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Subject: Re: Technical question regarding interface for CCT

Author: Omid David Tabibi

Date: 10:48:29 12/13/03

Go up one level in this thread


On December 13, 2003 at 13:23:14, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On December 13, 2003 at 12:38:27, Omid David Tabibi wrote:
>
>>On December 13, 2003 at 12:18:43, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>
>>>>A CCT style tournament can never turn into an official event, since you cannot
>>>>prevent any kind of cheating. I can run 5 engines on different computers, see
>>>>which analysis I like, and then force my engine to play that move by feeding the
>>>>move via a file it checks once a second. How are you going to prevent that? By
>>>>looking at the analysis I output?! I can force my engine to print a spurious PV
>>>>starting with the move I want it to play...
>>>
>>>You can do exactly the same in WCCC.
>>>
>>>Here is one way, you do a ssh to some remote 'super' computer not monitored by
>>>any officials.
>>>Then you get your cheating partner sitting at home to use multiple engines to
>>>decide on the move.
>>>He then feeds the best move into your proxy which then makes up some bogus node
>>>count and PV and sends it back.
>>>
>>>You can even let it show analysis on the fly, it just has to have the right fail
>>>high at the time when the move is sent. It's a nobrainer to fake.
>>
>>It's all true. But the only person running remote in Graz was Vincent. And we
>>know enough about him and what he does to be confident that he is running on
>>what he says he is running. I ensure you that if an unknown person shows up
>>running on some unknown remote machine, everyone will question that and will ask
>>for verification.
>
>See my other post.  I won't run remote.  I _will_ cheat.  Because you simply
>can't stop it without the expense I mentioned.  Want to provide a wide-band
>frequency scanner to detect RF?  Won't catch a burst transmission.  Nor an
>IR transmission.  Nor a transmission into the room over building power (do
>a web search for electrical power line modem).  Etc...


See my other post. It is far easier to cheat online (needs about half an hour of
coding to enable a full range of cheatings), than to use RF or IR.




>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>>The only reason why CCT tournaments are popular is that the stakes are not high.
>>>
>>>You may be on to something here, we are all so scared when the stakes are high.
>>>:-)
>>>
>>>Nah, I think the answer is more straight forward: it's because it's so
>>>accessible to everyone while the ICGA event is so unaccessible to most.
>>>
>>>>Most programmers join CCT only to test their engine against others (speaking for
>>>>myself, I will enter a totally experimental and untested version of Falcon).
>>>
>>>I will enter whatever version I think is the strongest, probably it will be
>>>experiment and somewhat untested, all my versions are.
>>>I would have done the same had I been at the WCCC.
>>
>>I wouldn't. In Graz I used a version which was tested enough (tens of long time
>>control matches against top programs), and was proven to be stable. During the
>>whole tournament I didn't encounter even one bug in Falcon. I learned quite a
>>lot about its weaknesses, but no programming bugs.
>>
>>
>>>
>>>I assume you also won't be joining with something you know for certain to be
>>>weaker 'just for the testing'.
>>
>>Untested means I don't know. It could be stronger or weaker.
>>
>
>I _always_ enter with what I believe is the strongest version.  "believe"
>!= absolutely certain.  But I do that at WCCC/WMCCC events as well.  I
>treat them no differently from that perspective.
>
>
>>
>>>
>>>>But
>>>>when you give an official title to the winner, expect many (if not most)
>>>>participants to cheat in various degrees starting from "move now" to playing all
>>>>the moves as dictated by the operator.
>>>
>>>So you expect most people at WCCC to be cheaters given the chance?
>>
>>The stakes in WCCC are so high that you cannot rule out that option. If you
>>don't do any drug tests in 100 meter sprint in the olympics, how many contenders
>>will use drugs in your opinion?
>
>Not me.  I can't speak for others.  But I notice they still get away with
>it.  Testers are human.  They can be bought just as easily as the competitors
>can.
>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>And you think showing up in person made cheating impossible for everyone there?
>>
>>Makes it very hard to cheat, and almost impossible to fake a whole game.
>>
>>
>>>
>>>>The physical presence of the programmers (or operators) is inevitable for an
>>>>official event, especially one giving the title "World Computer Chess Champion"
>>>>to the winner.
>>>
>>>It doesn't prevent cheating at all, nothing can prevent cheating 100% unless you
>>>want to release codes etc...
>>
>>In a physical WCCC there is no easy way to cheat, apart from plagiarism which is
>>a different story. When playing against an engine in WCCC, I know that the move
>>it just played was produced by itself, not some external entity (machine or
>>human). Could you say the same in CCT?
>
>Again, see my previous post.  I could use any program I choose and you would
>_never_ know or prove it.  You might leave scratching your head "how did he
>do that?" but that's it..
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>-S.



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