Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: Crafty rating on ICC

Author: Amir Ban

Date: 08:55:49 10/27/99

Go up one level in this thread


On October 26, 1999 at 23:58:26, Robert Hyatt wrote:

>On October 26, 1999 at 12:54:02, Amir Ban wrote:
>
>>On October 25, 1999 at 23:04:42, Peter Kappler wrote:
>>
>>>On October 25, 1999 at 22:06:11, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On October 25, 1999 at 21:26:11, Jerry wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On October 25, 1999 at 20:39:05, Michael Fuhrmann wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>Crafty's Blitz rating on ICC hit an incredible 3262 today. It's a new high for
>>>>>>Crafty, which is miles ahead of the competition on the ICC best list. Congrats
>>>>>>to Hyatt!
>>>>>
>>>>>One reason Crafty is rated so high is his incredible noplay list, refusing to
>>>>>play other high rated computer programs when he loses a few times...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Please name the "high rated programs" on crafty's noplay list, if you want to
>>>>make a statement like that...
>>>>
>>>>Here is the actual ICC noplay list:
>>>>
>>>>*********        -human cheating
>>>>*********        -human cheating
>>>>CraftyCrafty     -crafty clone
>>>>*********        -bad behavior
>>>>grouchy          -crafty clone
>>>>*********        -human cheating
>>>>*********        -admitted human cheating
>>>>*************    -human cheating
>>>>ComputerMan      -craftyclone
>>>>Dementia         -disconnector
>>>>EA6PZ            -censored for attitude
>>>>Eza              -crafty clone
>>>>*********        -human cheating
>>>>attakinski       -disconnector (chessmaster celeron 333)
>>>>cookies          -crafty clone
>>>>criollo          -crafty clone
>>>>DesX             -crafty clone
>>>>*************    -human cheating
>>>>ibrax            -human cheating (admitted)
>>>>Lippy            -crafty clone
>>>>bookbuilder      -crafty clone
>>>>counterplay      -crafty clone
>>>>*****            -human cheating
>>>>********         -human caught playing and observing at same time
>>>>GODMODE          -crafty clone
>>>>inmortal         -crafty clone
>>>>Varguz           -disconnector and more than 4 games in a row.
>>>>ban              -disconnected multiple times in one game.  (junior 6.x)
>>>>brut             -crafty clone
>>>>crafty450        -crafty clone
>>>>Data             -crafty clone
>>>>dini             -refused to identify program/hardware
>>>>egghead          -crafty clone
>>>>Good-Boy         -everybody has noplayed him for attitude
>>>>Jack-Daniels     -crafty clone
>>>>*********        -human cheating
>>>>
>>>>Any names with ***** in them are humans that were caught cheating but which
>>>>have not yet gotten a (C) nor admitted it.
>>>>
>>>>The "disconnectors" are done by my custom interface when I run it.  If someone
>>>>disconnects two times in one game, does so in two consecutive games, they get
>>>>+noplayed for obvious reasons.
>>>>
>>>>Crafty Clones are _not_ wanted.  I can do those games offline.  Xboard and my
>>>>custom interface both automatically +noplay any crafty clone that matches
>>>>crafty.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Here is best(c):
>>>>
>>>>Standard            Blitz               Bullet
>>>>2827 OzsO(C)        3251 crafty(C)      3123 crafty(C)
>>>>2783 Good-Boy(C)    3155 Mofongo(C)     2960 Ferret(C)
>>>>2724 Ferret(C)      3145 A-Morozevi(GM) 2956 ZarkovX(C)
>>>>2714 Lynnett(C)     3136 Ferret(C)      2857 Sammour-Hasbun
>>>>2693 TheComputer(C) 3115 Hawkeye(IM)    2854 Dlugy(GM)
>>>>2667 crafty(C)      3069 Vic11          2799 Lippy(C)
>>>>2655 SandmanJr(C)   3068 FlyingPike(GM) 2791 Wagner(FM)
>>>>2612 KillerGrob(C)  3061 ban(C)         2779 Vic11
>>>>2603 cptnBluebe(GM) 3025 gahan(GM)      2771 vaska(GM)
>>>>2593 ZarkovX(C)     3018 Lippy(C)       2760 Secret(C)
>>>>2583 counterplay(C) 3016 Tendulkar(GM)  2760 Tack(GM)
>>>>2577 singacrafty(C) 3013 cptnBluebe(GM) 2754 KillerGrob(C)
>>>>2577 Zenith(C)      3009 Dlugy(GM)      2750 Masterchess(C)
>>>>2576 Moron(C)       3006 Rix(IM)        2745 Hawkeye(IM)
>>>>2569 Steffie(C)     2996 EggSalad(C)    2733 brut(C)
>>>>2548 triskelon(C)   2995 GMAlex(GM)     2721 nataf(GM)
>>>>2543 BountyHunte(C) 2990 Lolita(C)      2718 pap(GM)
>>>>2542 Lippy(C)       2984 NDShort(GM)    2716 UFGator(C)
>>>>2541 mundilfari(C)  2974 jeleen(GM)     2691 jaguar
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Please show me all those "top-rated" programs I have noplayed.  I play Ferret,
>>>>Zarkov, etc.  On the standard list, I have played ozso until he quit playing me
>>>>as he was trying to see how high he could drive his standard rating.  I play
>>>>Ferret regularly.  Sandmanjr.  Zarkovx, and bountyhunter (no crafty clones at
>>>>all).  On the blitz list, I play ferret, have played ban a lot although he got
>>>>+noplayed sometime recently by the automatic disconnect detector.
>>>
>>>
>>>This is really disappointing, as Ban and Ferret are the only SMP-capable
>>>programs (besides other Crafty clones) on ICC.  I enjoyed watching the Crafty
>>>vs. Ban encounters - the games were always very tense and well fought.
>>>
>>>Despite the history between you and Amir, I doubt that the disconnects were
>>>intentional.  Probably just a poor connection on his side.  I hope you will
>>>reconsider the "noplay" status.
>>>
>>>--Peter
>>
>>I got noplayed by crafty last week. I think it was playing more than 4 games in
>>a row rather than disconnecting. At the time crafty's rating was 3146, so it
>>seems it's rating jump is a result of noplaying ban. Crafty & clones typically
>>gain around 200-300 points when they don't play other computers. I didn't
>>realize crafty's noplay list is so long, but looking at it it effectively
>>doesn't play top computers any more (ferret is hardly around these days).
>
>
>I shot that argument down once already.  Which "top computer programs" have I
>refused to play?  You have been playing _only_ crafty for weeks, and it didn't
>bother me at all.  I do _not_ want to play other craftys however, and I don't
>feel bad about that at all.  However, Crafty is still playing computers on a
>regular basis, so you r comment about 2-300 rating points is off-the-wall IMHO.
>Computers do seem to want to play more 'standard' games (although bountyhunter
>is one strong exception as he plays blitz _and_ bullet and does very well at
>those faster time controls...  But in the last 24 hours it has played
>bountyhunter, sandmanjr, zarkovx, at least.  All of which are very strong
>computers.
>

You noplayed the two highest rated blitz computers around (Ban & Varguz). The
others are either hundreds of points lower or don't come any longer.

Perhaps you didn't notice, but the computer competition on ICC has all but died
out. I try to vary my opponents, but if I decide I don't play crafty, I have to
see which crafty clone is willing to play me and is not rated 400 points below
me, or wait for a non-crafty computer to log in.


>
>
>>
>>I know about crafty's rules for not disconnecting (suspicion of cheating, what
>>else ?), and not playing more than 4 games in a row against a computer (mustn't
>>keep those humans waiting. Mind you it may be hours between games, it's your
>>business to keep track of who crafty plays). I find both, in the context of
>>games between two competitors for top blitz position to be unsportsmanlike and
>>rude, but so be it.
>
>I don't see it as rude at all.  I see it as _my_ perogative to define who/what/
>how-often it can play.  _you_ do that all the time.  IE his ban shows nothing
>but Crafty, except for a couple of recent games vs data and varguz.  You
>wouldn't be trying
>to increase _your_ rating by only playing crafty, would you?  Here is your
>history:

You can do as you please, but if you are too selective in your opponents, you
can't claim your rating to be realistic.

As I said, I play crafty partly because there's no one else there of roughly
equal rating.

I don't understand this about trying to increase my rating. When someone with a
high rating thinks that playing him is exploitation, he's really saying that his
rating is inflated. If the rating is realistic, it will hold.


>
>94: + 3063 B 2938 Varguz       [ br  5   4] C26 Res Oct 26 99 18:47
>93: + 3052 W 2949 Varguz       [ br  5   4] D74 Res Oct 26 99 18:36
>92: - 3040 B 2961 Varguz       [ br  5   4] A31 Res Oct 26 99 18:23
>91: + 3061 W 2796 Data         [ br  5   4] D05 Res Oct 23 99 18:25
>90: = 3055 B 2841 Data         [ br  5   4] B51 Rep Oct 20 99 18:50
>89: = 3064 W 2832 Data         [ br  5   4] D02 Rep Oct 20 99 18:37
>88: - 3074 W 3146 crafty       [ br  5   3] E12 Res Oct 17 99 18:20
>87: - 3088 B 3132 crafty       [ br  5   3] C61 Res Oct 17 99 18:08
>86: + 3103 W 3117 crafty       [ br  5   3] E12 Res Oct 17 99 17:49
>85: - 3085 B 3135 crafty       [ br  5   3] C01 Res Oct 17 99 16:28
>84: = 3100 W 3132 crafty       [ br  5   3] D37 NM  Oct 16 99 20:06
>83: + 3098 B 3134 crafty       [ br  5   3] B31 Res Oct 16 99 19:38
>82: + 3079 W 3146 crafty       [ br  5   3] D80 Res Oct 16 99 19:21
>81: - 3058 B 3167 crafty       [ br  5   3] C85 Res Oct 16 99 19:06
>80: = 3070 W 3155 crafty       [ br  5   3] B01 NM  Oct 16 99 18:48
>79: - 3066 B 3159 crafty       [ br  5   3] B30 Res Oct 16 99 18:37
>78: - 3079 W 3146 crafty       [ br  5   3] E17 Res Oct 16 99 17:42
>77: + 3093 B 3132 crafty       [ br  5   3] C01 Res Oct 16 99 17:23
>76: - 3074 W 3151 crafty       [ br  5   3] C45 Res Oct 16 99 17:09
>75: - 3088 B 3137 crafty       [ br  5   3] B05 Res Oct 16 99 16:59
>
>
>
>
>>
>>I don't have a noplay list, by the way, but if I did, I think crafty would have
>>a place on it. Here is a sample of bad behavior:
>>
>>- On a previous occasion I was noplayed by crafty after winning three games in a
>>row, and on the way to win a 4th one, when I had to disconnect. When trying to
>>complete this game I found I was noplayed. I messaged Bob about this, quoting
>>the documented ICC rule that censoring someone you have an adjourned game with
>>is abuse. I was answered (rudely) that that's just how the program behaves and
>>it's my fault. I complained to the ICC admins on that occasion.
>
>
>I believe that I fixed this as soon as you asked.  And you weren't answered
>"rudely"... You were the one that was highly rude in your tirade.  I pointed
>out that this was _automatic_.
>
>>
>>- Crafty's connection is often poor, and it has big lags, of up to minutes per
>>move. If this happens, don't disconnect ! That's cheating. Crafty sometimes
>>disconnects due to connection problems, but that's not cheating.
>>
>>- Crafty will not accept a draw offer ever, even not when it has insufficient
>>material to win.
>
>yes it will... and it does.  But it won't accept draw offers from 'computers'
>because that has been the subject of a lot of abuse.  Against humans, if the
>eval says 'drawscore' for 3 consecutive moves, it will definitely accept (and
>offer) draws.
>

Refusing to draw when you have insufficient material to win is abusive, against
computers or otherwise.

>
>>
>>- On one occasion, when the opponent had insufficient material (bishop vs. pawn,
>>I think), not only did it refuse to draw, but with several minutes on its clock,
>>it did not make a move and let time run out (ICC declared this a draw of
>>course). The opponent cannot just walk away because crafty has a pawn. I think
>>this is the worst form of abuse I've seen on ICC.
>
>
>crafty doesn't do that.  If you want to make things up, feel free.  But it does
>not _ever_ sit and let the clock run out.  It just doesn't.  Unless the program
>had actually 'hung' due to a bug, which is possible.  But as far as abuse, that
>is nonsense.  Because it doesn't do that.
>

I had trouble myself believing that it's doing this, but it did.


>
>>
>>In regard to the question of what Crafty's ICC rating reflects: It says
>>something, but not much. The current version (17.0 ?) is pretty competent, I
>>think, but it doesn't feel much better than 16.6, which was rated hundreds of
>>points lower. There were intermediate versions that had ICC ratings above 3200
>>that were definitely soft and were consistently creamed by Junior. Crafty's
>>rating is more heavily influenced by whether competition like Ferret and Ban are
>>around.
>>
>>Amir
>
>based on your game history above, you weren't damaging crafty's rating very
>much lately.  Which could be because you are debugging something and I am not
>at present.  Just like some of those 'soft' versions could be versions with bugs
>or mis-tuned stuff in them.  I don't pay a lot of attention to that myself.  But
>if you think crafty is 'abusive' (which seems rediculous on the surface) perhaps
>you ought not play it?  I +noplay 'abusive' players myself, as I don't want the
>headache...

I come to ICC to play. I don't have noplay lists. Your program displays some
over-aggressive behavior that can be called unpleasant to unsportsmanlike
according to taste. It would not be forgiven to a serious human player, and the
excuse that "it's just a dumb automatic program" is not good enough, since this
behavior is not very hard to change.

Amir






This page took 0.01 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.