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Subject: Re: So why *does* Fritz beat Crafty?

Author: Paul Richards

Date: 15:45:57 03/28/99

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On March 28, 1999 at 14:12:26, Bruce Moreland wrote:


>>It is not a surprise that Top programs are better than crafty because the >>source code of crafty is free and can help other programmers when the
>>source code of top programs is not free.
>
>I think that it is fair, when judging a program, to consider, in addition to >raw chess strength, how much the author has done to assist others to improve >their own programs, and clearly Bob Hyatt is at the top of that particular
>list.

Well the sentiment is understood, but of course one has little to with
the other in performance terms.  It's an interesting question what
people get out of Crafty source.  For example I am not a chess programmer,
so for me the source code of the latest Crafty is way over my head, even
though I understand C.  To learn how it plays chess I would probably do
better to look at Crafty 3.0 or something and work my way up.  For someone
who is already a professional chess programmer, does he still learn
new things from the latest Crafty source?  If not then whom is it
teaching?  For most people it's too complicated, and they should
start with Crafty 1.0.  But they go for the latest and greatest even
though they won't understand it, and naturaly they end up just taking
it and tweaking bits here and there.  The real question is does Crafty
source still need to be published for teaching purposes?  I don't believe
so.  If you don't get it after all the previous versions being published
you never will.  If I were in Dr. Hyatt's shoes I would keep my new
stuff secret from now on. "Competition Crafty".  Make a PC-optimized
version and compete with the commercial programs.  If you dust everybody
then you can decide if you want to release your new wazoo techniques
for the betterment of all. In other words I would hole up and concentrate
on kicking ass. :)



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