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Subject: Re: Crafty Why?

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 06:38:16 10/30/03

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On October 29, 2003 at 21:18:10, William Dozier wrote:

>Good Day every/one. Perhaps someone can answer this question: Crafty
>has been around for a long time; how many of you remember crafty when it
>first came out in the old CCC news/paper? Since that time a lot of strong free
>chess programs have been out, but why is crafty not as strong as Junior or
>Shredder and a feww other chess programs? I get the feeling that just because
>its free, that it can/not become as strong as Shredder or Junior. So what is
>the hold back for Crafty being*************
> stronger and better than Shredder or Junior?
>
>                           Thank You^^##@@/Bill<>Dozier


The major point is "ideas".

IE look back to when Crafty first started doing "outside passed pawns".  It
was _significantly_ stronger than the commercial programs in endgames at that
point.  Today nearly everybody does it.  Same for pawn majorities and distant
majorities, and so forth.

The things that separate a "top" program from a "non-top" program are _not_
that significant.  A program that "reveals all" really has no chance to be a
"top program" after it becomes "open".  In the "good old days" everybody shared
ideas and the programs were actually pretty close overall.  Today this is not
the case...

From a personal perspective, I've not watched much (nor paid much attention to)
computer vs computer games.  There are some interesting things that humans do
that computers don't, and trying to solve those issues has been much more
interesting.  IE trying to avoid the "draw-masters" on the chess servers.  It
isn't easy.




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