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Subject: Re: The "Endless Tourney "

Author: James Robertson

Date: 22:21:20 09/03/99

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On September 04, 1999 at 01:03:26, Terry Ripple wrote:

>
>When i run engine vrs engine matches i set it that each engine plays white and
>black in each opening, this way it totally makes it more fair!
>
>Regards,Terry

I think not. It _will_ skew the results.

For instance, say you pick the King's Indian and make both programs play it. It
is a very hard opening for a program to play because black accepts a big space
deficit in return for a kingside attack. Most (all?) programs don't understand
this and as a result white has a _big_ advantage. So if you play two games
between two engines, white has a good chance of winning both, even if one engine
is a lot stronger than the other. Ditto for all Gambits and even a lot of other
openings that 'seem' equal (and maybe for humans are).

Maybe you pick a very tactical opening, or an opening that revolves around
kingside attack. Some engines are worse tactically than others, but rely on
their book to avoid tactical positions. This time, instead of the games being
skewed in favor of a certain color, they are skewed in favor of a certain
engine.

My program's book is tailored to its needs, and fits its style. To separate the
two will result in a _big_ decrease in playing strength.

James



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