Author: Matthew Hull
Date: 06:48:42 06/17/05
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On June 17, 2005 at 08:25:01, Christopher Conkie wrote: >Hello, > >You may know if you have been awake that there are some long threads recently >about positional understanding in chess engines. > >Coming up shortly is the WCCC 2005 in Rekjavic. > >In this championship there are a few engines taking part. I am now going to try >to explain the big problem that I and many others have with this championship. > >In a fair event such as a human game of chess, the competitors play and the >person with the most positional understanding and the greatest depth of thought >wins. There is no help provided to either side. They must live and die by their >own evaluation of a position. > >That's is the human side of things......now for computer chess. > >In the WCCC 2005 the same is just not true. > >1. The computers/hardware are all different specs. >2. The OS software used is also different. >3. The engines use opening books. >4. The engines use tablebases. > >It seems that these points have floated right by everyone. You must be kidding. Good grief, don't you know that this argument has been done to death here already -- NUMEROUSLY? #1) Look, man. Have you ever competed in an open division swiss tournament? What was the strength range in it? Are you daft? Open divisions allow a range from 2000 to 2600+ ELO. What are you thinking about, dude? Where is your brain? It's the same with the WCCC. And some programmers have poured their time and effort into mult-processing, while others have spent the same time/effort on superior search, or evaluation or other tricks to get ahead. You would discriminate against one kind of effort over another? Get real. 2#) The OS counts for zero, unless you are looking at massive parrallel processing. Otherwise it's not an issue. #3) Have you memorized any openings? Yes? Did you invent those openings? No? Guess what, it's the same for computers. And your point was? #4) Do you remember the square of the pawn? Do you remember how to win KNB vs K? Guess what, tablebases are the same bloody thing. Guess what, computers can remember more than humans. What a shock. The WCCC is about the best computer chess, period. It's about competition, gamesmanship and luck, just like human tournaments. It's not about the best software, or the best hardware, or the best search. It's about the whole of these things. What is the best computer chess (and luck) that can be had? This topic has been beaten to death so many times on this board that I've lost count. > >Know that the winner of the WCCC 2005 will be the best hardware, not the best >engine. > >Know that WCCC should stand in reality for...... > >World Chess "Computer" Championship with the fundamental emphasis on "Computer" >not chess. > >The WCCC will show no insight whatsoever for chess engines abilities while these >anomalies exist. > >The championships are in effect.....meaningless. > >It is a very piric victory to be declared World Champion on the basis of having >the best hardware and not the best chess engine. > >Until these points are addressed and the championships are made a level playing >field for all concerned they will and do continue to be about as useful for >computer chess development and improvement as a chocolate oven (remember not to >cook with it, it would melt). > >The only way to move forward is to give the same hardware, same software, same >protocol, no books, no tablebases........and therefore same chance to all who >participate. > >Money is not everything, progress is much more important than money. > >We learn nothing from WCCC 2005, it matters not at this point in time who the >winner will be. It is also a very good reason why no amateur will spend money to >go to one of the most expensive countries on earth to get "a doing". Why put >yourself through all the pain? > >I move this proposal to the floor to see what your thoughts are......maybe you >have none and do not care, but I do care, I care very much. So much so that I >have written this and therefore tried to show you this injustice is apparant and >happening soon in Rekjavic. > >What do you all think? > >Christopher
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