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Subject: Re: Using someone else's GUI within the rules then?

Author: George Sobala

Date: 11:49:21 11/30/03

Go up one level in this thread


On November 30, 2003 at 14:03:10, Roger D Davis wrote:

>On November 30, 2003 at 08:58:10, Gerd Isenberg wrote:
>
>>On November 30, 2003 at 08:28:22, Matthew Hull wrote:
>>
>>>On November 30, 2003 at 07:05:36, Gerd Isenberg wrote:
>>>
>>>>What a WCCC. I guess all participants and TDs are a few years older by now and
>>>>need some vacations ;-)
>>>>
>>>>Anyway, big compliments and congrats to Stefan Meyer-Kahlen and his great
>>>>program Shredder. Also congrats to the very unlucky Frans Morsch and his Fritz.
>>>>Both programs really played great chess!
>>>>
>>>>About the 3-fold repetition issue - after Gian-Carlo's statement here, that
>>>>Jonny didn't know about 3-fold repetition at all, but only the fritz-gui,
>>>>i'll think the decision made by the TD was finally correct.
>>>
>>>It matters not that the engine could not detect a 3-fold, it is a draw according
>>>to the rules of chess, just like the 50-move rule or checkmate.
>>
>>
>>Simply no. There is no automatic draw, if a 3-fold repetition occurs.
>>You have to claim it before the position occurs:
>>
>>1.Stop the clock
>>2.Call TD
>>3.Tell TD that the program intends to force a 3-fold repetition
>>  by doing that move.
>>4.The TD proves whether it results really a 3-fold repetition,
>>  and has to agree if it is true.
>>5.Otherwise there is a time penalty.
>>
>>Obviously this is a FIDE rule for human chess, because humans may erroneous
>>claim a draw, e.g. not considering castle or ep states correctly or whatever.
>>
>>This seems a bit anachronistical to computer chess,
>>but even chess programs had and have bugs with this issue, same for 50-move
>>rule.
>>
>>The "main" point is IMHO that Jonny and Shredder didn't implement the correct
>>knowledge, but the fritz-gui, Jonny was playing with.
>>I guess there was no explicite rule about the issue, if engine and external
>>interface disagree. IMHO the engine is the boss here.
>>
>>Gerd
>>
>>
>>>Also, an
>>>operator is not allowed to force his engine to take a lower result.  That's
>>>throwing the game and thus illegal, unethical, and cheating all at the same
>>>time.  The TDs allowed it thus nullifying the result of the tournament.
>>>
>>>MH
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>Regards,
>>>>Gerd
>
>
>I disagree, Gerd. The author chose for his engine to run inside the Fritz GUI,
>so he has to defer to decisions of the GUI. The author may not have bothered
>with detecting threefold repetitions, simply because he knew the interface would
>do it for him. He chose the Fritz GUI, not Winboard, so he has to live with the
>interface and its quirks.
>
>Roger

The official rule (as quoted in the List incident):

“Each program must be the original work of the entering developers. Programming
teams whose code is derived from or including game-playing code written by
others must name all other authors, or the source of such code, in their
application details. Programs which are discovered to be close derivatives of
others (e.g., by playing nearly all moves the same), may be declared invalid by
the Tournament Director after seeking expert advice. For this purpose a listing
of all game-related code running on the system must be available on demand to
the Tournament Director."

The GUI, with its power to run the opening, the ending and to claim draws, must
be "part of the program". Therefore when it is not "the original work of the
entering developers", the names of the authors of the ChessBase GUI should
feature in the application form of all programs using this GUI. Did they? Who
else can we disqualify? :)



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