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Subject: Re: My miscellany of minor chess programming problems ?

Author: Gian-Carlo Pascutto

Date: 03:02:09 08/29/05

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On August 27, 2005 at 23:30:52, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On August 27, 2005 at 15:36:15, rasjid chan wrote:
>
>>On August 27, 2005 at 10:09:21, Jon Dart wrote:
>>
>>>> So this mean we don't need to keep pv[][] if we have hash tables (it is
>>>> like double accounting).
>>>
>>>I think this is false, given you have a finite size hash table and must
>>>eventually replace something. I have some experience: I used to retrieve pv from
>>>the hash table but now use a pv array and back up the scores.
>>>
>>>--Jon
>>
>>They tell me so and I begin to doubt. Maybe as Dr Hyatt says, backup the pv.
>>It may be best to be simple as I don't yet know how hashing twists and turns
>>within.
>>
>>Rasjid
>
>Just remember this.  While searching the PV, _after_ you search a move on the PV
>path, you do a lot of other searching.  Any of which can overwrite the PV move
>so that you get no move at that point, and a resulting short PV.  The "back up"
>method has no significant cost associated with it, since it is not done very
>often in a PVS-type search...
>
>If you really don't care, the hash table approach works much of the time, and
>does have zero overhead.  The array backup method has a finite but small
>overhead.  I find that avoiding the short PVs helps in testing and debugging,
>but in real games is irrelevant with respect to the game outcome...

What about setting a flag in the hashtable that it is a PV move and should not
be overwritten?

I never did this, but thinking of it, why not?

--
GCP



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