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Subject: Re: a challenge to all competent computer chess programmers !

Author: Duncan Roberts

Date: 10:18:20 12/22/03

Go up one level in this thread


On December 22, 2003 at 09:44:43, David Dory wrote:

>On December 22, 2003 at 07:08:09, Duncan Roberts wrote:
>
>>Different software engines have different strengths and weaknesses in different
>>types of positions and I once saw mentioned the idea that one could raise the
>>elo level of chess software by 150 points by having some software which would
>>interface with the top 5 programs and would have all of the strengths and none
>>of the weaknesses of each individual program. This would be achieved as the
>>interface program would ask the individual program to only play the type of
>>position it played best at.
>>
>>kasparov once mentioned that in certain positions junior plays at 150 elo points
>>higher than the competition, on the other hand he said fritz is more 'certain'.
>>
>>An interface program should be a far tougher challenge for kasparov to crack. It
>>would truly reflect the best of computer science against the best chess player.
>>
>>I do not know much about computer chess, but I assume that to implement this in
>>at least a basic way should not take a great deal of time. (a week ?)
>>
>>Is this right? and if so (although it is easy to ask) why is nobody doing it.?
>>
>>There must be many good programmers on this site whose chess programs while good
>>cannot realistically hope to reach the 'top 10'. Surely (assuming the top 5
>>chess program authors co-operate with this) they would be making a much bigger
>>contribution to computer chess by implementing an interface program.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>duncan roberts
>
>For this to work, you'd need to have your top 5 programs all working on separate
>computers, so they wouldn't interfere with each other's computing time.

see http://www.talkchess.com/forums/1/message.html?337624 for more explanation

>
>Then sure enough, you'd get Junior with one best move, and Fritz with another,
>and Shredder with still another best move, while ChessMaster might agree's with
>Fritz's best move. So what move would you, or your interface program, pick?
>
>Your interface program would have to be as smart as Kasparov to tell which move
>really was best (and sometimes Kaspy'd be wrong!). It isn't enough to classify a
>position as "open", "closed", "beginning", "middle", "end", etc. That's WAY too
>broad, and the whole classification might change dramatically in 4 ply or more,
>so now the position being searched would need to be classified again, wouldn't
>it?
>
>Pretty soon your work to classify the position would be eating up the programs
>time to search, if you weren't careful.
>
>All programs do better in open, tactical positions. They all try to avoid closed
>and blocked positions, simply because the best move is not frequently within
>their search of the game tree. It's too deep to be found in the time alloted.
>
>I believe Kasparov has his hands full just playing against one of the top 5
>programs. No need to gang up on him with more programs.
>
>Dave



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