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Subject: Re: Congrats to Ruffian!

Author: José Carlos

Date: 10:13:56 10/28/03

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On October 28, 2003 at 12:18:45, Sune Fischer wrote:

>On October 28, 2003 at 11:57:02, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On October 28, 2003 at 11:27:30, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>
>>>On October 28, 2003 at 10:55:53, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>
>>>>I don't think it has a thing to do with honesty.  I'd never question
>>>>Jeroen's honesty at all.
>>>>
>>>>It does have a lot to do with fairness.  Bruce Moreland summed it up
>>>>best:  "why do I have to face the _same_ outstanding book twice in the
>>>>same tournament when I don't ever face the same _program_ twice?"
>>>>
>>>>That's a good point.  A good book can be a significant advantage.  There
>>>>are complaints if an amateur tries to use a commercial program's opening
>>>>book.  Why not if two different commercial entries try to use the same
>>>>book?
>>>
>>>It's a grey zone, just like with Eugene's endgame tables.
>>>
>>
>>Not quite the same.  Everybody uses them.  The info is identical for all
>>users.  Commercial books are not used by everybody...
>
>But what is fairness?
>
>Some programs run on dog slow machines and others on top end multiprocessor
>systems, some "have an arrangement" with a book author to use his books, some
>get paid to develop whilst others do it in their spare time.
>
>Who's to say what is fair and what is not?
>More importantly, is the question really interesting?
>
>I don't mind if Lokasoft or Chessbase is teaming up their engines, it makes the
>performance of the individual engine a little bit less impressive and it makes
>it all the more fun to beat them in a competition (beat one you beat them all,
>or if you lost you weren't beat by a single individual but by a team! :).
>
>-S.

  A general case (nothing to do with real programs or persons): Program A and
program B play in the last round of a world champ. If A wins the game, it's the
champion (prize for winner: $1,000,000). B is in the middle of the table.

  Case 1: They both use Nalimov tablebases
  Case 2: They both have the same author
  Case 3: They both have the same book author

  Of course, in the three cases the authors may do changes to the book / engine
parameters.
  Now what is fair and what is not? Why?

  José C.





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