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Subject: Re: Null Move Pruning and Draw Detection

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 05:12:26 01/15/03

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On January 15, 2003 at 07:42:14, David Rasmussen wrote:

>On January 15, 2003 at 07:35:38, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>
>>I do not see how null move pruning effect stalemate detections.
>>
>>Cases when my evaluation detects stalemate immediately after null move are very
>>rare and I do not see how these cases can do demage to the program.
>>
>
>I'm not saying that any of these things "damage" the program, I just want to be
>absolutely clear *why* not, if not.
>
>In normal situations the logic of null move pruning makes sense:
>"If I do nothing, how good can my opponent do?"
>But in the presence of repetitions, fifty moves rule and stalemate, it becomes
>kind of pathologic, I think.
>"If I do nothing, he/I is/am stalemate" or
>"If I do nothing, he/I will reach the fifty moves rule"
>"If I do nothing, there I/he can force a repetition"
>All of this makes no sense, since a null move isn't legal.
>
>/David

At least for cases of stalemate most of the cases that when you do nothing the
opponent is at stalemate are clearly winning positions so it is really not
important

It can happen when the opponent escaped from a check to the corner and has no
pieces.

claiming that the opponent has a threat of stalemate only going to tell you not
to prune the move and it seems that it is not going to do demage in games.

Uri



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