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Subject: Re: mate threat extension/null move

Author: Stuart Cracraft

Date: 13:35:05 09/25/04

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On September 25, 2004 at 16:02:08, Andrew Platt wrote:

>On September 25, 2004 at 10:30:52, Rick Bischoff wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I am confused about the mate threat extension.  I have the following code:
>>
>>search ( depth, alpha, beta )
>>
>>->check extension
>>->else pawn extension
>>
>>->if depth <= 0 do the queiscent
>>
>>->if checkReps return draw
>>->if insufficnetMaterial return draw
>>
>>->Probe the hash table and return if good
>>
>>->if not in check and depth>3 and last move was not null and material is ok:
>>->-> do null move
>>->-> x = -search(depth - 3, -beta, -beta +1 )
>>->-> undo null move
>>->-> if ( x >= beta ) return beta
>>->-> if ( x < (-MATE+MAXPLY) ) cout << "found mate"
>>
>>->normal alpha/beta stuff
>>
>>end search
>>
>>"found mate" never gets printed out in WAC141 unless I change the null move to a
>>full width search... Why?  Well, I shouldn't say never, but I let it run to ply
>>9.
>
>if (x >= beta) return beta
>
>means that you don't return the actual scores, just the cutoff. This is fine
>until you try to detect threats. Then you need to return the actual scores
>because only those will have the mate in them.
>
>In WAC 141 you should hit a bunch of mate threat extensions on the way to the
>lowest ply because each time your Rooks take a pawn, and then the bishop, you
>should trigger one. In my search it still isn't enough to counteract the drop
>into qsearch where I don't consider checks. I've given up on generating the mate
>score in a short time right now (I have plenty of other problems!). It's enough
>that the first few plies in the PV are correct so if it actually hit it, it
>would find it. Of course that only works here because it turns out that the
>Queen sacrifice is good more material as well as mate!
>
>Andy.

So do you solve WAC 141 in a reasonable amount of time?
I don't and my code returns all values, does a null move
with -beta,-alpha, checks if the returning value is
equal to -MATE+ply+2 to extend (but doesn't extend it if
already in check), and I return -MATE+ply when in check
in the main search. In quiescence, I pass back to the main
search if in check, but I don't search checking moves unless
they are captures.

Anyway, with the above, WAC 141 is out of reach and no one
has been able to help it!




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