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Subject: Re: Singular extensions and null move

Author: Tony Werten

Date: 00:26:58 05/31/05

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On May 31, 2005 at 01:57:25, Tony Werten wrote:

>On May 30, 2005 at 14:30:20, Dieter Buerssner wrote:
>
>>On May 29, 2005 at 12:44:10, Gian-Carlo Pascutto wrote:
>>
>>>You can just do the SE searches after the nullmove, no problem there?
>>
>>This is an interesting point.
>>I think, the biggest disadvantage of nullmove in general is not the Zugzwang
>>problem, but hiding tactics. My favorite example (without a really concrete
>>position) is a situation with bKg8, bPf7, g6, h7. White has a pawn or a bishop
>>on f6. Assume white has to do some queen walk, say qd3-qh3-qh6-qg7#. After each
>>queen move, black null move can fail high; certainly it can faĆ­l high more than
>>once during such a walk. This would eat something like 6 plies (or more) from
>>your depth, making rather easy tactics very deep. From SE, one would hope, that
>>it helps here. When you delay it after the null move, it will help zero in such
>>a situation.
>
>Correct. But by delaying the singularity test after the nullmove, you reduce the
>amount of work significantly.
>
>When we're on a fail high node, and nullmove fails low, we know that we actually
>need to do a move to fail high. Now you only have to test how many of those
>there are.
>
>The only assumption that is taken is that when a position fails high on a
>nullmove there will be more than 1 move that will also fail high. This is only a
>bit stronger than normal nullmove, wich assumes that on a nullmove failhigh
>there will be at least 1 move that will also fail high.
>
>BTW I have never tested it but a conformation search after nullmove (wich could

That's confirmation I guess ? Make that verification.

>do a singularity test) might help here. Then again, it will cost more as well.
>
>Tony
>
>>
>>Regards,
>>Dieter



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