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Subject: Re: Faster Hardware benefits slow searchers or fast searchers more???

Author: Dave Gomboc

Date: 23:47:06 09/30/99

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On September 30, 1999 at 20:26:02, Peter McKenzie wrote:

>On September 30, 1999 at 14:35:25, Charles Unruh wrote:
>
>>
>>  In the past i thought faster hardware would benefit slow searchers like
>>Chessmaster more than fast searchers like Fritz.  Now i'm more inclined to
>>believe that it makes more sense that faster hardware benefits fast searchers
>>more.  For the reason that positional ideas are for the most parts moves made
>>from practical experience/knowledge, that we can't always quite calculate.
>>However, faster hardware gives programs the ability in many instances to
>>actually be able to calculate the result.  So although i think Chessmaster is a
>>truly awesome engine especially against programs running up to 233Mhz I expct
>>that on a P450Mhz it will come in 3rd or 4th.
>
>This isn't a simple question.
>My basic take on the issue is that programs that sacrifice some speed (in terms
>of NPS) in return for a better evaluation will do better as hardware speed
>increases and/or time controls get longer.  The basic premise behind this
>argument is that an extra ply of search depth becomes less important at greater
>depths, so at greater depths the evaluation function becomes a more important
>factor.

And the basic problem with this take is that the premise, at least by today's
best guess, simply wrong.

ref: Crafty Goes Deep, DarkThought Goes Deep (both in ICCA Journal)

Dave



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