Author: Albert Silver
Date: 05:22:55 11/02/98
Go up one level in this thread
On November 01, 1998 at 16:57:26, John Wentworth wrote:
> Seems like most programs don't offer draws very often. I was wondering how
>this could be effecting the ratings. Because I have noticed that when playing
>programs that lots of times they continue to play in a drawn position, instead
>of just offering a draw. So what ends up happening is that they continue to push
>their pieces around until oneside ruins their position and then loses.If
>programs would sometimes offer draws instead of continuing to shuffle pieces
>around, they might get out of a losses, thus effecting their ratings.
> Sometimes it's just ridiculous, I played Phalanx against Gnuchess and the
>only pieces they had were a King and Queen each, yet continued to play without
>offering a draw.I guess many programs don't offer draws at all, obviously
>Phalanx and Gnuchess don't. Just a thought.
Of course it is a two-edged blade, but if one side (hopefully the other) DOES
eventually ruin it's position then hasn't the lack of a draw offer been
justified right there and then? Masters and Grandmasters do this quite regularly
against weaker opponenents, or at the very least against opponenents whom they
think will screw up eventually. The weaker opponenent will usually scream foul,
but the truth is more like what Alekhine said it took to beat him. He said (my
quote may not be 100% exact), "to beat me, a player must beat me in the opening,
the middlegame, and the endgame", and of course this applies to draws as well.
If the player complains that the position is drawn (and I'm not talking about
trying to win on time), then why should he complain? If it's drawn now, then it
should still be drawn in 10 moves, no?
Albert Silver
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