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Subject: Re: How Much Benefit to Expect from Learning?

Author: Dann Corbit

Date: 09:18:56 06/14/02

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On June 14, 2002 at 12:09:34, Robert Henry Durrett wrote:
>_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>
>Posted by Dann Corbit on June 14, 2002 at 11:18:06:
>
>"An Honest Way to Cheat":
>
>Implement learning.  All computer programs should do this anyway.  If they don't
>it is a defect and the program deserves to be punished.
>
>_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
>
>A FEW QUESTIONS:
>
>(1)  How much benefit is **possible** in chess engines by incorporating
>"learning"?  Also, how to measure that benefit?

At infinity, given infinite storage, a learning program will play perfect chess.

>(2)  Are there poor, ineffective, ways to do it and good, effective, ways?

Sure.

>(3)  What would be the **best** way to incorporate learning in chess engines?

Nobody knows.  Here is what has been tried:
1.  TD-Lambda learning is used to adjust the weights for internal calculations
during play.  Examples are BACE, ExChess, KnightCap.
2.  Book learning will remember bad lines, and continually gather statistics
about book lines during play.
3.  Position learning will recall information about specific board positions.

Are there others?  These are the only ones I know about.

>(4)  Perhaps it would be necessary to distinguish between "knowledge based"
>learning and other kinds of learning?

What does this mean?  Learning is nothing more than an accumulation of
knowledge.  This accumulated knowledge is used to make better and better
decisions.

>(5)  Is this already discussed sufficiently in other ICD CCC threads or in the
>literature somewhere?  If so, where?

Scattered all over the place.



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