Author: Robert Hyatt
Date: 05:59:25 08/21/98
Go up one level in this thread
On August 21, 1998 at 07:58:21, Robert Henry Durrett wrote:
>There have been quite a few threads this month dealing with test positions which
>test verious aspects of the software.
>
>But there is one question about the software which nobody seems to want to
>mention: Why do the chess engines have trouble with the initial position where
>no pieces have been moved yet? [Position at the start of all chess games]
>
>If the programs can be "tweaked" so that they play good openings, then all of
>the opening books will become unnecessary!
>
>Why not work on the "initial position" and get the programs to find the best
>move for that position?
The primary reason this fails is you will get killed doing it. As a test,
try Crafty with either book=off, or book random 0, which means it will play
the exact same opening moves if you don't vary the time control. If you lose,
you can pick *any* move of yours you made, and replay the game to that point
and vary, knowing the program will walk down the same line again, since they
are "deterministic". You will eventually find a move that wins, and then it
is all over when word gets out, because everyone will play that move.
opening books provide three things:
1. save time by providing reasonable moves instantly;
2. provide variability so you don't get trapped playing the same opening
line over and over until someone busts it...
3. avoid a few deep but well-known book traps that are too deep to search,
but which are known by everyone...
Most programs will probably play decent theory on their own. But they will
repeat it game after game, too... and that is bad...
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