Author: Fernando Villegas
Date: 12:35:15 05/18/02
Probably there are some pals here that not even know what I am talking about with the smashing, mighty word "Colossus". Perhaps they will believe I wanted to go to an archeological site and I pushed the wrong address in my favorite list. But for, let us say, more "experienced" fans -meaning above 35 years old- Colossus is a respectable although obsolete name, a venerable piece in the growing colection of the chess programs museum. It was, in the 80's, one of the most succesful of the several that were aimed to the mass market, to begin with. At least it was succesful enough to let Martin Bryan, his father, to buy a expensive new brand car, so he say. That was not a minor accomplishment. After all the 80's were the initial, heroic but pennyless era of chess programming and besides that many many candidates to glory were in the shells asking for attention from a public than, in those times, was even lesser in number than it is by now. Well, at least they were prepared to pay sums that for today standards seems almost ridiculous. Anyway, most of those products were scarcely worthy of his glorious names; we had too much pieces of junk christened as "Master", "Great Master", "Champions" and "Experts" with codes of about 50 to 100 pitiful Kb that scarcely played at 1300 elo, tiny books counted in hundreds of moves in the best cases, without the most elemental ending knowledge and prone to be cheated with 3 plys combinations. It was not so with Colossus. It played a respectable chess and what's more, it delivered the very first program -version X for PC- with an algorythm capable of some learning in the opening. It did so with a basic device: each time after a move his search showed a dramatic fall of the score, it marked that move as a criminal to be kept for ever out of circulation . Besides that it had options for selective of full width search and a book better provided of lines. With this and that, my Colossus IV, one that runned in a Atari console, I remember well, was generally capable of beating 60 or 70% of the time my old beloved dedicated unit, Chess Champion Challenger. This last one had a 1770 USA elo, then I guess Colossus was worthy of about something more than 1800 or so. Not bad at all for a engine that examined no more than 100 or 150 moves per second. A meditative sould could wonder to himswelf how much could Martin have got if he had his program running in the currents processors and with the added experience of some 20 years of extra work. But then Martin Bryan left chess programming for good. He got bore wit it. Besides he falled in love with checkers and, commercially speaking, discovered in it a new gold mine almost empty of explorers, so he begun to do some programming on that and in due time he produced one of the strongest, if not the strongest commercial checker software, called, of course, Colossus. It was second only to legendary Chinook. But what happened with chess? Did Martin left completely the field? What he thnks looking at the new stars and his creations? I made myself those questions and I decided to contact the man. He was kind enough to answer and you willm concur with me that some of his statements are somewhat contradictory as if in Martin are two opposed forces fighting inside him: one, dicided to forget all about chess and even to pose as absolute out of it, the other one toying with the idea of a eventual comeback. Some friends here suggested more questions than those you will see here, but a problem with my email service made impossible to send in time a second bath of inquiries, so I ask benevolence for all that is not in the following note. Qustions and answers: a) Have you, in these last years, given a look at the chess programming scene? Do you know the current trend of it? What do you think of it? Actually not much really. I do keep a mental note when new program versions come out, but I couldn't even tell you who the latest computer world champion was! b) Have you given a thought to the idea of a comeback? As you said to me in an emai about your current task, at least to give another shot could be a matter of fun and good experience I think a 'comeback' would be the wrong word :-) Any chess program I release would be a spare time effort, either for fun or experience. I doubt that I would ever get back into full time computer chess programming. c) Nevertheless I remember that in our previous intercourse you said you felt capable of tweaking anything in your hands to make of it something better. Have you tried with your own Colossus? Unfortunately I've not really found any time to try new/improved algorithms. I still do believe however that there is nothing stopping anybody keen enough to enhance things if the desire is there. d) What is going on with Colossus checkers? It is by now a finished adventure? I haven't touched the commercial version in about 7 years. However I do have a new experimental version. This would eventually be included as one of the game engines in the new generic interface I'm working on. I also have a Reversi (Othello) engine done. e) If ever you venture again in chess programming, in what conditions you would do it? Independently, as in the past? As part of a existing company? Which techniques you would use? What kind of product you would try to deliver to make a difference with the current crop? I would almost certainly do it independantly and wholly for fun. I work as a contractor for a large chemical company to earn my living so I'm not trying to make a goldmine out of the games stuff. I kinda feel it's more relaxed that way too and I can just enjoy the games stuff for what it is. I don't know that there would be anything new in Colossus that would distinguish it from the rest, but over the years I have received so many emails from chess enthusiasts who are happy just to experience the different playing styles of the programs and asking me to come back with a new version that I guess I will. f)Anything else about this field I have not asked but you would think fit to say, please do. As I say I don't really follow the computer chess scene much (or even the human scene!). In fact I don't even know if Kasparov is still World Champion?! I vaguely recall there was some sort of split a few years ago? That's how out of touch I am :-) The computer Draughts scene has been interesting over the last few years as several new GM strength programs have appeared and Jonathon Schaeffer (Chinook program) has now released the 8-piece endgame databases to the public which will only improve things further. They're even having a computer tourney in Las Vegas soon to decide a challenger to Chinook for its world crown. Say hi to all the old fans of Colossus and White Knight for me! Cheers, Martin And cheers, Fernando....
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