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Subject: Re: The truth about chess programs

Author: Richard Pijl

Date: 04:28:45 04/22/05

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On April 22, 2005 at 05:49:37, Tony Nichols wrote:

>On April 22, 2005 at 05:28:33, Richard Pijl wrote:
>
>>One program demonstrating this point is currently quite popular on ICC. It
>>hardly has knowledge (basic piece-square tables + some very basic positional
>>scoring for e.g. rooks on open files and doubled pawns). It plays using a
>>Pentium Pro 200Mhz, and doesn't have advanced search methods in it, just plain
>>Alpha-Beta with 32Mb hashtables. It has no knowledge about king-safety, no
>>knowledge about passed pawns and no opening book (although it has position
>>learning that evolves in something that you could call an opening book) and no
>>EGTB's.
>>
>>Yet, it manages to win most of its games, even some against titled players. It
>>also loses quite a few games to under-1800 players, due to the obvious
>>weaknesses it has. Almost all of its games are won on tactics. Somehow I think
>>this program is popular because everybody gets the feeling that it should be
>>beatable (and it is!!) but the human weakness in shallow (but usually messy)
>>tactics is usually sufficient to not win those games.
>>
>>I guess that with top programs and top-GM's it is the same thing.
>>
>>Btw, that none of the programs is meeting top-GM's without a book is not true.
>>Last year, the Baron played a 2-game rapid match against GM Levon Aronian during
>>the Chess Classic event in Mainz).
>>This year (August 10th 2005) the Baron will play two games against GM Peter
>>Svidler. As this will be a Chess960/FRC game, the Baron will not be using an
>>opening book (and neither is Svidler :-).
>>
>>http://www.chesstigers.de/index_news.php?id=223&rubrik=4 (German article)
>>
>>Richard.
>
>Hi, Richard
>I was not aware of the Baron games, interesting. I would like to see slower
>games in a longer match.
>Regards
>Tony

So would I, but I'm happy to have at least these games :-)
Richard.



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