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Subject: Re: When will a deep Blue equivalent Be commercially Available?

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 14:04:22 11/07/98

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On November 07, 1998 at 16:25:20, Graham Laight wrote:

>On November 06, 1998 at 20:41:05, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On November 06, 1998 at 18:48:39, odell hall wrote:
>>
>>>I am interested in knowing, if even by a wild guess when a program with the
>>>strength of deepblue will be available to the public? Five years? or maybe
>>>three?
>>
>>Here's the basic math...  DB searches about 250M nodes per second.  Factor
>>in its evaluation, which is probably at least 10x as complex as what is done
>>in the micros, so this is 2500M nodes per second equivalent.  A good micro
>>today would do 250K nodes per second...  2500M/250K = 10,000...  so we need
>>to get a micro up to 10,000 times faster.  If you figure the current doubling
>>every 1.5 years, log2(10000)= 13-14.  So 1.5 * 14 == 21 years, roughly.
>>
>>However, it is doubtful the doubling every 18 months is going to continue,
>>so this is easily a lower bound on the time-frame...  If you want to factor in
>>new software improvements, this might get shaved a few years...  but it isn't
>>going to happen in 3-5 period...
>
>I'm sorry, but I feel the urge to disagree.
>
>The evidence of the play in the 1997 tournament against Kasparov is not
>compelling enough to support this assertion.
>
>In game 1, it lost through disappointing play.
>
>In game 2, Gary resigned from a drawn position - a potential draw that some of
>the micro software would not have allowed.

this is wrong.  *NO* micro can find either of those draws...  Ed posted the
analysis on his web site... A micro might play a different king move, but *not*
because it sees the draw...

>
>In games 3, 4, and 5, DB looked beaten, but GK couldn't put it away.
>
>In game 6, GK messed up the opening, leading to his defeat.
>
>GK has previously been beaten by a 90 Mhz Pentium at G25 time setting.
>
>Since the GK tournament, DB has been cowering in fear - not being allowed to
>play another man or machine in public.
>
>No better commercial chess computers until 2019?
>
>Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.


I don't believe so, no.  Based on 10+ years of experience in watching older
and slower versions of deep thought absolutely shred micro programs, and
factoring in the 100-fold improvement (at least) in the speed of DB over
the older Deep Thought, I'd think that there might not be a better commercial
program for even longer if my suspicion that doubling in speed every 18 months
turns out to be true..  I don't see how it can continue...  and without that
performance boost, micros vs db would be totally hopeless...



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