Author: Don Dailey
Date: 19:17:47 07/16/98
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On July 16, 1998 at 13:06:46, Christophe Theron wrote: >Hi > > >Preliminary remark: > >I would like to see such events called: "Computer Chess Programmers >Championship". > >1) Computers are nothing without their programmers >2) This would eliminate de facto any twin entry >3) This reflects a little better the human dimension of the event > >I would like to see a "World Microcomputer Chess Programmers Championship" >(WMCPC or WMCCPC) this year. >Most of the programmers that have a "big iron" program have also a microcomputer >program. It is your case, Bob. I suppose Don also has a micro version of >CilkChess, or can easily do a one processor version. > >I don't know about you, but I'm personnaly mainly interested in knowing how my >PROGRAM compares to other programs, and not how my HARDWARE compares to others. > >That's why I would like to see something close to a uniform platform event. I >know this cannot be the case, because we already have at least 2 classes: PC >programs and Alpha programs. > >But maybe we could set a limit in the clock speed. Say 400MHz for x86 computers >and 600MHz for Alphas, so the championship does not turn into a race for the >fastest hardware. The numbers can be discussed. > >That's also why I would like to see the championship limited to one processor >per computer. If you're talking about the Micro championship, have no fear, it is indeed limited to one processor per computer. >The problem, as in previous WMCCC, is that every competitor will have to bring >his own hardware. For example, I will have to travel from Guadeloupe with my >computer "on my back". Worse, my current fastest computer is a K5-100MHz. So I >will have to purchase a faster one to compete. > >What are we going to evaluate in this championship? The programmer's skill to >write a good chess program, or the programmer's skill to find a good sponsor? That's a good question. But I don't think the answer is what you think it should be. I think the sponsers and the ICCA is interested in awarding the title to the strongest machine/software combination the entrants can muster. It is NOT a programming contest as you believe it should be. As evidence of this, the WCCC has always produced some finely engineered chess playing HARDWARE devices. If the event was viewed as a programming contest SEVERAL of our computer chess world champions would have been disqualified at the door! But these devices have not always won either! Micro's are strong enough to win this event, the current world champion is Fritz! Would you deprive Fritz or any other micro the opportunity to beat a program like Deep Blue and win the championship? Maybe yours will win the next one! I know how you feel however. Every since I have been in these tournaments I have been among the weakest in terms of hardware. It's disheartening to put all the work into it and then face a program like HiTech or Deep Thought or Cray Blitz. But simply excluding these programs is not a very good answer. Recently I have been much luckier with hardware and have had support from MIT. And yet still, I am rarely running with the fastest hardware at the event. I like your idea a lot, as a separate event called the "World computer chess programmers contest" as you suggest. However I don't think it should REPLACE the WMCCC. To make YOUR suggested event fair (to test the algorithms and quality of the ideas) you would probably not want to allow assembly language programs as that tends to be grossly unfair to the other platforms being developed on. I really think you would have to specify a single machine to do this correctly and require the programs to be ANSI C. The platform should probably be Alpha's if they are available as they are the hottest machines for chess right now. And it wouldn't be fair for someone who is developing on INTEL for instance to face a competitor who has his own ALPHA at home and writes assembly code for it. Also the machines should be supplied and be exactly the same so there is no issue of who can afford to bring what. But you can see there are a lot of logistical problems here. - Don
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