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Subject: Re: Some questions about Verified Null-Move Pruning

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 08:55:07 11/22/02

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On November 22, 2002 at 10:59:33, Uri Blass wrote:

>On November 22, 2002 at 10:52:03, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>
>>On November 22, 2002 at 10:47:00, Uri Blass wrote:
>>
>>>On November 22, 2002 at 03:46:06, Tony Werten wrote:
>>>
>>>>On November 22, 2002 at 03:31:37, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On November 22, 2002 at 02:59:34, Tony Werten wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On November 22, 2002 at 02:44:52, Tony Werten wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 17:01:11, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 16:55:04, Tony Werten wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 16:19:17, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 16:05:45, Tony Werten wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 13:52:33, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 13:05:28, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 09:16:09, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>On November 21, 2002 at 08:34:36, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>1)I do not find in the pseudo code in figure 3 undo null move.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I assume that it should be before if value>=beta and after value=-search(...)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Am I right?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>That is why it is called *pseudo*-code :-)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>You have to fill in the obvious parts by yourself...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>2)What is the value of the research for tactical strength?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Should it help significantly relative to searching to reduced depth when
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>value>=beta without research (even when we get value that is less than beta).
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>I didn't understand the question. Dp you mean doing a shallow search even when
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>we don't have a fail-high report?!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>I meant to ask what is the tactical value of the research(You suggested people
>>>>>>>>>>>>>to start with doing it without the research first and only after it works to do
>>>>>>>>>>>>>it with the research)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>The re-search is needed only in zugzwang positions. Such zugzwang positions
>>>>>>>>>>>>occur very rarely in midgames; so you can forgo the zugzwang detection re-search
>>>>>>>>>>>>and still benefit all the improved tactical performance.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>I was quite surprised to see them from the starting position at a rate of 5 per
>>>>>>>>>>>second. Not impressive, XiniX searches 400 Kn/s there, but still surprising.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>The rate of what, was 5 per second?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>"Zugzwang positions" or rather, positions where nullmove would have given a
>>>>>>>>>cutoff but that after reducing depth and searching gave a score < beta.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>You mean you got an average of 5 zugzwang indications per second in middle
>>>>>>>>game?!!! Then your program has instabilities which cause a huge number of
>>>>>>>>needless re-searches due to false zugzwang alarm. Turn off your zugzwang
>>>>>>>>detection at once!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I'm quite interested in finding out what is happening so I'll leave it in for a
>>>>>>>while. I think it has something to do with tempo. XiniX doesn't use futility
>>>>>>>pruning so I'm quite curious to know if programs that do, have a bigger false
>>>>>>>zugzwang count.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Think I found it. Your algoritm doesn't seem to work correctly with threat
>>>>>>detection, causing instabilities. Maybe your testprogram didn't use it ?
>>>>>
>>>>>I do not understand
>>>>>
>>>>>Can you explain?
>>>>>
>>>>>I did not find something strange with the 5 "Zugzwang" per second in the opening
>>>>>position because I assume that it is all about the horizon effect and not about
>>>>>real zugzwang positions".
>>>>
>>>>Yes, and R=3 gets the horizon closer than R=2. Threats fe get found easier with
>>>>R=2.
>>>>
>>>>Tony
>>>
>>>I now checked with movei and counted 63 horizon effects in the first 10,000,000
>>>nodes.
>>>
>>
>>By 63 horizon effects you mean zugzwang detection (they are two different
>>things!)?
>
>The algorithm does not detect zugzwangs but cases when null move search return
>beta and search to bigger depth returned a value that is smaller than beta.
>
>I do not believe in zugzwangs near the opening position so I guess that the
>reason must be some horizon effect.
>
>Uri

Another possible explanation is a bug in counting and checking the first
position suggest that I really had a bug.

It seems that I have less horizon effects.

Uri



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