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Subject: Re: Crafty rating on ICC

Author: Ricardo Gibert

Date: 14:40:07 10/28/99

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On October 28, 1999 at 16:51:56, Alexander Kure wrote:

>On October 28, 1999 at 15:43:02, Ricardo Gibert wrote:
>
>>On October 28, 1999 at 14:50:42, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On October 28, 1999 at 14:26:57, Ricardo Gibert wrote:
>>>
>>>>On October 27, 1999 at 15:22:29, Alexander Kure wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On October 27, 1999 at 11:55:49, Amir Ban wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>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.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>As I run Varguz on my second compi I think I can add something:
>>>>>
>>>>>I do not care if Crafty is noplaying Varguz. I do not have a noplaylist, cause I
>>>>>simply do not care. I think Crafty is an amateur program that could learn a lot
>>>>>from playing the commercials.
>>>>>Let me put it this way: Compared to the strong commercial programs like Junior,
>>>>>Fritz, Hiarcs and Nimzo Crafty is much weaker and needs some improvements to be
>>>>>a match for the above programs on equal hardware.
>>>>
>>>>Be fair. You are forgetting that the commercial programs do not publish their
>>>>source code. Sure they are stronger, they have the crafty source code to look
>>>>at. Due to this, one might say that crafty defines the dividing line between the
>>>>top programs and the also rans. If your program is not at least as good as
>>>>crafty, then it is not a top program. No matter how much Hyatt improves his
>>>>program, he will never be able to best the top programs (for very long anyway),
>>>>since he gives away all his ideas.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Greetings Alex
>>>
>>>
>>>And we _know_ that nobody uses those outdated ideas in Crafty, right?  :)
>>>
>>>IE book learning, some of the evaluation terms...  etc.  I have been really
>>>hesitant to release the new pawn majority code because no one else is doing
>>>this that I can recognize, at least not doing it effectively.  The minute 17.0
>>>hits the street, others will be doing it soon.
>>>
>>>Good or bad?
>>
>>Not just good, great! Crafty has doubtless elevated the playing strength of all
>>chess programs (both commercial and non-) by making the source public. Alex got
>>it backwards: The important point is not so much that crafty _could_ learn a lot
>>from the commercial programs, but rather the commercial programs _do_ learn a
>>lot from crafty.
>>
>>>
>>>A one-way flow of information?
>>
>>Yes. If they want to compete with crafty on an equal footing, they should
>>publish their source.
>>
>>>
>>>Is it really worth it?
>
>I cannot confirm that commercial programs _do_ learn a lot from crafty's source
>code. What can be learnt from it? How Passed Pawns are being handled. Not as
>effective as Nimzo does. Well what about Crafty's King safty - Nimzo is very bad
>on this - surely I can copy from Crafty's - sounds ridiculous to me.
>Crafty's opening book? Nice compilation of standard games but what about anlysis
>that has never been played? Think my book does the better job.
>Just to think there is a source code available for free and all people -
>including the proffesional chess programmers - jump on it like thirsty people in
>the desert - hm.
>I also cannot confirm that there is what you call a one-way flow of information.
>Ever been to a computer chess event? Both professional and amateur programmers
>exchange a lot of ideas there. Can you image all the e-mail contact between
>them? Maybe they are talking a little bit more than about the wheather?
>There are many different channels of information exchange which you may not be
>aware of. So asuming you never heard of anything does not imply that is does not
>exist. Ever asked Chrilly Donninger about how he has implemented Null Move? Ask
>him and he will tell you!
>
>Just to put things right. I think what Bob does is wonderful for the computer
>chess community. Many amateurs profit from what he has done and will profit from
>what he will be doing in the future. I personally appreciate this! Not because I
>will profit personally (I am not interested in that) but because with this he
>keeps many people (amateurs) in the run for learning and improving their
>program.
>
>Thx
>Alex

To hear you tell it, one would conclude Bob Hyatt never got a good idea worth
copying. The programmers of the commercial programs are not stupid. Why reinvent
the wheel, when you can look at the crafty source code?



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