Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: A question about quiescence search

Author: Alessandro Damiani

Date: 10:50:17 10/20/02

Go up one level in this thread


>As one can see if there is a queen attacked the score will be ~9 pawns below
>eval if for example there are no captures, unless one add the excuse of
>"tactical moves" and say saving the queen is a tactical move then or a barbarie
>like that.
>If you are referencing it then you are supporting it somehow? is it correctly
>written here? let state clear that as presented here is very imprecise, or very
>wrong. In any case replace a good qsearch with this obviusly won't do an engine
>any stronger, so may be it has only a didactic meaning.
>

By tactical moves defencive ones are also ment. So, saving the queen is a
tactical move.

I don't use Beal's method. As we know, in computer chess there is no "that's the
only right way to do it". Ed Schröder said here in the CCC that he uses a more
complex qsearch than the simplistic one. Vincent also uses a more complex
qsearch.

One can resolve quiescence issues either by a more complex qsearch or by a
smarter inner search. What one does is up to the programmer, as usual in
computer chess.

What do you mean by "is it correctly written here? let state clear that as
presented here is very imprecise, or very wrong."? Are you talking about the
algorithm I cited?

If yes, then I can tell you that I cited the algorithm correctly. Please, if Don
Beal's work is the subject, then read his paper. This way we both save time.

The following statement you made - "In any case replace a good qsearch with this
obviusly won't do an engine any stronger, so may be it has only a didactic
meaning." - is typical for an unexperienced chess programmer. BTW, "a good
qsearch" is maybe based on Beal's algorithm. ;)

Why did I cite Beal's algorithm? To explain Tomar what a pessimistic view in
qsearch is. By evaluating the null-move and using this score as a starting point
one states "I look at my hung pieces as if they are lost". This is the
pessimistic view.

Alessandro



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.