
>>>>>>>you would expect. We once did some math and simulation, the shocking conclusion
>>>>>>>was that the probability that the best program wins the tournament was only 50%
>>>>>>>or something near that.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>b) CilkChess is a bad program. If you practically only do piece square then even
>>>>>>>17 ply won't help you.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The server or the SSDF gives better data (more) to draw conclusions from. Both
>>>>>>>indicate that hardware is an enourmous factor.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Best regards,
>>>>>>>Bas.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The ssdf does not say that hardware is an enourmous factor
>>>>>
>>>>>Are you serious? When has there EVER been a program in the top-3 that was not on
>>>>>the fastest chip?
>>>>>
>>>>>>A1200 against K6-450 is more than2 times faster and
>>>>>>Crafty on A1200 is not better than the best programs
>>>>>
>>>>>What does this prove other than that it is hard to overcome a factor 2? It
>>>>>hardly occurs! Clearly a BIG factor...
>>>>>
>>>>>>on K6-450.
>>>>>>If your program is really better than GambitTiger
>>>>>>when the hardware difference is only 2:1 then
>>>>>>you may do it a commercial program.
>>>>>
>>>>>On 2 to 1 hardware advantage I fear not a single program. But that's easy to say
>>>>>because that holds for everyone with a not too crappy program. Better at 2:1? I
>>>>>don't know, it would certainly be an interesting experiment to test it.
>>>>>
>>>>>Bas.
>>>>
>>>>By your definition most of the programs
>>>>are too crappy programs
>>>>
>>>>see http://home.hccnet.nl/leo.dijksman/index.html
>>>>
>>>>The programs in the second devision and lower devisions are
>>>>most of the programs and I expect all of them to lose a match
>>>>of 10 games against Tiger when the hardware difference is 2:1
>>>>against Tiger.
>>>>
>>>>I expect even most of the programs in the first devision
>>>>that includes Crafty to lose a match against Tiger
>>>>in the same conditions.
>>>>
>>>>Uri
>>>
>>>I have seen the programs. Tell me why you expect that, maybe we can solve the
>>>problem. Are you willing to take a bet? My money is on YACE bigtime. Let's say
>>>8-2 for YACE if the books are about equal.
>>>
>>>Bas.
>>>
>>>Bas.
>>
>>
>>8-2 for yace is not ralistic.
>>
>>Even if you take the same program against itself on
>>2 times slower hardware you are not
>>going to get an average result of 8-2
>>
>>7.5-2.5 is 200 elo difference and being 2 times faster
>>gives only 70 elo advantage.
>>
>>Uri
>>
>>Note that yace is a strong program
>
>Well, sorry I picked a program from you list :-)
>
>And yes, a result 8-2 with one program playing itsself at 2:1 is quite possible,
>why do you say that? The ELO formula is nice, but A will see everything that B
>does, and MORE.
>
>Let's say we take the latest Fritz and play 100 5/0 games. Now, with the ELO
>formula in the back of our heads, what do you predict?
>
>
>Bas.

I predict 59-41 for the twice faster hardware
that means 72 elo difference.

Uri



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