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Subject: Re: Taming the 'one reply to check' extension??

Author: Vincent Diepeveen

Date: 05:10:36 12/15/99

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On December 15, 1999 at 08:08:53, Ulrich Tuerke wrote:

>On December 15, 1999 at 06:59:46, Steve Maughan wrote:
>
>>I was analysing a position with my program when I came across the following:
>>
>>rkb2r2/1p2R1pp/1pp5/2P5/2B5/P7/1P1Q1PPP/n2K4 w - - 0 1
>>
>>There is nothing special about the position apart from the search path that
>>resulted.  I use a 'one good reply to check' extension.  Good meaning 'move that
>>does not obviously give away material'.  Now I had thought that this was a
>>relatively well-behaved heuristic that allows some deep mates to be found in
>>lightening time.  However the search path that resulted was as follows:
>>
>>1. Qd6+ Ka7 2. cxb6+ Kxb6 3. Qb4+ Ka7 4. Qa5+ Kb8 5. Qe5+ Ka7 6. Qc5+ Kb8 7.
>>Qd6+ Ka7 8. Qd4+ c5 9. Qxc5+ Kb8 10. Qd6+ Ka7 11. Qd4+ Kb8 12. Qe5+ Ka7 13. Qe3+
>>Kb8 14. Qg3+ Rf4 15. Qxf4+ Ka7 16. Qe3+ Kb8 17. Qe5+ Ka7 18. Qa5+ Kb8 19. Qc7+
>>Ka7 20. Qc5+ Kb8 21. Qd6+ Ka7 22. Qa6+ Kb8
>
>I just cut lines like this, i.e. lines where one and the same piece keeps on
>checking without capture moves. My search will return zero evaluation in this
>case because this could probably be perpetual check. Of course, this is sort of
>risky.

Very risky. i experimented with exactly the same. my program played a lot
better without it. Of course it scored less at a few testsets.


>Uli
>
>>
>>IMO this is 44 ply of wasted search.  One of the insights I have had while
>>writing this program is that it is easy to come up with sensible extensions that
>>work in some positions, but it is difficult to come up with good extensions that
>>cut-off quickly when not relevant.
>>
>>The question is - is there a way of taming the above heuristic that will cut off
>>the search earlier, but will still retain the advantages of being able to find
>>deep mates?
>>
>>My ideas so far are:
>>
>>1) Cut-off after a given depth.
>>2) Store the path of the king and only allows the search to continue if the king
>>moves to a new square.
>>3) Only allow one occurrence of attack-square and king-square.
>>4) Only allow the search to continue if there have been captures in the last 'n'
>>moves.
>>5) Combination of 1 and 4.
>>
>>Remember that these heuristics would only be relevant for the 'one reply to
>>check' heuristic.
>>
>>I haven't yet tries all of the above ideas but the classic position that would
>>be spoilt by most of them is the 'mate in 30':
>>
>>5n2/B3K3/2p2Np1/4k3/7P/3bN1P1/2Prn1P1/1q6 w - - 0 1
>>
>>Hmmm - any ideas?  Has anyone managed to tame the extension?  What do others do?
>>
>>All help, comments and suggestions appreciated!
>>
>>Steve Maughan



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