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Subject: Re: A question about how the evaluation function works

Author: Bob Durrett

Date: 16:29:38 11/14/02

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On November 14, 2002 at 13:34:05, Ron Murawski wrote:

>On November 14, 2002 at 03:26:47, Daniel Clausen wrote:
>
>>On November 14, 2002 at 01:47:38, Ron Murawski wrote:
>>
>>[snip]
>>
>>>A computer never knowingly plays a true sacrifice. All it can do is make the
>>>move that will get it the highest score, aka "best move".
>>
>>And that is different to how humans play a sacrifice exactly how? Computers are
>>a bit more number-centric than humans, but that is true for the
>>non-sacrifice-moves as well as the sacrifice-moves.
>>
>
>The distiction is this: a human can make a move based on gut-instict or based on
>experience from playing other similar positions, a computer cannot.

Maybe it would be more accurate to say that currently available chess engines DO
NOT.  The word "CANNOT" seems speculative.

Bob D.

>If a chess
>player knows his opponent he might play a slighly inferior move knowing that the
>other player is uncomfortable in certain situations whereas a chess engine will
>never play a slightly inferior move. In order to get a computer to play a true
>sacrifice, you have to give a large enough positional bonus to fool the engine
>into thinking it's gaining something. Most computer programs are very
>materialistic and it's difficult to "fool them" this way.
>
>>
>>>In order to get an engine to play a knight sacrifice, you must award enough
>>>attacking bonuses to outweigh the loss of the knight.
>>
>>And a human has to see and evaluate the attacking chances too to outweigh the
>>loss of the knight. Again, how is that different?
>>
>>
>>>My own engine attempts to do this and I find that sometimes it works and
>>>sometimes it doesn't.
>>
>>As it does with humans.. just ask Kramnik. ;)
>>
>>Sargon
>
>Notice that it was Kramnik who sacked his knight, not Fritz. It seems the top
>commercial engines won't sac unless they see paydirt in the lookahead.
>
>Ron



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