Author: bob o
Date: 20:06:10 03/25/02
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>That's nice for the programmer, but as far as determining whether or not we have >reached the point where computers are better than the best humans, does it mean >anything? I don't think that there will be a defining moment when everyone in the chess world can say that the computers are better, unless overnight they start scoring 100% against Kasparov, Kramnik, etc. How I see it: imagine that you wanted to know where you were at. But you are blindfolded, can't smell, etc. All you can do is grab a handful of stuff from your environment and listen to the sounds; and the ideal environment is a beach. The first handful you grab is a bunch of grass. This isn't what you're looking for, so you move, and try again. This next mix is half sand and half dirt. This is promising, but you think you are in a part of the forest because you hear birds chirping. So you move again. This time you grab all sand, but all you hear is a rattlesnake. So this means that you are probably in the desert. Finally, you move again. This time, the handful is all sand. Also, you hear the ocean, kids playing, etc. Finally, the beach! Or is it a desert that has a playground in it, with a large pool, seagulls imported, etc. How would you know when you eventually reach your destination? I don't think that in chess people will be satisfied until we have 32-men tablebases (meaning never). I say this because you can still play Chinook, the checkers program that ruled the world, online. And I think computer chess will be the same; one programmer won't be happy with his program if it beats Kasparov 10-0 if it scores 4/10 against another program, and the other programmer wants to beat the first one 10-0. So there will probably be a cycle of improvements. To be sure, there will be alot of interest lost after humans are soundly beat all the time, like how IBM retired Deep Blue. But there will always be die-hards.
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