Author: Steve Maughan
Date: 17:11:21 09/02/04
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Stefan, The automatic translation provided by the Google Toolbar is quite readable. Not perfrect but readable - see the text below: Regards, Steve FROM GOOGLE================================================================= From 14. to 24 August 2004 found in Abu Dhabi in the united Arab emirates 14. Abu Dhabi Schachfestival instead of. It gave a large master tournament, an open tournament over 200 participants and for the first time also a match between two electronic chess players. The Pal Group from Abu Dhabi has its own chess program with Hydra for scarcely one year. But they have the computer chess experts Chrilly Donninger and Ulf Lorenz, as well as the chess large master Christopher Lutz obligates. Hydra is not a usual chess program, which runs on a PC. A majority of the computations of the program happens in hardware, on FPGA plug-in cards so mentioned, which are in a commercial PC. Hydra has also not only one computer, but directly several available. In the current version there is eight computers with in each case two processors, which are connected by a ultraschnelles network. For each processor there is then still another its own hardware map, altogether thus 16 pieces. Together thus a nice computer in the Statur of a refrigerator for the extended family. As an opponent for the computer duel the Pal Group Shredder selected itself, the repeated computer chess world champion and the most successful chess program of the last years. I accepted, curiously the invitation after Abu Dhabi naturally gladly, what me in the country expected and how Shredder will strike itself against the hardware monster. In order to be competitive, I strove naturally also for a good computer, which to me the company put transtec, as in the last years with tournaments usually, also this time again at the disposal. Shredder ran on a Quad Opteron server with 2.2 GHz. The computer remained in the computer room of transtec in Tübingen, while I had logged in from Abu Dhabi with my Notebook on the computer. The hardware pendulum deflected to the Hydraseite, nevertheless drove thus clearly I good things to Abu Dhabi, since I had still built a few improvements since the last world championship into Tel Aviv into Shredder. The journey after Abu Dhabi ran chaotically. The feeder flight from Duesseldorf to Frankfurt took full three hours because of the bad weather in Frankfurt instead of the planned 40 minutes. Clearly that I had given thereby the connection flight after Abu Dhabi and me first times to eight hours to Frankfurt airport to divert was allowed, until I could mount the transferred machine of the Qatar Airways over Doha after Abu Dhabi. After nearly 24 hours and with 12 hours of delay I arrived finally nevertheless at Abu Dhabi. As on the already nearly mandatory view from my hotel room to see is, was my hotel directly because of the sea with large pool and own private beach. Which at first sight looks so good, has however a crucial hook: The climate in Abu Dhabi. At this season the daytime temperature lies with 42-45 degrees, in the shade mind you, which one must always find with radiating blue sky however only. In addition still another high relative air humidity of 70%, crucially too much, comes in order to depend comfortably at the beach. The sea water has bath tub temperature with 32 degrees also rather and is for a cool refreshment not to be used. At night it cools down then on 38 degrees, with still high air humidity. Longer activities in the free one are thus only with difficulty possible and the use and sense of air conditioning systems get a new dimension. One must be usual, turn and try Central European summer behavior thus completely to spend as much as possible time inside. The leisure program consisted thus of patronages of the hotel food hall as well as various oversize Shoppingmalls, those a sense get at one time, because here one can induce oneself like a usual Central European to foot and has because of the size of the Malls at least nearly the feeling to be in the free one. Abu Dhabi is an enormous city with a imposanten skyline. At all corners unerschrocken is built and the city continues to continue to always. Many new buildings of splendour develop, e.g. in record time a new 7-Sterne-Hotel. Despite the many green belts and parks in the city it is not to be surveyed however, as it must have everywhere looked here before not too long time. The view from a Hinterfenster of the largest Mall in Abu Dhabi directly at the outskirts of a town speaks volumes. I was however not to the Sightseeing in Abu Dhabi separate to chess play. The match against Hydra was set on 8 portions with a considering time of 90 minutes per player per portion. One played in the cultural center of Abu Dhabi, in the middle in the city. We played in the same hall as the open, however specially emphasized on a red landing. Therefore and also on the basis the many posters, both inside and outside to our match, one referred clearly could recognize that the computer match was one of the highlights of the Schachfestivals. Contents of some posters were however only opened after purposeful demand. The native press was also very strongly interested in us. Thus there were interviews after some portions for the television and also in the supraregional newspapers there was daily a report, for us however only by the pictures to recognize was. Now however finally to the match process: The first two portions ran conceivablly badly for Shredder. Shredder sacrificed from the opening data base material already in each case, in order to get an attack. These victims were however inkorrekt, so that Hydra with exact defense could bring loosely two victories in. After two portions it thus already stood for 0:2 against me. The third and fourth portion ran then more calmly and ended both with a Remis. In third Shredder in the final game had advantages, could these however not to a victory use. To the half time it stood thereby for 3:1 for Hydra. For us one point of tourist program lined up: it went into the desert, which follows directly the outskirts of a town. There arrived we made then acquaintance with a hobby many more native: Driving?. One drives the sandduenen up with a jeep and down. is however not it sounds boring not, since one drives first of all with full power and is partially so extremely steep secondly the dunes that one cannot up-climb her to foot. In principle a feeling as with roller coaster it drives only that it with roller coaster it drives is very improbable that one estimates oneself. After which we had projected more or less well, it went then with the normal tourist program with camel riding, Belly dance and in the evening Barbecue further. The climate in the desert has the advantage that it is not so damp and cools down in the evening it also pleasantly, so that we could spend for the first time several hours one behind the other in the free one. The desert climate is pleasant? The relations shift. Again back in Abu Dhabi continued it with the two next rounds in our match. The fifth and sixth round ended again with Remis, although Shredder had very good chances of winning again particularly in the sixth round. The conditions were thus 4:2 for Hydra and it became so slowly time that Shredder wins also once a portion. For us there was however again a small break with tourist program, a daily trip to the neighbouring Dubai. Also Dubai is one extremely boom-ends large city with similar climate as in Abu Dhabi, so that one is grateful for the still more numerously existing Shoppingmalls also here. Contrary to the oil center Abu Dhabi is Dubai the commercial centre of the emirates. One of the commercial emphasis is gold, as is to be recognized on the gold market easily. Dubai has also a rising tourism industry with the highlight of the only 7-Sterne hotel of the world, the Burj aluminium Arab, which is in gigantic sail shape directly because of the beach of Dubai. The hotel is more highly than the Eiffelturm and the road block in the foreground makes clear unmistakably, where for normal tourists the border is. In the last two rounds of our tournament the Remisserie was then finally stopped, however not so, as I had presented it to me. Shredder played its worst portion of the match and Hydra its best in the sieved round. The result was a clear victory for Hydra. In the last round Shredder had then again times good chances, which Hydra neutralized however by a very active defense and it again a Remis gave. Shredder lost the match thus with 2,5:5,5. That sounds very clear, but if one looks at oneself the process of the portions, then it could have looked with somewhat more luck also better for Shredder, the victory of Hydra is however earned. Hydra on its superhardware is very strong, however I believe that Shredder on a fast computer can quite still keep up. I am very strained on the further development of Hydra and look forward already to a revenge fight. The match in Abu Dhabi was reliably an enriching for computer chess and arrived very good at spectators and the press. Perhaps a new idea for point chess top speeds lies here: Instead of giving oneself also for the spectators and sponsors annoying Kurzremisen with human matches contently, one lets simply two chess programs, which hit fearless one on the other then begin against each other. In addition it is questionable or at least discussion worthy whether one can achieve the schachliche level with human players, shown in Abu Dhabi. If it should be today still like that, it in foreseeable time however will not surely any longer like that be.
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