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Subject: What is Hydra ?

Author: vladan

Date: 05:59:26 09/02/05

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On September 02, 2005 at 06:45:23, Robert Hollay wrote:

>
> In some earlier threads we can read: Hydra has a "hardware based" chess
>program,
>the other chess programs are "software based".
>Can somebody explain (in easy to understand way) what are the main differences?
>AFAIK each computer consists of hardware and software. Hydra must have a good
>software to play such a strong chess, the brute hardware alone is not enough...
> If another chess program runs on 8 processors, why that program is not
>"hardware
>based"?
> Why is Hydra so different from other chess computers?
>
>TIA, Robert




Hydra is extremely successful connection among: excellent software part
(running on 3Ghz Intel processors), probably based on Donninger’s Nimzo
engine, parallel machine (including communication and synchronization software)
and hardware parts (FPGA cards especially programmed for chess, running parallel
with master processors).

FPGA card enables to enclose as much chess knowledge into the hardware, as you
want, without the decrease of performance, which is not the case in other
applications. This is the most important for the endgames. Also, a simple
Alfa-Beta searcher could be programmed into the hardware - perfectly for the
Quiescent searcher.

If you look at games from the match between Hydra and Shredder, the conclusion
is clear. The Hydra opens the new page in computer chess (I don’t remember that
it has lost a single game from other computer or human grandmaster).

I believe that it will be the first machine to overcome 3000 ELO, maybe next
year.


Regards,

Vladan V.




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