Author: Dann Corbit
Date: 18:26:40 11/20/98
Go up one level in this thread
The name of the database is C.A.P. for Chess Analysis Project. Actually, some team members have already produced more data than I have, despite my having had a head start on them. Shaun Brewer, in particular, is a churning-burning data-driving machine. I am not even necessary. If I were to kick the bucket it would not matter much; I have already published the SQL schema and most of the data. I do need to do a refresh because I have made a lot of changes. But my role is only participant and coordinator. Really, the idea is not even all that original. Komputer Korner had a very similar concept in mind and specifically the thread entitled "Komputer Korner's World's Greatest Opening book project with CDB" dated 1998/04/12 which laid out a very similar strategy/project. My major role was execution of the idea and a sort of evangelist of the project. Getting people a bit excited about it is the key thing. Once we see the tremendous potential of tens of thousands of idle machines, and then start to smell possible results -- well, it might smell pretty good. It may be that a clever person can think up fantastical uses. I certainly think that it will have great value for opening books in both free and commercial products. It could also prove very valuable for the calculation engines (in the early part of the game anyway). When a chess engine does a query of the move generator, it gets back a list of legal moves. A database query could tell the engine which moves have already been analyzed and how much effort was spent analyzing them. You could explore promising lines with SQL queries, and as you extend, each new node gives you not just a single position, but the analysis from that position forward as well. I really think that we simply have no idea how useful it will be. But I am quite certain that the results will turn up a large number of fascinating surprises. I have had some experts tell me that the experiment is doomed to failure. But as far as I am concerned, it is already a tremendous success. If I had my Pentium II 300 Mhz computer working year-round for a full year, I would not have gotten as far as I have already. And the results are very interesting to me. I have seen some real surprises in the "factory-fresh" opening moves from the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings. Just having a SQL database *with no analysis* is a tremendous value to start with. Being able to make free-form SQL queries of any nature that I choose is already a great asset. A tool such as this has great potential to expand our *ability* to make inquiries about the game of chess. Instead of writing a program, we can just run a query. SQL mavens will know what I am driving at.
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.