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Subject: Re: DB and Singular Extensions

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 18:14:22 11/24/98

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On November 24, 1998 at 20:37:36, Vincent Diepeveen wrote:

>On November 24, 1998 at 08:12:46, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>
>>>So there are 4 ways to test
>>>  a) all extensions off, SE on
>>>  b) all extensions on, SE on
>>>  c) all extensions on, SE off
>>>  d) all extensions off, SE off (which is the most uninteresting)
>>>
>>>The most interesting is to compare b with c. In fact S.E. should find this
>>>really quickly, but when i test this with S.E. on, then i'm suffering horrible
>>>from the reduction factor, which misses the advance of the c-pawn.
>>>
>>>In fact i find this move easier then without S.E. than with, as it eats
>>>up too many plies extending nonsense.
>>>
>>>here is the position (bs2830-26):
>>>
>>>1r4k1/1q2pN1p/3pPnp1/8/2pQ4/P5PP/5P2/3R2K1 b - - Qd5
>>
>>
>>Did you implement the "real" singular extension algorithm as explained in the
>>JICCA along with the "sticky transposition table" stuff to avoid losing a
>>singularity at odd times?  I did this in Cray Blitz and found it worked pretty
>>well in the right positions...
>
>As described yes, i used a translated version of it to Netherlands.
>If i remember well translated by Dennis Breuker in 'computerschaak'.

here's why I asked...  when I added this to Cray Blitz, it was a couple of
thousand lines of code scattered around.. from the sticky transposition table,
to all the exceptions and so forth.  That's a bunch of code and when you have
mentioned this in the past, you didn't give me the impression that this was a
complicated thing to do.  In reality it is quite complicated to eliminate most
of the inconsistencies that crop up on each new iteration.



>
>Main problem is this reduction factor.
>you first reduce in depth in order to see whether it's singular in order
>to extend it.
>
>So you reduce it by 2 then extend it by 1. Of course: you reduce the
>OTHER moves by 2, and extend the RIGHT move by 1, but how can you
>DETECT that this right move is a singular move if you search the other
>moves by a reduced depth, where the only interesting singularism is derived
>from a search which is NOT reduced.


the idea is "obviously singular"... and a 2 ply reduction doesn't hide an
"obviously singular" move.  It certainly will overlook "subtly singular" moves
of course..  But it is similar in idea to the null-move search, which also
works well as most of us know..



>
>Further a human doesn't use 'singularism'. Most combinations you have 2 or
>3 interesting moves, and not only 1 forced moves. singularism is just
>a small subset of what humans do. Humans simply consider *all moves*
>that are interesting. this is very sometimes 1 move, more usually 2 or 3
>or 4 moves. Sometimes a human simply 'nullmoves' or something like that.
>scanning for potential winners for the opponent, using *a lot* of
>chessknowledge to select a move. Not something with alfa or beta.
>
>Simply a line that *might* give counterplay without concerning about the
>return value of a small search.
>
>Anyway, i think Singular Extensions is something interesting for old programs
>with bad branching factors searching fullwidth.


better watch out for those "old programs".  The two I know of that use this
will hand you your head in a covered basket...

:)




>
>I think the future is for nullmove programs searching huge depths and a good
>move ordering and a limited form of pruning, meanwhile seeing a lot with
>quiescencesearch. Then programs like this play that well tactically and
>search that deeply, that they have no other option to improve it other
>than improving evaluation, as that is the weakest chain after you have
>an equal position after book, which is another thing that'll give a lot of
>trouble in the future.
>
>I'm seeing in the databases games of me when i was a huge rebel. Like 15
>years old and only 1900+ rated. those games are used to make my book!
>
>Quite laughable!
>
>I blundered and missed all kind of positional shots in those days!
>Same for my opponents lucky, otherwise i'd never have won a game.
>
>Vincent



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