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Subject: Re: Chessmaster selectivity

Author: Brian Smith

Date: 08:39:27 08/10/99

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On August 10, 1999 at 03:18:43, Shep wrote:

>On August 09, 1999 at 14:19:04, Brian Smith wrote:
>
>
>>I think the Selective Search works this way:
>>
>>Example:  Search at 4/12 ply
>>	This means that CM searches all possible moves for the next 4 moves (brute
>>force) and then selective search (not all possible moves) to the 12th ply--4
>>brute force + 8 selective search.  Of course, like any other program CM uses
>>extensions.  If there is a capture for example, or a mate threat, or whatever
>>else extensions there are in TheKing (the extensions, of course, are pretty
>>complex) then it extends the search beyond the 12th ply.
>
>Exactly. (But as I said, this "8 ply selective" does not necessarily mean you
>have SS set to 8.)
>The "x/y ply" above would be displayed as "y/z ply" by other programs.
>The first number is indeed the brute force search, as can be seen by setting
>SS=0 (CM would then only show "5/5", "8/8" etc.).
>
>I only wish CM would also show its maximum selective depth. I  wonder if "Max
>Depth=20" means "no lines deeper than 20 ply" or "no lines deeper than brute
>force + 20 ply" (which would expand to 24 in your example) or "no lines deeper
>than ordinary selective depth + 20 ply" (meaning 32 in your example)...
>
>---
>Shep


Well, if Maximum Depth is set to 1 there are still lines with 3 moves (depth
1/1) due to the extensions.  It doesn't mean "no lines deeper than 20 play" as
can be seen from endgame example (near to a mate) if time is set on infinite.
CM will go a lot higher than 20--I believe it goes up to 60 or something like
that.  "No lines deeper than brute force + 20 ply" wouldn't make sense because
the Selective Search setting limits it to "Brute Force + 10 ply".  The maximum
search setting is nothing but the maximum of the selective search (i.e.  if
maximum search is set to 8 the following are possible searches: 1/8, 2/8, 3/8/,
4/8,...8/8).  Even though it displays 20 as it highest depth while viewing a
personality, moving the slider its furthest to the right will reveal (as you
foiund out recently) "max" which doesn't mean "20" but as rather "maximum".

Below is a simple example to prove that TheKing's search goes higher than 20:

--  BK  --  --  --  --  --  --
--  --  --  --  --  --  BP  BP
--  --  WQ  --  --  --  --  --
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --        (White to move)
WP  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
--  --  --  --  WK  --  --  --

I got up to about 35/36 in this example with the default setting, but I believe
I have been higher than that before.

Hope that clears things up.



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