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Subject: Re: Material Values

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 02:15:45 01/21/02

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On January 21, 2002 at 04:10:06, David Rasmussen wrote:

>On January 20, 2002 at 18:24:33, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On January 20, 2002 at 16:39:23, David Rasmussen wrote:
>>
>>>On January 20, 2002 at 14:36:44, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>but it is still not clear because the other evaluation stuff is important.
>>>>
>>>
>>>Of course the other evaluation stuff is important. I am not suggesting to cancel
>>>all evaluation other than material. I am just saying, instead of having a pawn
>>>be 1 and a knight be 3, and then somewhere in evaluation check if you have
>>>exchanged a knight for three pawns, then you penalize by, say, 0.5, why not just
>>>let the knight have a value of 3.5? I know there are more than one requirement,
>>>which is why it isn't trvial. But there still might be a solution. It is
>>>basically a linear programming problem. I don't say that material values should
>>>cover all sorts of evaluation cases, but material _do_ have values right? And
>>>who says that 1,3,3,5,9 is the Unchangeable Truth?
>>
>>I did not say that 1 3 3 5 9 is the unchangable truth.
>>
>>I said that the numbers are meaningless without more knowledge about the
>>evaluation.
>>
>>1 3 3 5 9 in a chess program may be eqvivalent to 0.8 3 3 5 9 if you change the
>>piece square tables.
>>
>>
>>Uri
>
>This has nothing to do with piece square tables. I am _only_ taking about
>material special cases. Three pawns for a bishop. Two minor pieces for a rook
>and a pawn. Two rooks for a queen. Etc. Everything else will still have to be in
>the evaluation. The reason for having material values in the first place is
>_primarily_ to solve such _material_ special cases. Is it good to win a queen
>for a pawn? Yes, 1,3,3,5,9 says it is. Is it good to win two minor pieces for a
>rook and a pawn? 1,3,3,5,9 says it doesn't matter. 1,3.5,3.5,5.5,10 says it's a
>good idea. If the minor pieces had little mobility, and the rook was active it
>might be a bad idea. Other evaluation terms will measure that. But you will have
>to have these terms _anyway_. Why have 1,3,3,5,9 and then have code that checks
>if you have traded two minor pieces for rook and pawn and then give a penalty?
>
>/David

You assume that material is evaluated as a constant and positional evaluation is
added later

It is not the case in my program

I have a constant array for evaluating white pieces

int pcsq[6][64]

When I need to evaluate a knight at b2 I simply translate knight to 1
I translate b2 to 9 and I add pcsq[1][9] to my evaluation.

Can you tell me based on the array pscq[6][64] what is the value of the knight
in my program?

Uri



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