Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: ICGA and the webcasting of WCCC_2004

Author: Andrew Wagner

Date: 19:35:34 07/07/04

Go up one level in this thread


On July 07, 2004 at 22:22:20, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On July 07, 2004 at 22:04:41, Andrew Wagner wrote:
>
>>On July 07, 2004 at 21:57:14, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On July 07, 2004 at 19:27:13, GuyHaworth wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>There is clearly a lot of interest on this bulletin board in the ICGA WCCC 2004
>>>>event in Israel.  It is clearly repaying us with some interesting games,
>>>>incidents and a close contest.
>>>>
>>>>Like G-CP and others who would very much like to be there in person, I regret
>>>>that I have not been able to attend, and have offered my apologies to Omid and
>>>>colleagues who are doing a first class job with the organisation there.
>>>>
>>>>[ In my case, I would not have been able to attend anytime in the last 10 weeks
>>>>if the event had been anywhere but my home town, but that's life. ]
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I am happy to receive suggestions for the requirements of an ICGA infrastructure
>>>>to support ICGA events, and also happy to hear of good examples of such
>>>>infrastructure, technologies involved, and expertise willing to be involved.
>>>>
>>>>I say this not only with my ICGA V-P hat on, but as a Univ lecturer happy to
>>>>engage suitable CS students in suitable, interesting projects which are required
>>>>to solve 'real problems' for 'real customers' by the authenticating body (the
>>>>BCS) in the UK.  Email is more convenient for me than CCC but I don't wish to
>>>>stifle discussion on CCC if that is preferred.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>This is easy.
>>>
>>>1.  Set up a LAN at the tournament site, with a local machine running a FICS
>>>server.
>>>
>>>2.  Require _all_ entrants to be FICS compatible, so that moves are
>>>automatically sent between programs with no human intervention, pairing is done
>>>electronically and games started automatically, clocks managed by the FICS
>>>server, games recorded by the FICS server, tournament crosstable provided by the
>>>tournament manager software on the same server, etc...
>>>
>>>3.  No exceptions allowed.  See note 2 above.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>For the record, I don't think there is any currently available version of the
>>FICS software which is that sophisticated. Heck, even ICC doesn't start the
>>games automatically. My guess would be that this entire server program would
>>have to be written from scratch. No small project, but certainly worthwhile.
>>
>
>Have you played in an ICC tourney lately?  IE the "pear" manager does it _all_.
>Does the pairings.  starts the games.  Collects the results.  Etc.
>
>

Umm, Bob? Did you forget who you're talking to? I _run_ tournaments on pear.
First off, it doesn't start the games automatically, it requires at the least a
command from one of the two operators. It also doesn't automatically collect
PGN, for example. Not to mention, the ICC software is far more advanced than
FICS (though I don't know specifically much about FICS tournaments), and is not
open source.

>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>However, you will note that Chessbase are included in WCCC2004's sponsors, and
>>>>are indeed webcasting the event with Boris' commentaries.  Chessbase offered to
>>>>support the ICGA with their technology at Maastricht in 2002 and that offer was
>>>>welcomed by the Association.  We are very grateful for Chessbase's continued
>>>>interest in the ICGA WCCC and their commitment to webcasting.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Fine.  It is a proprietary interface, with a proprietary protocol.  Let 'em
>>>webcast all they want, but do the main event in a publicly available protocol to
>>>prevent one company from "taking over".  At ICC, we have had thousands of people
>>>looking at games at one time, such as the Deep Blue vs Kasparov match.  ICGA
>>>events can't even be seen publicly unless you only run windows and download a
>>>(what is now free but might not always be since it is commercial) interface for
>>>that proprietary protocol.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Finally, I thank Omid again for performing his many roles in parallel with
>>>>exercising FALCON very creditably in the event.  He has the support of the ICGA
>>>>personnel there.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Guy Haworth
>>>>VP, ICGA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Fix the black hole.  Nothing is getting out in a timely manner except for
>>>participants logging in to CCC as they have time.  That is almost criminal
>>>behavior for the "International COMPUTER games association" to not make the
>>>event available to a COMPUTER network...
>>>
>>>It just defies all logic.  IBM did it for the DB match, in a way that _anybody_
>>>could watch, unix or not.  Why can't the ICGA do the same?  Why hasn't it _done_
>>>it already.  It's not like this is a new and novel idea...



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.