Author: Fernando Villegas
Date: 12:10:56 09/06/98
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Hi Don: Glad to talk with you again... if this is talking at all. :-) With respect to this issue of what makes better..etc.., let me say something very simple from the point of view of just an user, not a programmer. In my view, after decades to play computers, what makes a program more efective againts humans is exaclty the degree they play like computers, such simple like that. Why? Well, when we say a program play "like computer" I understand we are saying it play basically on the ground of tactical shots, search, etc., that is to say, in the area where they are objetively stronger than average player and so, logically, they should be stronger than us precisely in that area. How you normally lose against a top program? Simple: losing a pawn after a tactical combination, sometimes very hidden, sometimes just based in a blunder from us. If we does not take into account the games where we were goping to lose BUT we took back the blunder move, the statistic would be more convincing in showing us we lose there, in the tactical realm. For the same reason we tend to lose sooner when the program, besides being tactical, is agressive. Fritz is not a paramount strategist, but it is enough his agressive behaviour and lethal tactics to beat us very soon. Rebel is more strategically inclined and so he let me some room to think in peace and I usually get draws against him, although I have never won a game to Rebel. With Fritz 5,03 -not 5,00- the story is very different. Same with Junior. Exception made of IM and GM, player lose in any stage of the game -even in endings- because tactical blunders and/or tacctical shots by the adversary. And that strenght is based very sustantially, as far as I know, in searchin ability, in sheer speed, in full and very huge tree searches. I know that it is supposed that in the are aof tactics almost all has been got and that now positional play is what is lacking to programs for reaching new heights; that could be truth, but I feel that a lot must still be done in tactics and if a programmer concentrate in that fiedl his effort, THAT will be at the same time the way to do a program better than human in higher proportion as usual now. Best regards fernando
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