Author: Robert Hyatt
Date: 10:03:13 06/19/02
Go up one level in this thread
On June 19, 2002 at 11:22:16, Kurt Utzinger wrote: >What do you think about > >1.) >Playing engine-matches on a single CPU with ponder=on is nonsens? > >2.) >Playing engine-matches with ponder=off is in general nothing worth? > >3.) >Engine-matches with ponder=on either using autoplayer or dual CPU is the only >way to prove something? > >Kurt 4) playing engine-engine matches on the _same_ CPU is worthless. :) Why? a) ponder=off is unnatural and many engines are not well tested in this mode, meaning they might screw up on time allocation or in some other way. IE in Cray Blitz, until I had "saved up some time" I wouldn't use the "fail low -> use more time" algorithm at all. And with ponder=off, saving up some extra time is impossible. b) ponder=on can cause problems. Most of the time both engines will compute 100% of the time. And get 50% of the cpu. But suppose one engine is not so sophisticated and fails (on occasion) to have anything to "ponder"? It will sit idle, giving the other program 100% of the cpu and a 2:1 time advantage for that search. Either way is suspect.
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