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Subject: Re: More correct analysis here...

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 09:34:06 02/02/02

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On February 02, 2002 at 12:01:53, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On February 01, 2002 at 13:33:51, Ed Schröder wrote:
>
>>On February 01, 2002 at 09:05:35, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>OK  Here is the email again:
>>>
>>>My first question to them was "did the X(Y) depth notation in Deep Thought
>>>mean X plies in software, Y additional plies in hardware as it did when I
>>>watched your program?"  Here is a reply from a member of the team:
>>>
>>>Quote On---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>In the DT logs, the number in () after the plies is indeed
>>>the depth of the HW.  It was changed dynamically, but only
>>>within a narror range (3, 4, somethimes 5). I would not
>>>be surprise if CB kept this notation, but I don't know for
>>>sure.
>>>
>>>As you say, too
>>>low, and the HW ends up idle because the host is too slow.
>>>Too high, and the host is bored...
>>>However the real reason for not letting the HW go too deep
>>>is search efficiency: the HW does not use the transposition
>>>table, hence it was best to balance the memory bandwidth
>>>availabe on the host for hash table accesses.
>>>
>>>Quote Off--------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>The second quote came as a response to my question "Does DB report the
>>>depth using the same form of the X(Y) notation as was used in Deep Thought?"
>>>Here is the answer, again:
>>>
>>>
>>>Quote On---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>Hi,
>>>
>>>CB is in town this week and I had lunch with him, where we
>>>chatted a bit about DB and the like. A while back, when you
>>>looked over DB's logs (put up by Murray without IBM careing
>>>much), you were impressed by their depth and branching factor.
>>>
>>>Well, the depth notation is as I told you and just like it was
>>>in DT, so it really does go *that* deep...
>>>
>>>For example, in DT, 9(4) meant a 13 ply search.
>>>
>>>Quote Off--------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>The last sentence is very convincing.
>>
>>
>>>That is the best I can do.  I asked about DT, which I saw _many_ times from
>>>behind their monitor and they explained the X(Y) notation as I have reported,
>>>several times.  I then asked if DB kept the same notation and CB (nickname for
>>>Hsu) said "yes it did."
>>>
>>>Can it be any more clear than that?
>>
>>No it can not, according DB team 12(6) = 18.
>>
>>However the statement conflicts with their own documentation, hence the
>>confusion.
>>
>>So maybe I am wrong about the subject.
>>
>>Ed
>
>
>As I mentioned in the past, on more than one occasion they had said "we did
>an N ply search there" and when I saw their output it said N(X).  I didn't give
>it any thought until I finally asked "what is that X value?".  And Murray or
>Hsu explained it.  I then asked "why did you say N ply?" and one of them
>responded "the hardware search is much simpler than the real software search
>and we tend to think of that as a unique form of a 'static evaluation' even
>though it does include a search + capture search."

I guess that the reason is simply that it was basically selective search that is
clearly more selective than the search that other programs are doing when they
search X plies.

This search can include moves that are not captures but I guess that it includes
only part of them and is more selective than normal null move pruning.

I see no reason for them to say N(X) and not N+X(X) if it is not the case.

12 plies brute force+6 plies selective search in the way that Crafty or Rebel or
another top program of today do seem to be impossible even when I know that
12(6) was only in part of the cases.

Top programs often need about 100Knodes for searching 6 plies when it seems that
the hardware of deeper blue needed only 8 Knodes when the hardware could not use
hash tables if I understand correctly.

Uri



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