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Subject: World-wide chess analysis project: Call for participation

Author: Dann Corbit

Date: 19:59:05 11/17/98


1.  What is it?
The Chess Analysis Project is a tactical analysis of chess positions performed
by computer systems around the world.  The objective is to become like the Great
Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) or the project that was used to crack
RSA129.  Currently, Rebel 10, Crafty, and Hiarcs are being used in the project,
but any tool that can analyze an EPD position can be used.  The goals and
methods of the project are laid out in:
ftp://38.168.214.175/pub/Chess%20Analysis%20Project%20FAQ.htm

2.  Who can participate?
Anyone with a computer and a chess program.  If you have a Macintosh, UNIX,
Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT computer, a program can be provided at no
charge.  There may be other free tools available for your operating system, if
it is something besides these listed.  If you are keen on joining and you do not
have one of those operating systems listed available, send me a note and I will
look into alternatives.

3.  What is required of those who participate?
Computer batch commands are run at night or over the weekend.  After processing,
the output file must be returned as an email attachment to the project
coordinator.  You can ignore any or all requests if you don't feel like doing
them.  You can drop out of the project any time that you like.

4.  What will become of the output?
The output of the project will be a SQL database which is explicitly donated to
the public domain.

General:
When you think of all the time a computer sits doing nothing, it seems a shame
to waste such prodigious throughput.  Consider all of the computers around the
world put together, and we have a tremendous potential for computation.
Projects such as GIMPS demonstrate the incredible possibilities that harnessing
this power can realize.  With the Chess Analysis Project, the end product will
be something that chess lovers can gain benefit from.  It can be incorportated
into your favorite free/shareware/commercial software tools without any
royalties or charges, since it is public domain.  SQL research can be performed
to perform a vast array of tasks.  The openings, middlegame, and endgame of
hundreds of thousands of real games can be searched for tactical information,
and potential tactical pitfalls.  Here are some questions that could be easily
answered:
A.  How many games were resigned from a clearly winning position?
B.  How many openings from the ECO classification have one side down by at least
three pawns when the formation is fully developed?
C.  What percentage of great moves were simply never seen, even by intense
computer analysis using a variety of programs?
D.  What kind of positions are the most difficult for computers to properly
solve?
E.  What kind of positions are much harder for humans to solve than computers?

Really, the possibilities are endless -- limited only by the imagination of
those who wish to use the end product for research.

For more information, by all means, read the C.A.P. FAQ.
ftp://38.168.214.175/pub/Chess%20Analysis%20Project%20FAQ.htm
It also comes in Word97 document format:
ftp://38.168.214.175/pub/Chess%20Analysis%20Project%20FAQ.doc
And rich text format:
ftp://38.168.214.175/pub/Chess%20Analysis%20Project%20FAQ.rtf



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