Author: odell hall
Date: 14:04:46 02/23/99
Hi CCC Recently a friend and I decided to play a friendly six game match between his rebel10(amd233 64megs), and my Hiarcs6 (Cyrix233 16megs). Unfortunately what started out a friendly compitition turned into quite a heated argument. My friend has what I believe to be a rediculous notion that computers should not play with opening books. After a debate about the pro's and con's off playing computer vs computer chess with/without books on we decided on a small compromise. Our compromise was that after our computers reached move 10, in our game we would then turn the books off, so that white on his 11th move would be playing on it's own without assistance from a book. My friends main reason's for not wanting a book are that he thinks: 1. It is not a true test of a programs strength when it plays with a book 2. How well a program plays the opening is part of it's chess strength 3.Games tend to be boring with the books on. My position in defense of opening books is that if we leave off the book then we ignore a part of the program. It almost like saying that I as an A player would be better than a Master if I could negate his Memory! Much of the dispute stems from my friend trusting the computers evaluation of a opening position out of book over Centuries of Human expierence and Learning! I think the reason computers are given opening books is because they do not understand the opening and need guidance. Anyway the dispute started over game 4 of our match where Hiarcs6 as white made his first non-book move, In keeping in the spirit of our agreement I tourned my hiarcs book off at this position r1bqkb1r/5p1p/p1np4/1p1Npp2/4P3/N7/PPP2PPP/R2QKB1R w KQkq - id HIARCS - rebel 10 and233 gam; bm e4f5; here hiarcs played 11. exf5 on it's own without book assistance. Glancing out rebel10 evaution of the position (-74) my friend was hot and wanted to start the game all over! He felt that it was unfair! I take issue with this because this is a very well known opening position and is theoritically equal, although it is possible that a computer program would not understand it at all (Exactly whty it is absolutely neccessary for computers to have books!) Anyway rebel completely mishandled the position to lose horribly here is the complete game. [Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "??.??.????"] [Round "?"] [White "HIARCS"] [Black "rebel 10 and233 gam"] [Result "*"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [ECO "B33"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. exf5 b4 12. Nc4 Bxf5 13. Bd3 Be6 14. Qf3 Bxd5 15. Qxd5 Rc8 16. f4 Qh4+ 17. g3 Qd8 18. O-O-O b3 19. axb3 Nb4 20. Qb7 Rb8 21. Qa7 Ra8 22. Qe3 * Who is Right? I am saying that the game was completely fair and Rebel loss in a well known theoretically equal position. His position was that the Game should have been started over after move eleven because Rebel's opening book put it at a handicap
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