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Subject: Re: Time's Up! Which move to pick.....

Author: Paul Tillotson

Date: 12:36:50 08/16/99

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On August 16, 1999 at 15:16:30, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On August 16, 1999 at 15:07:59, Paul Tillotson wrote:
>
>>On August 16, 1999 at 14:00:22, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On August 15, 1999 at 21:16:42, Randall Shane wrote:
>>>
>>>>During my alpha-beta search, if I run out of time before I complete a iteration,
>>>>is it safe to just go with the move from the previous iteration??
>>>>
>>>>What other strategies are used?
>>>>
>>>>Thanks!
>>>
>>>(a) use the best move backed up in _this_ iteration (even though you have
>>>not completed it) unless the score has dropped markedly from the best score
>>>the last iteration.  In that cause, use more time.
>>>
>>>(b) use the move from the previous iteration if you haven't gotten a best move
>>>for the current iteration yet, unless you have failed low in the current
>>>iteration.  In that case, use more time.
>>
>>if (a) then what would be a markedly dropped score?
>>Would .5 pawn or a whole pawn be in the ball park?
>>
>>Regards,
>>Paul
>
>
>Actually I have a staircase of values.  I am quoting from memory (you can check
>time.c in crafty for actual test)...
>
>if the score drops 1/3 of a pawn, I use 2x the target time to try to 'get that
>positional score back.'.  If I am dropping a pawn, I think I will use up to 5x
>the base target time.  In cray blitz we were more dynamic than that, but I am
>not sure it was a good idea (ie positional drop = 1.5x, pawn = 2x, piece = 5x,
>mated= use almost all remaining time to find a way out...)


Seems very reasonable.  One other directly related question.
If your score drops a full pawn then you give it 2x.  Yet you found the
positional score at about 1.1x (ie just needed a little more time) then is
it worth stopping the search there?  Or just finish the rest of the 0.9x time?

Regards,
Paul



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