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Subject: Re: The Tweakers & Twisters in CC please do come back to chess (Appeal 2

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 19:34:17 10/11/02

Go up one level in this thread


On October 11, 2002 at 15:52:58, martin fierz wrote:

>On October 11, 2002 at 13:01:03, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On October 11, 2002 at 05:33:33, Rolf Tueschen wrote:
>>
>>>On October 10, 2002 at 22:48:19, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>I never said he was doing that, and hope I never implied I thought he was.  He
>>>>simply has found weaknesses that lead to predictable play in particular types of
>>>>positions, whatever they may be.  The rules prevent _any_ changes to the program
>>>>excepting for the opening book, and changing the opening book would only be an
>>>>attempt at dodging around a problem rather than doing something to change the
>>>>basic way the program behaves...
>>>
>>>To me it seems that you are here on the same error than in SSDF statistics and
>>>Elo. The pattern I discovered is this, you can't accept that certain things
>>>can't be done! And then your reaction is _not_ to support a general change in
>>>the approach, but you say "the approach, how we always did it in the past, is
>>>correct and if human players won't accept _our_ tradition, then bad for them,
>>>_we_ simply won't play".
>>>Let me speak it out. You'd hate to lose the possibility to tweak and twist, so
>>>that you could always confuse a human chess player. Because that is no longer
>>>about _chess_ but about gambling and psyching out the human player.
>>>This is most ridiculous because you yourself are the expert for the whole topic
>>>of CC who is never tired to explain that chess programs are not yet as strong as
>>>human GM players. But instead of accepting the truth in its complete meaning you
>>>are completely out of your mind the moment you are fantazising a match where
>>>Crafty or Cray Blitz could be involved. In short: split interests.
>>>
>>
>>
>>No...   But I assume you don't _really_ play chess so that you don't understand
>>what
>>goes on.  For example, I _frequently_ used to prepare openings for specific
>>opponents.
>>If my opponent liked tactics, he wouldn't get 'em from me, he would get a
>>positional
>>struggle.  If my opponent hated tactics, he would get gambits from me.  That is
>>a _part_
>>of the game.
>>
>>A human can decide to play aggressive one game, passive the next, or whatever he
>>wants,
>>to keep his opponent off-balance.  If the game is important, I might choose to
>>try something
>>I haven't tried before, if I know my opponent is prepared for my normal opening
>>choices.
>>
>>The computer doesn't behave like that, as it is not "aware" of anything about
>>its opponent,
>>yet.  The ability to "tweak" it gives it a "pseudo-awareness" thru the
>>programmer.  Nothing
>>more...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Yes it [Crafty] has weaknesses.  But _not_ the same
>>>>weaknesses as Fritz.  It understands a lot about majorities, candidates, pawns
>>>>on wings, etc...  Enough that it would take him time to discover what it didn't
>>>>understand, and he only has _eight_ games to do that...  Not enough with me
>>>>tweaking between rounds to keep things off-balance.
>>>
>>>
>>>You couldn't give a more honest confession. I think the hype about DB2 is only
>>>understandable with that confession. In that light your statement that Kasparov
>>>should simply have managed to get a better contract is in itself untrue! Because
>>>for IBM/Hsu and you yourself the tweaking in little show events is the main
>>>remedy to calm your own, your collegues and the many lovers of CC _conscience_.
>>
>>
>>
>>"conscience" is not an issue.
>>
>>
>>>All know exactly that no machine could become dangerous for a human GM in a fair
>>>match. Your only chance is the tweaking and twisting, I would call it the
>>>psyching out mode, or the confusional mode.
>>
>>I won't go that far.  Your last sentence is certainly true.  But then have you
>>ever watched
>>a GM play a weaker player?  He slams pieces.  He slams the clock.  He grimaces
>>and stares
>>at his opponent?  Psychology?  You betcha...
>
>i have played something like 20 GMs in my chess career. i have not had any of
>this happen even once. i don't know what kind of GMs you have in mind, but
>"normal" GMs don't do that!
>
>aloha
>  martin

The first one that comes to mind is GM Walter Browne.

That should be enough for anyone having played him.

:)



>
>
>
>
>>Computers _do_ have a chance against GM players.  IE I would not mind playing
>>Crafty in
>>a series of FIDE events.  How would it do?  No idea.  But it would certainly
>>"evolve" between
>>tournaments as I learn from the previous games and try to improve it.  It is
>>certainly more than
>>posisble that a computer could do well.  Deep Thought is such an example, with
>>its Fredkin II
>>prize performance in _many_ GM events.  And it was _certainly_ undergoing
>>changes between
>>events, if not between rounds.
>>
>>Speaking for myself, I really don't do much between rounds.  In years past, if I
>>lost a game I
>>might adjust the opening book so that I wouldn't repeat the opening the next
>>round, but since
>>I did the book-learning stuff, that is unnecessary.  Against strong computers I
>>might have Crafty
>>play off-beat openings to avoid their very good book preparation.  And if I knew
>>a GM (Roman
>>for example) like something like the London system, I might try to give him
>>something that would
>>make that  difficult to reach.
>>
>>But _if_ I saw something that looked really bad, or even which might be
>>classified as an outright
>>bug, I would certainly exercise my right to fix it between rounds...  Which the
>>Fritz guys can't
>>do...  But which a human certainly can.  IE Kramnik can certainly choose to not
>>go for a specific
>>type of position, once he realizes that the machine is going to drub him if he
>>does.  The program
>>needs that same sort of protection, since it can't provide it itself (yet).
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>The problem is, he has found a "style" of play that minimizes his chances for
>>>>errors, because he has found that without queens, a program that relies on
>>>>aggressive
>>>>play suddenly becomes clueless when the attacking chances are not present.  And
>>>>he
>>>>_knows_ that before he starts the match.  Were this my program, he would not
>>>>because
>>>>I simply would not have agreed to such a ridiculous set of rules.  Of course, he
>>>>would
>>>>never play Crafty anyway because he wanted those rules and I would never have
>>>>agreed to them, so end of match before it could get started...
>>>
>>>That was confession Part II.
>>>
>>>If your machine is weaker than  GM then you are not ready yet to give up all
>>>hopes. No, then you either try to tweak and twist or you deny a match at all. Or
>>>you dismantle the whole machine after 6 games only... Hsu and Bob are well in
>>>the same boat here. Really? Isit all about gambling? I thought it were about
>>>chess.
>>
>>I simply want a match that is as fair as possible.  Between rounds, Kasparov
>>could walk up
>>to Kramnik and say "I noticed that it seemed to be happy with the position where
>>you had
>>lots of isolated pawns but a terrific attack brewing."  Kramnik could take that
>>comment
>>and adjust his play in the next round.  Is that fair?  If so, then why can't I
>>"say" something
>>similar to Crafty between rounds???
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Not even close.  Kasparov complained because deep blue seemed to "change".  In
>>>>one
>>>>game it seemed to evaluate bishops too high, in the next, not high enough.  That
>>>>is enough
>>>>to disrupt a plan, and if you only have 8 games to develop a plan, I believe he
>>>>would have
>>>>a _much_ harder time.  Yes, I believe he would win.  He might even win with the
>>>>same
>>>>margin of victory.  But he would definitely have to "work" for the victories,
>>>>rather than
>>>>using pre-obtained knowledge to steer the program into never-never land with
>>>>little
>>>>chance of anything bad happening at all.
>>>
>>>
>>>It is very painful to read you here. It's so mean and average (as if Kramnik
>>>would not show real chess, but only genral preppy stuff). Here we are talking
>>>about a chess master, an artist, and there we have the tweaker & twister. Who is
>>>playing God. Just by some primitive gambling tricks.You seem to have no respect
>>>for the artistic mastership of human chess GM! No matter what you say on
>>>different occasions. I know! You will quote thousands of different phrases. But
>>>as in the question of SSDF,you simply can't understand that you can't follow two
>>>different choices. One could only be true! Either something is true or wrong.
>>>And if something is wrong then you can't define it as the practical best. Try to
>>>implement as many code you like where your program may gamble, but stop to
>>>gamble yourself.
>>
>>
>>I don't follow the above, so I won't comment...
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Excuse me, but do not think for a second that I would tell you such thoughts if
>>>I were thinking that you are lost in such debates. Certain ideas must simply be
>>>expressed to become new and acceptable even for such dinos like you.
>>>
>>>Rolf Tueschen
>>
>>
>>I may be a "dino" but I am not yet "extinct".
>>
>>:)



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