Author: Dieter Buerssner
Date: 08:39:41 09/12/02
Go up one level in this thread
On September 11, 2002 at 06:26:01, Uri Blass wrote: >>If you reverse the scores it will consistently pick the longest way to the mate. >>That way you are _sure_ never to checkmate. > >No > >You will finally have no choice because there is not going to be longer mate >because of the 50 move rule or repetition. It is more complicated, when you consider the usage of hash tables (not only for moveordering, as in your case, but also for cutoffs). There might be a repetition after the cutoff move of the hash table, that returned the mate. Similar for 50 moves rule. Even prefering short mates can yield in a draw with mate score, when the search is aborted after the first mate score, and you have no other code to avoid this. Another variant of this is the infamous incomplete TB problem, where engines refuse to promote. In some positions (perhaps even in most), not stopping the search with the first mate score, would fix it. But, as discussed here several times, more reliable fixes exit. Regards, Dieter
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.