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Subject: Re: Amazing human/Cheaters/Other Questions

Author: Dave Gomboc

Date: 23:45:32 08/24/99

Go up one level in this thread


On August 25, 1999 at 01:12:03, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On August 24, 1999 at 22:44:20, odell hall wrote:
>
>>On August 24, 1999 at 21:35:33, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On August 24, 1999 at 16:04:05, odell hall wrote:
>>>
>>>>On August 24, 1999 at 15:00:09, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On August 24, 1999 at 11:07:02, Zachariah Amela wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>How does FICS stop cheaters?  I know they run rampant at times.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Could there sys query the client for any memory resident chess prgs?  I know
>>>>>>this doesn't rule out a cheater w/ a second PC or network, but it would be a
>>>>>>start.  Just curios.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>I have suggested that the only reasonable way to control cheating is to control
>>>>>the client software.  ICC ought to take their blitzin interface, and modify it
>>>>>and the server so that blitzin is the _only_ interface that will work.  And then
>>>>>they can take countermeasures inside blitzin to address the cheating issue,
>>>>>without having all the other interfaces that would not have the countermeasures
>>>>>included.
>>>>>
>>>>>Until that happens, it is hopeless...
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Also, how does Crafty know that it is playing a cheater w/ a (c)?  Dr. Hyatt
>>>>>>mentioned that he had a prg that did this.  I was curios how it worked.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Not quite what I said.  I gave some patches to Tim Mann (for winboard/xboard)
>>>>>that recongizes when the opponent is in the 'computer' list.  It will then
>>>>>tell the chess engine by sending a command "computer" to the program.  If a
>>>>>person is using a computer, and has a (C) on their handle, then this code works
>>>>>fine.  But it doesn't work if the person is 'cheating' as it won't have any
>>>>>idea the guy is using a computer.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Lastly, Dr. Hyatt said that no GM has beaten Crafty three games in a row.  Has
>>>>>>Kasparov ever "officially" taken on Crafty?  I would be interested in that game.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Not that I can verify.  I can't think of another GM that hasn't, however, from
>>>>>Karpov on down.  I tend to think Kasparov has not played Crafty, because the
>>>>>last comment I saw from him was something like "It is weak, actually".  Of
>>>>>course, I'd be more than happy to take him on in a blitz match to see how weak
>>>>>it really is.  :)
>>>>>
>>>>>But actually, playing him isn't a real priority of mine, because if Crafty won,
>>>>>we'd have to put up with whining about poor conditions, too noisy, the computer
>>>>>had help, etc.  IE there would be _no way_ to win against him... even to win
>>>>>would be to lose, IMHO.
>>>>>
>>>>>I prefer to play all the other GM players that _do not_ have the obnoxious
>>>>>attitude.  There are plenty of them, with Kamsky right at the top of the list,
>>>>>but with many others that are equally as congenial.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I don't think you can make the assumption that because Kaspy said Crafty is
>>>>"Weak" he has not played it.  I have had conversations on computer chess with
>>>>other titled players on icc who have said the same thing about crafty. Naturally
>>>>as the program author you would be on the defensive, but I don't think every
>>>>player that says this is attacking you personally, perhaps this is just their
>>>>honest assessment.  I would have to put my money on kaspy against any program
>>>>even at blitz. Kaspy is a supreme chess analyst, if their is any one that can
>>>>find the weakness in a program it is him.  That's why i would think after ten
>>>>games or so, he could know exactly how to beat a program three times in a row.
>>>
>>>I can't imagine a GM playing crafty, winning 3 of 10 games if he is lucky, then
>>>saying "this program is weak".  I can think of three players on ICC that were
>>>giving analysis during some GM event a while back, including Dlugy, Kamsky and
>>>Shirov.  And at one point, with Crafty giving analysis of a deep tactical
>>>position... all three said simply "Listen to crafty, it knows what is going on
>>>here better than we do...".
>>>
>>>As far as kaspy at blitz, he is _not_ the best blitz player in the world.  And
>>>I'd be more than happy to play him a match of 5 0 games on ICC any day.
>>>Actually, maybe I wouldn't, because I don't want the headache.  But I'd gladly
>>>play other GM players at blitz without a second thought, and I'd be not just
>>>disappointed but completely surprised if Crafty didn't win easily.  It has
>>>destroyed GM Browne at even longer blitz time controls (5 14 for one example)
>>>and he is very strong as a blitz player.  From my vantage point, both from
>>>watching and talking with many GM players that I have a lot of respect for, I
>>>think Karpov is the best blitz player in the world, and I can tell you how
>>>crafty would do (and did) against him.  :)
>>>
>>>He fares no better than any other top GM I have seen play it...  But as far as
>>>the "weak" comment goes, I simply can't imagine a GM saying that, unless it was
>>>qualified as "It is weak at long time controls, maybe".  But to say it is weak
>>>at blitz is like saying Chuck Norris is incompetent as a street-fighter.  Bad
>>>idea.  _very_ bad idea.  :)
>>
>>
>>I really don't think he meant "weak" literally I think he is speaking
>>relatively, he is saying crafty is weak compared to the other top programs.
>>Like you said if you take him literally it is irrational. We all know the Kaspy
>>plays Fritz and junior, hiarcs quite frequently.
>
>
>So does crafty (play the commercial programs.)  On the quad xeon, it does just
>fine, too.  No telling what Kasparov played to make that comment.  But it wasn't
>'crafty' as I know crafty...

My guess would be that he was using Crafty as a Fritz engine.  I remember that
not too long after he made that comment, it was discovered that Fritz didn't
send the same commands that Winboard did.  Has Crafty performed better as a
Fritz engine since this was made public?

Dave



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