Author: Steve Maughan
Date: 00:25:53 08/06/99
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Steve >Although my brief research makes Fritz an attractive buy, I am very intrigued by >the following excerpt from the Hiarcs 7.32 features documentation: > > The new 32Bit version of Hiarcs does not clear its hash tables between > moves which makes it fantastically suited for the automated backward > game analysis in the Hiarcs7.32 user interface. In backward analysis, a > program with persistent hash tables knows about the further game > continuation and thus looks much deeper. And supported by position > learning you can show the program the dangers of a variation which it > would normally stumble into in analysis and thus force it to look for > superior alternatives. > > Hiarcs7.32 accesses the Nalimov Tablebases in the search tree. This > boosts playing strength in simple endgames dramatically. In contrast, > Fritz5.32 only evaluates endgame databases at the root. > >Questions: > >1. To experienced Hiarcs 7.32 users: is the above excerpt for real? I've >never heard of "backward game analysis" before. How/when is this used? When HIARCS analyses a game it starts at theback and works forward. This means that the Hash table has 'better' information as it contains the moves actually played - leading to a deeper vision. >To simplify responses to my remaining questions, please ASSUME that Hiarcs 7.32 >search engine has an advantage re above excerpt, and that Fritz has faster >nodes/sec search engine. > >2. Rather than spending (approx.) $100 to acquire both, is it possible to >economically get the advantages of both under one umbrella (i.e. Fritz 5.32 with >the Hiarcs 7.32 search engine as an add-on, or the REVERSE)? This question >really has two parts: > >2a. Can the Hiarcs 7.32 search engine (only, with no interface) be purchased for >significantly less than the $48+ of the full Hiarcs 7.32 package, and then >"plugged into" Fritz 5.32 as an add-on. Also included in question 2a is the >REVERSE, re buying and plugging Fritz engine into Hiarcs. No! But is $48 really going to break the bank? It a bargan >2b. Will the plug-in strategy of Question 2a truly consolidate both advantages? >For example, the above excerpt suggests that the Hiarcs 7.32 interface allows >"automated backward game analysis", while the Fritz interface does not. I infer >that plugging the Fritz engine into the Hiarcs 7.32 package will achieve my >goal, while the reverse will not. IS THIS TRUE? HIARCS' and FRITZ's GUI are virtually identical. You can use FRITZ in Hiarcs and Hiarcs in Fritz. >3. In the rec.games.chess.computers newsgroup, someone informally contrasted >the two search engines (Fritz 5.32 vs Hiarcs 7.32) by calling Fritz a tactical >monster, and indicating that Hiarcs more often "agrees" with the move actually >chosen by the Grandmaster. Perhaps this relates to Hiarcs' "backward game >analysis" feature. Intriguing, REQUEST FEEDBACK ON THIS. Hiarcs is IMHO the better engine. It's excellent at tactics and positional play. If you were to get only one - get HIARCS 7.32 >4. Taking everything above with a large boulder of salt: if it is all true, >then I infer that Fritz is consistently superior in analyzing a "static" >position (i.e. setup a position and then say analyze). REQUEST FEEDBACK ON >THIS. Yes - but not much in it! Regards Steve Maughan
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