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Subject: Re: What is Ferret doing?

Author: Stefan Meyer-Kahlen

Date: 13:40:52 06/21/99

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On June 20, 1999 at 12:52:07, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On June 20, 1999 at 11:52:01, James T. Walker wrote:
>
>>On June 19, 1999 at 21:07:56, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On June 19, 1999 at 14:33:47, Ernst Walet wrote:
>>>
>>>>If I didn't know better I would say that Ferret has cracked under the pressure
>>>>after move 55!  Maybe later Bruce can explain what is going on right now or has
>>>>someone else any idea?.
>>>>
>>>>Ernst-J.
>>>
>>>
>>>Here's what I saw:
>>>
>>>by move 25 or so white was not just lost, but dead lost.  I was talking with
>>>Roman at the time and he said something like "I have _never_ seen white get
>>>into such a dead lost position so quickly..."  But then Ferret did what many
>>>computer programs do when they start an attack... they go for the first pawn
>>>they can see, rather than keeping the pressure up.  I suspect that a good GM
>>>would have taken black and ended the game within 25 more moves.  But as ferret
>>>went for that pawn it dissipated the attack it had going and turned the
>>>initiative over to shredder.  Shredder slowly caught up and at one point we
>>>all had it as over +1.5 or so...  but then Ferret began to free up its pieces
>>>and almost pulled even again...  then it let the e-pawn advance too far and
>>>sacked the exchange to win it...  and then Shredder began to make progress
>>>again.  But at the end, Shredder apparently overlooked the draw that most
>>>programs saw nearly instantly... and the game ended a draw...  a neat see-saw
>>>game if there ever was one...  both sides had multiple winning chances...
>>
>>In the "Shredder apparently overlooked the draw that most programs saw nearly
>>instantly... " scenario isn't it possible that Shredder had it's contempt factor
>>set to accept a draw sooner than normal since it still wins the Championship?
>>Jim Walker
>
>I suspect not because there were other places where it could have simply
>repeated had it wanted to...  but your explanation is definitely possible...
>although it would have been mighty high to be over a pawn ahead and go for
>the draw...

My contempt factor was 0 because I have never tested it in a real game.
This almost backfired as Shredder was trying to avoid a repetition in this game
when Ferret would have happily taken it.

Stefan



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