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

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 12:03:30 07/27/04

Go up one level in this thread


On July 27, 2004 at 14:43:06, Sune Fischer wrote:

>On July 27, 2004 at 13:33:40, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On July 27, 2004 at 09:42:46, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>
>>>On July 27, 2004 at 09:33:13, Anthony Cozzie wrote:
>>>
>>>>On July 27, 2004 at 03:18:50, Sune Fischer wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On July 25, 2004 at 22:01:31, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>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?  :)
>>>>>
>>>>>This may or may not be a good idea.
>>>>>
>>>>>I think if it is a good idea, then you should always try and search the next
>>>>>iteration for a short time to see if you get a quick fail-low.
>>>>>
>>>>>On the other hand, if it is a bad idea it is better to save the time that will
>>>>>probably be wasted anyway.
>>>>>
>>>>>From what I can tell you propose to do a mixture, i.e. to use extra time if the
>>>>>time manager tells you to?
>>>>>
>>>>>I really doubt this is the best way, because it will be extremely random when
>>>>>you get to begin the next ply.
>>>>>
>>>>>-S.
>>>>
>>>>It seems you have 3 options here:
>>>>
>>>>Optimism: Hope that a move you haven't searched yet will fail high; terminate
>>>>after searching all moves.
>>>>
>>>>Pessimism: Make sure that the move you want to play won't fail low: terminate
>>>>after searching the first move.
>>>>
>>>>Don't Care:  Just exit whenever time runs out ;)
>>>
>>>I think you have more choices, e.g. search the next ply, when time is about to
>>>run out, with a null window around the fail-low bound.
>>
>>I don't think any of that is reasonable.  I have seen searches where the first
>>move takes 1 second to resolve a true score.  I have seen searches where the
>>first move will talk almost forever to resolve the score.  KISS is a good idea
>>here, IMHO.
>
>...which is why you shouldn't try and resolve the score. :)

How is that KISS?  IE I +normally+ try to resolve the score, so why change what
is the normal case???  For a special case that is not particulary significant.


>
>>>
>>>Just to assert as quickly as possible that it doesn't fail horribly low.
>>>
>>>Little sense in trying to resolve an exact score for the next ply if you only
>>>15% time left.
>>
>>
>>Often that is more than enough time to resolve the score.
>
>I think 15% is rarely enough time.


100 seconds per move.  15% is 15 seconds.  For the first N iterations that is
more than enough time.  How to accurately predict when you are starting the
_last_ iteration?




>
>If the whole last ply took 70% and the first move on the last ply took 60%, then
>you can probably expect to use about twice that, i.e. 120% time, to resolve the
>score on the first move.
>
>That's pretty hopeless unless something dramatic happens.
>
>-S.

Try fine 70 for a quick counter-example...





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