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Subject: Re: about using killers in Rebel and about programming

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 22:03:14 12/31/02

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On December 31, 2002 at 23:03:03, Dave Gomboc wrote:

>On December 31, 2002 at 20:32:28, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On December 31, 2002 at 19:50:43, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On December 31, 2002 at 17:49:52, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>
>>>>From Ed programmer stuff
>>>>
>>>>Killer-One [current ply]      110
>>>>Killer-One [current ply-2]    108
>>>>Killer-Two [current ply]      106
>>>>Killer-Two [current ply-2]    104
>>>>
>>>>I until today used only
>>>>
>>>>Killer-One [current ply]
>>>>Killer-Two [current ply]
>>>>
>>>>I am interested to know if using 4 killers is a new idea or maybe this idea is
>>>>known to be used by other programs.
>>>
>>>It was known in 1975.  Chess 4.0 used this.  You can find it mentioned in
>>>the chess 4.7 chapter of "Chess Skill in Man and Machine."
>>>
>>>We did that in Cray Blitz, but we also did more killers, going back to the
>>>root in fact...
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>I did try part of the idea that Ed suggested without clear results.
>>>>
>>>>I changed the order of moves in movei to
>>>>
>>>>Killer-One [current ply]
>>>>Killer-One [current ply-2]
>>>>Killer-Two [current ply]
>>>>
>>>>instead of
>>>>
>>>>Killer-One [current ply]
>>>>Killer-Two [current ply]
>>>>
>>>>I found that it is better only in part of the cases and have not clear results
>>>>if it is better or worse than previous order but I had a bug in the
>>>>implementation and I checked killer[ply-2] even in cases when ply-2<0.
>>>>
>>>>It is surprising that the program did not crush and even performed better in
>>>>part of the cases.
>>>>
>>>>I still do not use check bound software.
>>>>I asked in a previous discussion about checking bounds but I solved the
>>>>problem that caused me to ask about it and I also read a claim that if a
>>>>varaible is out of bound the program should crush.
>>>>
>>>>I also looked for a software that will help me under visual C++ but after I
>>>>asked to get it for free evaluation and I only got an email that suggest me to
>>>>contact them by fax or telephone I did not respond(I responded by email but my
>>>>email was blocked for some reason and I decided that the subject is probably not
>>>>very important).
>>>>
>>>>I think now that it may be important because a chess program may even play well
>>>>inspite of the fact that it calls killer[-1] so it is possible that I have more
>>>>mistakes like that.
>>>>
>>>
>>>That probably won't hurt a thing.  That move probably would not pass your
>>>legality check, so even a garbage move would just waste a tiny bit of time
>>>as you notice it is not legal in the current position.
>>
>>Yes but I can still imagine problems.
>>
>>1)If I am unlucky a garbage move may be legal so it can be counterproductive.
>>
>>2)I thought that garbage may do something worse than giving a random
>>number.
>>I thought that if my program try to look at some place that does not exist the
>>program may crush and not give me a random number or may change another array.
>>
>>I also cared not to have -1
>> A[x]=1; and not
>>if (x>=0)
>>A[x]=1;
>>
>>If you are right then it means that there are cases when I can save time by
>>doing something like
>>
>>A[x]=1; instead of
>>if (x>=0)
>>A[x]=1;
>>
>>The point is that if I understand correctly then I understand from your post
>>that a[x]=1 when x=-1 can not change relevant information.
>>
>>If I assume that the condition x>=0 happen in most of the cases then it seems
>>clear that A[x]=1 is faster.
>>
>>Uri
>
>Referencing A[-1] will likely give you intermittent problems that are hard to
>track down.  If you really think you can't afford the check, though, then do
>something like this (C++ code below:)
>
>int PADDED_A[102];
>...
>const int & A = PADDED_A+2;
>
>Now you can reference A[i] where i is an int in the range -2 to 99 without
>trashing memory that doesn't belong to you.  AFAIK this hack technically invokes
>undefined behaviour, but it's safer than not having the padding at all, where
>you might change the value of another variable by accident.  Personally, I'd
>just test for the condition.
>
>Dave


I assume you mean const int *A = PADDED_A + 2;

:)




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