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Subject: Re: question about fixing the time management of movei

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 08:14:00 07/26/04

Go up one level in this thread


On July 25, 2004 at 23:55:04, Stuart Cracraft wrote:

>On July 25, 2004 at 22:01:31, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On July 25, 2004 at 21:16:11, Uri Blass wrote:
>>
>>>I still do not know the reason for the bug in the time management against
>>>isichess when movei used about half of it's time for move 61 (time control was 2
>>>hours/60 moves+ 30 minutes/rest of the game)
>>>
>>>I suspect that a possible reason for bugs in my time management may be that
>>>movei simply did not update the remaining moves immediatly before it started to
>>>ponder and the result is that it assumes wrong number of moves to the time
>>>control and wrong time when it starts to ponder(I know that it is assuming wrong
>>>time when it starts to ponder but usually it is not a big problem because the
>>>target time is nearly the same and it is changed as soon as movei get the time
>>>command from winboard).
>>
>>First rule:  Write a log file.  And in that log file, write _everything_ that
>>might be of interest.  Time limit.  Absolute time limit.  Etc...
>>
>>Then you won't be guessing the next time :)
>>
>>
>>>
>>>I am not sure if the problem was assuming wrong number of moves and movei is
>>>supposed to update the remaining number of moves after  every make move but I
>>>think that it may be better simply to get rid of global varaibles like
>>>num_moves(number of moves to the next time control, num_moves_1(number of moves
>>>to the first time control),num_moves_2 number of moves to the second time
>>>control and.
>>>have some function with static local varaibles that movei is going to call when
>>>it needs the information.
>>>
>>>Note that I do not plan to get rid of the compliacated formula that I use to
>>>decide about time management but I plan to have function to calculate relevant
>>>data instead of updating it in many places when I may forget to update it.
>>>
>>>I basically try to calculate number of expected moves to finish the game or the
>>>next time control and use this information to decide about target time and I
>>>also use the time of the last iteration to decide if to do another iteration(I
>>>usually try to finish iteration in most cases with the idea that after finishing
>>>an iteration there is a smaller chance to change my mind when the main exception
>>>are cases when the program pondered enough time).
>>
>>Bad idea.  Start the next iteration even if you don't think you will have time
>>to finish it.  You might fail low.  Wouldn't that be nice to know?  :)
>>
>>
>
>Assume you have timed out at about the point a faillow has occurred. What
>do you do now with your time? After all, using time wisely... :-)


Keep searching to find a better move.  That is the point of  finding the
fail-low in the first place.



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