Author: Michael Neish
Date: 00:40:58 02/01/00
I read some posts on this subject in the recent thread, and saw the table which was reproduced from the Dark Thought Web site. I can't say I fully understand it. It seems that the table listed the performance of various computers at various depths, not the performance of one computer as it searched deeper. Just wondering, what rigorous tests have been done to measure Elo rating as a function of ply depth for one particular program? And is it possible to see the results? By rigorous I mean consisting of a large enough number of games (at least several hundred for each search depth tested). How deep did these analyses go? Nothing seems easier than to set a program to play itself over several hundred games and then see how the performance varies with depth, so it must have been done many times before. At the moment I'm doing such a run for CM6000, which is the only program I have that allows me to define different search depths for White and Black If anyone is interested I will post the results after I've accumulated enough games. At the moment, though, it appears that a 5-ply searcher will score about 80% against a 4-ply searcher, and likewise for a 7-ply searcher against a 6, although I haven't gathered enough games to say anything conclusive. Is there anything wrong with gathering data in this way? Since I'm testing a program against itself, I wonder whether the fact that both sides think in the same way (albeit to a different depth) can skew the results somehow. Would it be better if I chose two different personalities for the same program? Also, I suppose the use of search extensions will probably affect the results. Should they be turned off? Additionally, how does Elo increase with depth reflect on a program's performance against humans? A whole new kettle of fish altogether, I suspect. Any comments would be welcome, and apologies for attempting to resuscitate a recent thread. Cheers, Mike.
This page took 0 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.