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Subject: Re: Results from the WT-5 tournament

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 06:51:04 08/30/99

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On August 30, 1999 at 02:07:16, blass uri wrote:

>On August 29, 1999 at 13:55:58, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>
>>On August 29, 1999 at 11:15:52, blass uri wrote:
>>
>>>On August 29, 1999 at 10:42:03, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On August 29, 1999 at 10:06:40, blass uri wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>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.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>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 think it is clearly less than 50-100 elo.
>>>>>50-100 elo difference is the difference between p200 and p90(see ssdf results).
>>>>>
>>>>>If I assume that you have 1.5 minutes per move instead of 3 minutes per move for
>>>>>moves 31-40 then you are 2 times slower only for 10 moves and faster for the
>>>>>first 30 moves so you lose clearly less than 50-100 elo.
>>>>>
>>>>>I estimate the difference is 20 elo if only one program is prepared to games
>>>>>without permanent brain
>>>>>
>>>>>Uri
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>No... you are missing his point.  playing without thinking on the opponent's
>>>>time is 'unnatural' in that we don't test this way.  At least most of us
>>>>don't.  So it is possible that program A has been tested/tuned so that it works
>>>>fine without pondering, but program B might only be tested with it on.  That is
>>>>a big handicap to program B, and can skew the results far from what they would
>>>>be on two machines...
>>>>
>>>>The problem is all about whether the program has been tested/tweaked to run
>>>>well in that environment.  It would probably be better to play on one machine
>>>>using pondering instead of turning it off.  And even that has problems...
>>>
>>>
>>>I am interested to know how much do you gain in 2 computers from smart using of
>>>time relative to the simple method of using the same time for every move.
>>>
>>>I guess that you cannot earn 50-100 elo only from smart using of time.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Uri
>>
>>
>>I would bet that if a program just uses a pure fixed time-per-move algorithm,
>>it would be as much as 200 points weaker than a program that knows to (a) use
>>more time when the score unexpectedly drops;  (b) when the position is unstable;
>>(c) when the position is more complicated, such as right out of opening book.
>>
>>It is easy to test, because I could take a couple of random logs and see how
>>many times the score dropped by 2-3 pawns and extra time saved it.  I'd bet
>>it happens at _least_ once every game or two...
>
>The only test is games(Of course when you have x minutes per game and not per 40
>moves you cannot use the same time for every move but you can use times like
>2.5% of the time per game)
>
>The question is if saving 2-3 pawns changed the result.
>In games that you lose it clearly does not help and you cannot be sure that it
>help in other games because the opponent may not see tactics and miss the
>winning of 2-3 pawns and the opponent can see winning of 2-3 pawns and do a
>mistake later.
>
>I am also interested to know if cases when the score dropped by 2-3 pawns and
>extra time saved it happen more in fast time control relative to standard time
>control.
>
>If this is the case then the difference in rating should be bigger in fast time
>control.
>
>Uri


What I am saying is that in every other game or so, I see the eval drop from
(say) +.6 to -2.2, the search uses the 'extra' time it has saved up, and finds
a better move that gets back to +.5 or so.  Whereas without doing this, it would
have had to play the -2.2 move which would probably have lost.  Happens more in
tactical positions or in tricky endgames.



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