Author: Dann Corbit
Date: 17:26:51 08/09/02
Go up one level in this thread
On August 09, 2002 at 17:28:19, José Carlos wrote: >On August 09, 2002 at 16:37:39, Roy Eassa wrote: > >>They are offering to give Kasparov $700,000 to show up and lose. He's only >>human and that's an awful big temptation. Why would he work a thousand times as >>hard for an extra 14%? >> >>Just show up, play casually and without concentrating very hard, and you're >>$700,000 richer. >> >>I've never heard of a match in any sport in which somebody gets only 14% more >>money for winning versus losing. >> >>Why not cut the loser's share dramatically and make it interesting? > > I agree with you. > This sounds to me like motivating Kasparov not to try hard for a win, which is >a bad way to get a good result (for the program team). > I'd rather give money for each win, maybe 33% of it for each draw and zero for >losing, which would allow us to see what Kasparov can achieve against the >computer. > With the conditions you mention, I think Kasparov will go for a minimum win. Imagine you are Kasparov. You have been publicly humiliated in front of 2.5 billion people or so in 1997 -- in the highest profile chess match of all time and billed as man verses machine. In the press conferences that followed, volcanic rage is the best and most fitting description of the resulting attitude. Seething in anger for 5 years at your 'silicon humuliation', someone offers you $700,000 to prepare for a match and an additional $100,000 if you win. If you win, it may look like 'man really was better than machine' after all [to the common 'Joe on the street']. If you lose, this time, people may point out: 'It was only a little tiny desk machine this time.' Do you really (honestly) believe he might possibly sandbag it? I simply cannot imagine that. Now, I can imagine if he starts off 3-0, he might draw/draw/draw just to get a quick pocketful and a win. But he will try for all he is worth. I also believe he will prepare harder and better than he ever has for any match. And now, people know ways to beat computers better than throwing goofy openings at them. There is a lot more data available as to what works.
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