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Subject: Re: Another couple of postions to try... SOLVED(?)

Author: Johan de Koning

Date: 18:08:00 09/30/03

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On September 29, 2003 at 03:41:24, Tim Foden wrote:

>On September 29, 2003 at 03:13:13, Johan de Koning wrote:

>>Anyway, I think I'll skip the experiment with fully normalized TT entries.
>>(That's with inactive files removed, and the remaining files flipped/sorted
>>into canonical form). That would be good for a complete retrograde analysis,
>>but it won't beat alpha-beta on a fixed starting position.
>
>As Uri pointed out, if there are any empty files, and all pawns in groups
>bounded by the edge of the board and any empty files can't move, then they could
>be treated as not being there any more, which could improve the gain from the
>fully normalised TT entries in a main search??

Yes, I was thinking of Uri's proposal.

1. Replace blocked file clusters with empty files.
2. Replace adjecent empty files with a single empty file.

At this point, I think, Uri's Fibonacci enumeration applies.

3. Flip each cluster left-right, select the "better" one.
4. Sort clusters most "better" to least "better".
5. Apply 1...4 to a W-B mirror of the original position, select if "better".

Where "better" is defined by some unambiguous recipe.

>It may also be possible to apply some form of combinatorial approach once at
>least one empty file has appeared, which could speed things up quite a lot I'd
>think.

That would certainly be interesting, if you like headaches.
Though I can think of one simple, not systematic approach: any cluster that
draws in an even number of plies can be scratched, as in steps 1 and 2.
Or less simple: any cluster that wins against an arbitrary number of moves and
null moves can be used as a lower bound for the entire position.

Hmmm, it looks like many more days can be wasted on the Pawn Game. :-)

... Johan



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