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Subject: Re: Qsearch Checks

Author: Bas Hamstra

Date: 15:33:43 09/05/04

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On September 05, 2004 at 11:47:42, Stuart Cracraft wrote:

>On September 04, 2004 at 18:30:36, Uri Blass wrote:
>
>>On September 04, 2004 at 18:20:49, Stuart Cracraft wrote:
>>
>>>On August 31, 2004 at 19:43:08, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>
>>>>On August 31, 2004 at 19:25:39, Stuart Cracraft wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On August 30, 2004 at 15:53:13, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On August 30, 2004 at 15:34:22, Stuart Cracraft wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On August 30, 2004 at 12:21:01, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On August 30, 2004 at 07:36:45, Volker Böhm wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Hi Uri,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>do you allways check all evades in qsearch or only until a certain ply as for
>>>>>>>>>checking moves?
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Greetings Volker
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>only until a certain ply but that ply is late.
>>>>>>>>I also do not check all captures and do it only until a certain ply.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I practically have 2 functions of qsearch
>>>>>>>>int Quies(int alpha, int beta,int depth)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>int quiesmall(int alpha,int beta,int depth)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Quies search checks and captures and when the depth is small enough Quies calls
>>>>>>>>quiesmall (quiesmall does not make checking moves that are not captures but it
>>>>>>>>calculate all replies to check unless the remaining depth is small enough and
>>>>>>>>when the remaining depth is 0 even captures are not tried.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Quies usually starts with depth=7 when depth=5 I call quiesmall and when
>>>>>>>>depth<=2 I do not generate replies to check and when depth=0 I do not make more
>>>>>>>>captures and retrun static evaluation+pawn with the idea that the side to move
>>>>>>>>may earn something by a capture but I do not know how much.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>It may be better to use static exchange evaluator but it is not very important
>>>>>>>>and most qsearch do not get to the place when depth=0 or the result of the
>>>>>>>>evaluation when depth=0 is not important for the final score.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Uri
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>So for all the trouble you have gone to to do all of the above, can you
>>>>>>>point at specific measurable achievements you have gained from it?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Stuart
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I know that checks in the first plies of the qsearch improved the strength of
>>>>>>movei(the improvement was obvious in test suites and I believe that it also
>>>>>>helped in games but I did not play enough games to test it)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I remember that a buggy implementation that could return wrong mate scores did
>>>>>>not change much the strength in games and I later fixed bugs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I think that the main improvement was that after adding checks in the qsearch I
>>>>>>changed null move with R=2 to null move with R=3 and R=3 was obviously better
>>>>>>with checks in the qsearch(I did not check without them but I read or got the
>>>>>>impression that other programs found that R=3 is better with checks in the
>>>>>>qsearch when R=2 or E=2/3 is better without them).
>>>>>>
>>>>>>limiting the qsearch was always part of movei because I did not want the search
>>>>>>to explode in Leonid'a positions when both sides have many queens.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Movei has problems to go deep in Leonid's position but it has no problem of
>>>>>>needing an hour to find mate in 1 that happened to Fritz in one similiar
>>>>>>position that was discussed here(Leonid usually gave harder problems than mate
>>>>>>in 1).
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Uri
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Uri
>>>>>
>>>>>Uri,
>>>>>
>>>>>For short searches of 1 second on my box, I've found adaptive null move
>>>>>with varying R to give better results than verified null move with R=3.
>>>>
>>>>Note that I use verified null move pruning only in the endgame and in the
>>>>middlegame I use null move pruning with no verification.
>>>>
>>>>I did not test a lot of possibilities there and I only know that R=3 is
>>>>significantly better than R=2 and I also read that people who do checks in the
>>>>qsearch tend to prefer R=3(you do not do checks in the qsearch and I mean not to
>>>>replies to check).
>>>
>>>Uri,
>>>
>>>My program has this in relation to checks, all conditionally compilable:
>>>
>>>  1) all checks-evasions in quiescence, unlimited occurrences
>>>  2) all checks-evasions in main search, unlimited occurrences
>>>  3) all checking-moves in quiescence, at the first ply of quiescence
>>>
>>>These are the three extensions. Only #1 and #2 have proved useful.
>>>
>>>Stuart
>>
>>If your qsearch can call the main search then it is clear that 3 is not useful
>>because your search will explode by the following sequence:
>>
>>1.Qsearch checking move first ply
>>2.main search escape from check.
>>3.Qsearch checking move first ply because it is a new qsearch.
>>4.main search escape from check.
>>...
>>
>>If you want to use checks in the first ply of the qsearch then the qsearch
>>should never call the main search.
>>
>>Uri
>
>Uri,
>
>I should try tinkering with a qsearch that, if in check upon entry, simply
>generates check avoidance moves internally.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Stuart

Hi Stuart,

Yes, only then will you see the merits, I think... And you *will* crack Wac141
(and alike).


Bas.



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