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Subject: Re: Results from the WT-5 tournament

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 07:39:07 08/29/99

Go up one level in this thread


On August 29, 1999 at 06:29:21, Ed Schröder wrote:

>>Hello Ed,
>
>Hello Frank,
>
>>>We (the programmers) can argue what we want Bob but this is a lost case
>>>on before hand because the formula of playing 2 programs on one machine
>>>is too good to be true. People are not going to give this up.
>>
>>>Same story as with book-learning, it hides the real strength of a chess
>>>engine. Still people take the numbers for real. Another lost case :-)
>>
>>I play more than 2000 games on one machine, looked in the LOG-File, see the
>>games and I can not say that this games the formula 2 is.
>>
>>You and Bob say that this the formula 2 is. I mean that permanent brain is not
>>importent for matches with longer time control. Its 20-40 ELO not more. 30%
>>Ponder hints pro match, and from this 30% 3% moves that are better and 1%
>>moves
>>that are not better with permanent brain (matches with longer time controls on
>>fast PCs).
>>
>>When I play with an fast processor and the engine come under tournament
>>time to
>>13/01 this engine come with an AMD K6-3 2000 MHz to 13/05 (I think). And with
>>ponder or not with ponder I become not (in der Regel, in german) an better
>>move.
>>
>>I can not see in the WinBoard debug files problems with time control without
>>ponder.
>>
>>This is not a formula 2, this is formula 1,5 with Schumacher in position 1
>>:-)))
>>and Hyatt and Schröder in position 21/22 !
>>
>>But a forumula 1,5 with good statistic and results.
>>
>>This is for me suspect, suspect we your statement about more ELO by using
>>Table-Bases. I think that 4-pieces make 20-30 ELO and 5-pieces make 40-50 ElO,
>>not 5 ELO !
>>
>>Other programmer thinking we I and other programmer thinking in the question
>>about matches on one PC we I.
>>
>>I can give all logfiles from the WT-5 tournament and you can looking.
>>That´s no
>>proof of what you have been claiming, I will see an proof and I have this
>>proof
>>when I looked my results and in the log file form the WB Engines.
>>
>>OK, better are matches with 2 PCs, but for testing and playing with 2
>>engines is
>>one PC enough and the results are interestet and good for all people that we
>>play tournaments.
>>
>>And when make Ed Schröder an Rebel Decade WinBoard Engine for more and more
>>WinBoard Fan`s ?
>>
>>Best wishes
>>Frank
>>
>>In german for Ed !
>>Ist mir auf englisch zu kompliziert.
>>
>>Ed, stelle Dir mal folgende Frage !
>>
>>Wenn bei einer Engine aufgrund Permanent Brain Treffer das Zeitmanagment
>>verändert wird und es zu Zügen kommt welche schneller ausgespielt werden
>>oder zu
>>Zügen welche langsamer ausgespielt werden hebt sich das wieder auf wenn vor
>>der
>>Zeitkontrolle doch wieder eine vernüftige Restzeit zur Verfügung steht. Mit
>>anderen Worten muß die Engine sich für Züge mehr Zeit gelassen haben und hat
>>dann auch Vorteile erzielt. Vorteile und Nachteile !
>
>>
>>Crafty blitzt nicht die letzten Züge von der Zeitkontrolle (Matches auf
>>einen PC
>>ohne Ponder) und hat z.B. bei 40 Zügen in 40 Minuten immer noch
>>durchschnittlich
>>10 Minuten für die Züge 30-40 !
>>
>>Daher verstehe ich die Äußerungen nicht, denn es gibt ja dann auch Vorteile.
>>Vorteile weil für Züge auch eine längere Zeit zur Verfügung steht. Das muß
>>doch
>>absolut logisch sein. Ich denke nicht das dies statistisch gesehen relevant
>>ist.
>>
>>Es sind keine zwei PCs mehr notwendig für Engine-Engine Vergleiche !
>>Für 20-40 ELO ? Diesen Nachteil haben alle Programme !
>>
>>Gruß
>>Frank
>
>I agree all programs have this problem but you overlook one important thing
>which is my main complaint to make engine-engine on one PC being trustworthy.
>
>Due to the lack of the permanent brain the "time control" (TC) gets messed
>up. TC is an important part of a chess program. Chess programs for instance
>are keen to keep a certain amount of spare time in case the program finds
>itself in trouble (dropping score etc.). Without a permanent brain this "spare
>time" case is going to fail as the permanent brain definitely is a part of it.
>


I don't think we can say more on this issue.  This is an important point.  I
try to accumulate some 'slush' time that I can use when the score drops... and
until I do, my target time per move is kept lower than normal to make this
happen.  And without pondering it will _never_ be able to do this...  And the
time per move will be different...

Also I generally see predictions well beyond 30% as given above...  so that
'pondering' does have a significant influence on the game... both by allowing
deeper searches when correct, as well as by providing extra time for places
where it is needed...



>This is just one example. I am sure that in every program TC is done in
>different ways as there are many things involved in TC.
>
>To compete in engine-engine on one PC the program needs a *special*
>TC that takes care of the lack of the permanent brain. Next the program
>needs a piece of smart software that automatically detects that it is forced
>to play without its permanent brain because it is unlikely the user has set
>the permanent brain to "off" for the match, right?
>
>The bottom line: program_X may have all done this and program_Y not. If
>so program_X will have a very big advantage. I estimate it at 50-100 elo.
>And how can you know that if it is done or not?
>
>I noticed this for the first time playing the Crafty-Rebel8 NPS game. Crafty
>and Rebel had to play without the permanent game to make the game
>valid for its purpose.
>
>Because the lack of the permanent brain Rebel8 came into time trouble
>because the program wasn't suited to play without. If Bob hadn't been
>so sportsmanlike to handle this manually I am sure the game and result
>would have been different.
>
>Ed Schroder


If you recall, I found the same problem in Crafty, as I never test full games
without pondering enabled...  I only disable this for testing when I want to
control things a little better...

I did make a small change several versions back to at least be less aggressive
on using time if not pondering, so that I don't get to the last move with little
time left.  But it is only a 'hack'...



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