Author: Russell Reagan
Date: 09:41:54 12/29/03
Go up one level in this thread
On December 29, 2003 at 10:35:35, Anthony Cozzie wrote: >In blitz, maybe. But at longer time controls even Zappa makes almost no >tactical errors. If it loses a game, it makes tactical errors (unless perfectly played chess is not a draw). >First of all, for me and I think you chess programming is a hobby, not a job. >We are free to do whatever we want: optimize for standard time controls and dual >opteron, or 2 minute bullet on a cell phone, or for playing an interesting game >of chess, or for being a good sparring partner for my grandmother, or whatever. I am in the camp that believes that an improvement at one time control will lead to an improvement in other time controls, in general. When you hear someone say, "Engine X plays much better at longer time controls," to me that means, "Engine X has weaknesses that are covered up by longer time controls." A simple example of this can be seen by taking an engine with poor time management. For instance, SOS is right up there with Ruffian 'at longer time controls', but play a few 1/0 games between the two and SOS will lose every game on time. The longer time controls mask the poor time management of SOS. I've seen the same thing happen for an engine that doesn't have very good king safety. It gets slaughtered at short time controls against a strong engine, but at longer time controls it can hang in there. I don't think it's a coincidence that the best engines at long time controls are also the best at very fast time controls. > Ruffian made a tactical error at Leiden 2003. 1 error. And we were all >amazed because it happens so infrequently. When you get 14 ply, you just don't >make mistakes. You have to win with eval/book. I disagree here. Fritz 8 misses a mate in 2, even at 26 ply, giving a score of +0.38. Remember, as Bob Hyatt says, there are 14 ply, and there are _14 ply_. In other words, there is a big difference between doing a 14-ply search with null-move and and all manner of reductions and cuts vs. doing a straight 14 ply alpha beta search with no forward pruning and no reductions. The latter would still not be guarenteed to make no tactical errors. That's only 7 moves for each side.
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.