Author: James T. Walker
Date: 06:15:11 03/28/99
Go up one level in this thread
On March 27, 1999 at 15:43:42, Eugene Nalimov wrote: >On March 27, 1999 at 12:45:05, Bruce Moreland wrote: > >> >>On March 27, 1999 at 03:55:25, blass uri wrote: >> >>>It is not fair because part of the effort in doing the program crafty is by >>>doing it a parallel machine. >>>I believe that Bob could do in the same time a better program if he did not >>>waste time for doing a SMP program. >> >>If someone wants to compare Crafty and Fritz I think it would be fair to compare >>them on uniform high-end (single-processor) hardware, since they are both >>designed to work on that hardware. >> >>If one of them would only run on a 286, I don't think it would be fair to make >>them both run on a 286. >> >>But multiprocessor machines are still a super- high-end thing so it's probably >>not fair to say: Here is the machine, it has 4 processors, feel free to use >>them in this match. Oh, what did you say Fritz, you can't use 4 processors, you >>can only use one? Well, that's too bad for you. You might as well put them >>both on an Alpha and expect Fritz to use an emulator. >> >>In a few years, maybe, because everyone will have a multiprocessor machine, but >>of course everyone will be multiprocessor then. >> >>Bob's put time in being SMP, sure, but I think he supports single-processor >>machines and runs well on them. >> >>bruce > >Bob spent his time working on SMP. Also, he deliberatly lost some >performance by using C instead of assembly. > >Author of Fritz decided not to include SMP code, as well as write >his program on assembly to squize last pieces of performance. > >By using single-CPU x86-compatible machine you favor Fritz - he will >be running on the best possible platform. > >Maybe it's better to put some dollar limit - e.g. "on a machines >that cost not more than $7,500". > >Eugene Maybe it's better to say "For the average user". The average person does not have a $7500 machine. For the average user ($2000 PC or less) Crafty comes up way short of Fritz and Junior and the other top programs made for PC's. So for comparable speed machines, Crafty gets beat more often than not. If you want to put Crafty on a 4 processor machine which increases it's speed by a factor of say 3.5 then give Fritz a comparable speed increase and it will still come out on top. This is not a put down of Crafty. I have often wondered the same thing about why Crafty gets beat by the top programs when Crafty seems to have all the modern techniques of chess programming. The question begs for an answer not to put down Crafty but to search for weakness which can be overcome. I believe this will take some analysis by master chess players which I am not. I believe this question was given in the sense of trying to find an answer which will eventually make Crafty a better program. Everyone appreciates the fact that Crafty is portable to different platforms because of the C language. This has to cost some rating points but I don't believe it accounts for the majority of the rating difference between Crafty and the top programs. Jim Walker
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