Author: Robert Henry Durrett
Date: 14:34:10 06/02/02
At http://kramnik.homestead.com/Fujitsu.html, Kramnik is quoted as saying: "It is much more difficult to prepare against a computer than against a human opponent. When I play GMs I prepare the openings which belong to my repertoire and which I consider to be good. Against a computer the same method is not so convenient partly due to the fact that computer is allowed to check huge opening databases during the game that may include specific preparation against my favorite variations. It is also important to understand that even if my analysis may be quite good I can't simply remember all of them so it looks dangerous to enter into a theoretical opening battle." This raises the question: Will DF have real-time access to considerably MORE than an opening book during the play of the match games? Specifically, will DF be able to study a database such as Megabase 2002 **during** these games? If it is true, then one might wonder what the outcome of the match would prove. Normal DF programs do not have such access, nor do they [presumably] incorporate software to peruse and evaluate database games. Although questions of morality are surely dead end and pointless, it would seem important that the match realistically represent future human/computer matches. If DF wins, one might wonder whether or not it might have won with a normal opening book and nothing else. Normally, when Kramnik, or anybody else, plays against a commercial version of any chess engine, he is playing against an opening book which is NOT optimized for play against any one human. However, DF being given an “anti-Kramnik” opening book should not be deemed unreasonable because that is no different from what happens in human-human matches. For example, when Kasparov prepared for his ill-fated match against Kramnik, Kasparov prepared and memorized his own “secret” anti-Kramnik opening book. This sort of thing is normal in all human-human matches. DF would be unfairly handicapped if DF were to be denied the use of it’s own "secret" anti-Kramnik opening book. As to who prepares DF’s anti-Kramnik opening book . . . Well, that too is not much different from what is done in preparation for high level human-human matches. The players typically have a team of GMs working on this long before the match. So, that leaves the issue of appropriateness and wisdom of letting DF use a Megabase database during the game. After all, this is not supposed to be an “Advanced Chess” match. Is it? Bob D.
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