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Subject: Re: Approximate # of Unique chess positions (FEN working)

Author: Sune Fischer

Date: 17:53:48 01/18/02

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On January 18, 2002 at 20:52:40, Sune Fischer wrote:

>On January 18, 2002 at 20:24:52, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On January 18, 2002 at 19:49:25, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>
>>>On January 18, 2002 at 19:26:08, Chris Hull wrote:
>>>
>>>>On January 18, 2002 at 19:06:26, Chris Hull wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On January 18, 2002 at 17:13:29, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Hehe, this was the old:
>>>>>>(64*(64 - 4)*62!)/((62 - 30)!*(8!*2!*2!*2*2)^2)= 1.1*10^42
>>>>>>capture a piece and turn a pawn into a queen:
>>>>>>(64*(64 - 4)*62!)/((62 - 29)!*7!*8!*2!(2!*2!*2*2)^2)= 1.33*10^41
>>>>>>
>>>>>>OK, so its about a factor 10 or maybe about same order of magnitude, they drop
>>>>>>fairly quickly though.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Here is the table of numbers Uri's program dumps as it goes (which is the list
>>>>>>>by category):
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I would like to know his approach ;)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I'm quite sure it is, unless someone can find a flaw in the product (which there
>>>>>>could be of cause;)
>>>>>>A number like 64 squares for the king is very optimistic, most of the squares
>>>>>>will be attacked, you can't be in check if it isn't your turn, and you can't be
>>>>>>in check by more than two pieces (right?) and so on, many rules that will
>>>>>>diminish the final product. In particular the pawn movement, pawns have a rather
>>>>>>limited number of squares they can go to, if just one pawn has half of 64
>>>>>>squares, then that is a factor 2 smaller yet.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>-S.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Does this take into account all the possible promotions? It is possible to have
>>>>>9 queens on one side or 9 rooks or 9 bishops or 9 knights, or any combination
>>>>>thereof. Each possible promotion will make the number larger. 31 pieces on the
>>>>>board has more possible positions than 32 because you have to take into account
>>>>>the promotions. If 31 pieces are remaining there is upto 3 possible promotions.
>>>>>Makes the calculation a little more difficult.
>>>>>
>>>>>Chris
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Oops, make that 9 queens or 10 rooks, or 10 bishops or 10 knights. Some days my
>>>>fingers work faster than my brain.
>>>>
>>>>Chris
>>>
>>>You do have a point Chris.
>>>I tried to refine the number a little bit:
>>>
>>>All 32 pieces:
>>>(64*(64 - 4)*23^4*21^4*18^4*14^4*62!)/((62 - 14)!*(8!*2!*2!*2*2)^2)
>>>= 5.13*10^36
>>>
>>>I put in the factor: 23^4*21^4*18^4*14^4
>>>because the d and e pawns has 23 squares, the c and f pawns has 21 squares and
>>>the b and g has 18, a and h has 14 (unless I miscounted;)
>>
>>I do not understand it
>
>Actually there are 24 squares for a white d pawn:
[D]8/pppppppp/PPPPPPPP/PPPPPPP1/1PPPPP2/2PPP3/3P4/8 w - - 0 1
>
>with 32 pieces it is stopped by the black pawns.
>The correct factor would be: 24^4*22^4*19^4*15^4
>but actually it doesn't change the result all that much.
>
>>if there are 32 pieces you can say that for every file you have exactly 15
>>options to put the pawns so you get 15^8 options to put the pawns.
>
>why 15? You've lost me.
>
>>I do not understand how do you get 23 squares for the d and e pawns.
>
>You're right, it should be 24 (see diagram).
>
>>It is clear that you can reduce the number of possibilities by a big factor with
>>32 pieces.
>>
>>Things are less clear with less pieces.
>
>True enough, but the factorial 62!/(62-30)! decreases rapidly as you lower the
>number of pieces. You get a factor 4-5 back in front, but it is not enough to
>make up the loss.
>
>>I guess that 10^40 is close to the right number of legal positions and I am not
>>sure if the real number is lower or bigger.
>
>I believe the correct number it is around 10^33, so many upper limits could
>easily cost a factor 100.
>
>>It is going to be hard to prove 10^40 as a bound for the number of legal
>>position and I believe that it may be possible to get an estimate by the monta
>>karlo method of generating random positions and finding the number of legal
>>positions from them.
>>
>>I have ideas to improve my program for the upper bound and it can help in
>>generating random positions but I did not find it as important to waste more
>>time about it.
>>
>>Uri
>
>
>I will look at your code tomorrow, right now it is 2:54 am, so I'm headed off to
>bed;)
>
>So long amigos
>-S.



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