Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: Thinker 4.6b third after 1st round!

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 08:56:57 06/01/04

Go up one level in this thread


On June 01, 2004 at 03:01:46, Sune Fischer wrote:

>On June 01, 2004 at 02:49:55, José Carlos wrote:
>
>>On June 01, 2004 at 02:33:18, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>
>>>On May 31, 2004 at 20:06:37, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>
>>>>I don't understand all this "fiddling".  IE oddball books.  ponder=on vs
>>>>ponder=off, endgame tables on, endgame tables off.  Learning on.  Learning off.
>>>>Etc.
>>>>
>>>>I would have no objection if someone plays a long match, crafty vs program S,
>>>>then clears the learning data and plays a long match crafty vs program T.  But
>>>>not disabling learning completely.  Then I _know_ the book will cause a
>>>>problem...  Because it isn't hand-tuned whatsoever...
>>>
>>>I don't see what is so interesting in trying to win the same games over and
>>>over. That kind of book cooking hasn't got very much to do with smarts of the
>>>engine, IMO.
>>>
>>>Most programmers are interested in real algorithmic progress, not in whether
>>>they can win every game just by getting the same couple of completely won
>>>positions out of the book.
>>
>>
>>  Book learning, as well as any other kind of learning, is a nice algorithmic
>>exercise. It takes time to develope and fine tuning. Disabling it is telling the
>>programmer "you wasted your spare time".
>
>It's a very powerful feature, too powerful IMO if not all engines have it.
>I'm quite sure even Ruffian would lose 10-90 if Crafty had aggressive learning
>and Ruffian just used a small book without learning.
>You can be of the opinion that's a fair result, I think it is pure nonsense.
>Granted, it demonstrates that Crafty has learning that works, but what other
>conclusions can you hope to draw from it?

Reverse the argument.  Crafty vs Fritz.  No learning.  But Fritz has a book that
has been hand-tuned by a full-time human working on the book.  Is _that_ a fair
test then.  In one case an engine learns by itself and it is turned off.  In the
other case, the engine learns by a human hand-tuning the book, but _that_ isn't
turned off.

Perhaps I miss the point, therefore?  It isn't balanced either way...

At least with learning, the hand-tuned book won't win the _same_ opening
repeatedly...

>
>>  As for getting won positions out of book... isn't that what a book is finally
>>meant to do, after all?
>
>For me it's to get the game started at a random point, to avoid determanistic
>engines playing the same game every time.
>
>I don't want a completely won position out of book anymore than I want a
>completely lost one. I want to see the engine play and win/lose the games for
>itself, that's what it's all about, IMO.
>
>>Don't human players try to do this all the time? When I
>>played in tournaments, I got a couple of full points out of book. I studied
>>games of my opponents, found weaknesses in their openings and analyzed them with
>>my brothers (computers were too weak back then). Nice memories of the past...
>
>Sure if book programming your interest, I'm interested in engine programming :)
>Books only serve to obscure the picture in my view.
>
>-S.
>>  José C.



This page took 0.01 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.