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Subject: Re: Ooops

Author: Tom Kerrigan

Date: 19:41:20 06/18/03

Go up one level in this thread


On June 18, 2003 at 20:22:44, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On June 18, 2003 at 13:27:27, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>
>>On June 17, 2003 at 20:43:27, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On June 17, 2003 at 13:40:19, Tom Kerrigan wrote:
>>>
>>>>On June 17, 2003 at 13:15:31, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On June 16, 2003 at 23:46:15, Keith Evans wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On June 16, 2003 at 23:23:41, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On June 16, 2003 at 02:50:49, Ricardo Gibert wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On June 14, 2003 at 18:00:30, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On June 13, 2003 at 12:03:58, Michael Vox wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>http://www.clubkasparov.ru/521772350.html?462691585533321
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>One could argue chess endgame tablebases play the endgame like god, but not this
>>>>>>>>>>article....
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Enjoy :)
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>The author is an idiot.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>a 5 piece endgame _counts_ the two kings.  He is not counting them.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>He really thinks he is probing what we would call a 7 piece ending, which
>>>>>>>>>is _years_ away from reality.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>At no point in the article does he ever do as you allege. He always counts the
>>>>>>>>pieces correctly.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>We all make mistakes, but I don't think we should therefore brand all of
>>>>>>>>ourselves "idiots". Do you? He is a GM after all, so don't you think you calling
>>>>>>>>him an "idiot" a little extreme?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Perhaps "computer chess idiot" would have been better?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>His entire article is based on incorrect information.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>A 5 piece position is _always_ played perfectly by a program.  But when there
>>>>>>>are more than 5 pieces on the board, perfection goes away even when probing
>>>>>>>5 piece tables after captures.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>In his text, I get the impression he is saying position two should be played
>>>>>>>perfectly.  Yet it has _seven_ pieces on the board.  Tables work miracles,
>>>>>>>but they don't make the impossible possible, yet...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Nevertheless for position 1, after 1.Bd1 Kg8 2.h7+ Kxh7 3.h6 Kg8 4.h7+ Kxh7 5.h5
>>>>>>Kg8 6.h6 Kh8 7.h7 Kxh7 there are only _five_ chessmen on the board. So if he has
>>>>>>tablebases enabled, then what _should_ the engines return? I don't have 5-men
>>>>>>tablebases available, so I don't know. Is his analysis incorrect, or is he
>>>>>>pointing out a bug or setup problem with Junior and Fritz?
>>>>>
>>>>>The problem is this:  If the position _starts_ off with 5 pieces, it will
>>>>>play _perfectly_.   If it starts off with more, it might not.  IE it might
>>>>
>>>>I don't know why this conversation is still going on. Bob, you're being an
>>>>idiot. The position in the diagram has 8 pieces, right? Then there's the
>>>>comment:
>>>>
>>>>"It's funny that even if we sweep away three white pawns, both engines evaluate
>>>>White's position as winning."
>>>>
>>>>Bob, can you please tell the audience what 8 - 3 is?
>>>>
>>>
>>>However, he is complaining about the _original_ position.  And when you "sweep
>>
>>What makes you think that? He starts out with 8 pieces, gives a line that
>>removes 3 pieces, and says "Even though there are only five chesspieces on the
>>board..." Is it just an incredible coincidence that 8 - 3 = 5 and he refers to a
>>position with 5 pieces, although he must really mean 8 pieces? Sure, Bob.
>>
>>-Tom
>
>One day you'll learn to (a) get the chip off your shoulder;  (b) read with
>comprehension;  (c) discuss with an open mind.

One day you'll learn to (a) stop trying to obfuscate an issue when you realize
that what you've been saying is wrong; (b) read with comprehension; (c) discuss
with an open mind.

>It is pretty clear what he is saying in the article.  In one case a program
>screws up with 5 pieces on the board.  And it screws up with more than 5
>pieces on the board.  It will _never_ screw up with 5 pieces on the board if
>things are set up right.  If they aren't, he should not be complaining, he
>should be off fixing his setup problem.

Handwaving. You originally said he was an idiot because he wasn't counting the
kings as "men" in his "5-men" positions. You can either drop the subject
(because you're wrong), or admit that you're wrong, or try to prove that you
were right about the 5-man vs. 7-man thing (I don't see how this can be done).
But if you want to have an argument/discussion that makes any sense, you can't
write 5 sentences of drivel unrelated to the topic at hand in a lame attempt to
convince yourself and others that you didn't originally misread the article.

-Tom



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