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Subject: Re: A Good Test Position (Tim/Steve, check this out)

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 06:01:30 08/21/98

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On August 21, 1998 at 08:55:50, Dan Homan wrote:

>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?
>
>I think that playing a good opening is a very hard problem with a
>very easy solution... just build a quality opening book.  I this is
>why some programs haven't been "tweaked" to play good openings without
>a book...  (I think that my program will default to something like
>the '4-knights defense' without it's opening book - solid development,
>but not exactly exciting chess :)
>
>Even if programmers did tweak their programs for quality play in the
>opening (without a book), they would still use a book because of the
>great potential savings on the clock.
>
>I agree that it would be nice to have a program with a strong evaluation
>of opening positions.  (Some programs may have this... I don't know, as I
>don't use them this way).
>
> - Dan



server time seems to be hosed.  I posted the previous message at 12:00 CDT,
but it shows up at 8:55am.  I thought you guys were in the continental US?

:)




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