Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: How to Cheat in SSDF Competitions

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 21:20:16 06/13/02

Go up one level in this thread


On June 13, 2002 at 21:17:28, Keith Evans wrote:

>On June 13, 2002 at 16:55:11, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On June 13, 2002 at 14:03:19, Dann Corbit wrote:
>>
>>>On June 13, 2002 at 10:43:42, Robert Henry Durrett wrote:
>>>
>>>>An idea:
>>>>
>>>>Perhaps it is possible to know, in advance, which computer SSDF will use for
>>>>testing of a particular chess program.
>>>>
>>>>If so, then do you suppose it would be possible to get a higher rating by
>>>>optimizing the code for that particular computer?
>>>>
>>>>How much higher?
>>>
>>>5 ELO tops.  Maybe 10% improvement in speed if they spent a great deal of effort
>>>writing special tricks for a particular CPU.  In fact, it would be an incredibly
>>>stupid waste of effort.  Far better would be to spend the same time trying to
>>>improve their fundamental algorithms.
>>
>>
>>I disagree.  Look at what the fritz guys did to Chess Tiger on the chess server
>>with the h4 opening.  If a program _knew_ its opponent, it could certainly use
>>that to good effect.  That would have been a +200 point SSDF rating swing.  I
>>don't say that a single program can cook every other one, but that was a well-
>>known cook that worked very well.  game after game.  Without an opening book
>>for either side after h4.
>>
>>Actually it might have been something like 1. e4 h5 where black won every
>>game, I don't recall since it didn't affect my program, and since I don't try
>>to cook my book for other programs even though on the chess server I do know
>>exactly who I am playing.
>
>I don't think that you disagree - you're just discussing a different topic.
>Knowing the detailed specs of the computer hardware that your program will be
>running on is a lot different than knowing what program will be your opponent.
>Right?


Rats... you are correct.  By "which computer" I was thinking "which computer
program".

Wrong answer.

To quote a famous old line from Saturday Night Live...

"never mind"

:)



This page took 0 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.