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Subject: Re: The importance of opening books -- a simple experiment

Author: Arturo Ochoa

Date: 09:07:34 02/21/05

Go up one level in this thread


On February 21, 2005 at 11:52:14, Uri Blass wrote:

>On February 21, 2005 at 11:24:16, Arturo Ochoa wrote:
>
>>On February 21, 2005 at 03:59:21, Uri Blass wrote:
>>
>>>On February 20, 2005 at 19:33:01, Arturo Ochoa wrote:
>>>
>>>>On February 20, 2005 at 12:38:01, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On February 20, 2005 at 11:07:06, Arturo Ochoa wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On February 20, 2005 at 10:40:25, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On February 19, 2005 at 20:38:22, Arturo Ochoa wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On February 19, 2005 at 19:32:33, Uri Blass wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On February 19, 2005 at 18:46:53, Arturo Ochoa wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Note that I never claimed that a good book cannot help an engine to win a
>>>>>>>>>>>tournament.
>>>>>>>>>>>If people understood it from me then I did a bad explaining job.
>>>>>>>>>>>I will try to do better explaining job in this post.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>??????????? !!!!!!!!!!!!! Go to (*)(**)
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>I said that I consider book as unimportant and I said that an engine that is
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>(*) unimportant = not meaning much, not having value or significance
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I agree with the definition but the question what is unimportant is also a
>>>>>>>>>question of opinion
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>reasons for me to consider book as unimportasnt are the following:
>>>>>>>>>1)not considering the target of winning tournament as an important target
>>>>>>>>>2)thinking that it is possible to improve engine instead of book and get better
>>>>>>>>>results
>>>>>>>>>If shredder9 with book is weaker than some future Shredder19 without book then
>>>>>>>>>it is going to show point 2.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>(1) Impossible that it happens simply. Shredder is always acompanied by its
>>>>>>>>tuned and tested book in official Tournaments. In the particular case of
>>>>>>>>Shredder, both the engine and the book have been improved and they also
>>>>>>>>constituted a pretty well tested piece of software. The Tournaments have showed
>>>>>>>>that the book of Mr. Sandro Necchi has also helped.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Saying that the Shredder´s book has been unimportant is not true ( I would not
>>>>>>>>like to use "a big lie" since it is rude term).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I agree that shredder will always play in tournament by book.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The point is that even if it has 50% chances to win without book then it is
>>>>>>>still better to have 90% chances to win with book.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I agree that we will not be able to test shredder19 without book against
>>>>>>>shredder9 with book so we will unable to test if shredder19 without book is
>>>>>>>stronger.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>(1) Contradiction: "I did not claim that a book cannot help an engine...." ....
>>>>>>>>>>"I consider the book as unimportant..."
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>(**) read the meaning of unimportant(*).
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>strong enough has good chances to win even with 1.h3 but
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>(2) I have also suggested that 1. f3!! and 2. g4!! would be a lot better. :))
>>>>>>>>>>The tops engine are already prepared for all those idiot moves including 1. h3?
>>>>>>>>>>and 1. f3??
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>This is only an example.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>The idea is clear.
>>>>>>>>>There are many ways to get the opponent out of book without lost position and it
>>>>>>>>>is not hard to find some line to take the opponent out of book with equality or
>>>>>>>>>almost equality with white.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>(2) An equal position may not be good for a chess program but great for other
>>>>>>>>chess program. An equal position can already mean a lost game for an engine.
>>>>>>>>That is one of the advantages of a tuned book: The engine that can get positions
>>>>>>>>where it will behave OK and the opponent will "feel" bad, it means the opponents
>>>>>>>>will make some mistake. The positions "equal" in chess is a term very relative:
>>>>>>>>If Engine A gets a position where it has a clear plan but the Engine B doesnt
>>>>>>>>know what to do, you know what the result will be.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Of course but in order to know that the opponent will "feel" bad you need to
>>>>>>>know the opponent.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>If some strong engine is hidden by it's author and made a very big improvement
>>>>>>>then you cannot know it's weaknesses.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>If you also give such an advantage with initial idiot moves such as 1. h3?!, of
>>>>>>>>course, Shredder will smash anything.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>(5) Shredder, Junior and Fritz han showed this is not true over the latest years
>>>>>>>>>>in Official Tournaments. All of them use strong book tuned by hand. I have not
>>>>>>>>>>seen the first case from a no-book engine winning an official Tournament. Where
>>>>>>>>>>are the facts?
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>AO
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>The facts are that as long as the difference between engines is not very big a
>>>>>>>>>book may be important factor in winning tournaments. (******)
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Incorrect: Unless you call Blasstradamus, you cannot base your suppositions on
>>>>>>>>things that have never happened.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>facts <> things that have never happened
>>>>>>>>facts = things that have really happened
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I do not see what incorrect in what I said.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Go to (******)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>facts <> things that have never happened
>>>>>>facts = things that have really happened
>>>>>
>>>>>Ok
>>>>>
>>>>>I understand what you mean.
>>>>>I wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>"The facts are that as long as the difference between engines is not very big a
>>>>>book may be important factor in winning tournaments."
>>>>>
>>>>>It should be
>>>>>"the facts are that book was an important factor in tournaments in the past and
>>>>>the difference between engines was not very big."
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I guess that you also agree that a book can be a decisive factor in winning
>>>>>>>tournament when the difference between engines is not very big.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Mr. Blass, must I repeat what I have said about one hundred times?!!!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I guess that even in case that there is going to be a big difference in playing
>>>>>>>strength between engines the best engine will use book because it is better to
>>>>>>>be sure in 99% in victory then to be sure in 60% in victory so not using book by
>>>>>>>the winner is something that I do not expect to happen.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>You have not discovered anything new that what I have been telling for over 40
>>>>>>messages. A tune and tested book is important and it can help the engine to wint
>>>>>>games.
>>>>>
>>>>>Yes
>>>>>I did not claim that I discovered something new.
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>For the fith time: In my private tests from the 100% of the games won by Diep,
>>>>>>30% was a direct win from the book. Why dont you read? (Lack of comprension?!!)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>More ????!!!!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Well, you said a book is _unimportant_ (*). Now you say, it is important. What
>>>>>>is your position then? I put here some symbols ?!!!***???!!!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>(*) unimportant = not meaning much, not having value or significance
>>>>>
>>>>>I say that it is dependent on what you want.
>>>>>Book is important to achieve what is significant for you.
>>>>>Book is not important to achieve what is more significant for me that is
>>>>>improving the engine.
>>>>
>>>>I like to win and you dont plan to win: What is the sense to participate in
>>>>Tournament if you dont plant to win?
>>>
>>>
>>>Many programmers played in the tournament when they did not plan to win it.
>>>
>>>I am sure that programmer of arasan knew that he had no practical chances to win
>>>the tournament and many engines that are weaker than arasan also played
>>>in CCT7(one engine that movei played against it in the first round searched 6
>>>plies and came without book).
>>>
>>>It is possible that I will not participate in the future in tournaments.
>>>I did not decide about it and I see no need to give final decision about it but
>>>your question should be a question for most programmers and not only for me.
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>I believe that at the level of movei winning CCT7 was practically impossible
>>>>>task for it and the best it could do with better book is maybe second place.
>>>>>
>>>>>If somebody volunteer to try to help it to get better place in tournaments in
>>>>>the future then (s)he is welcome to try to do it but I do not plan to spend much
>>>>>time about it.
>>>>
>>>>After all your declarations, you have sowed your own tomb. Well, You had already
>>>>been buried yourself several years ago.
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>I believe that other programmers also in most cases do not spend time on editing
>>>>>the book manually and let another person to do the work if they are lucky to
>>>>>find somebody to help them.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Good Authors know what a book can mean. You will learn that in 20 years perhaps.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>They do not say that book is unimportant(and I guess it was an unsuccesful
>>>>>sentence by me that may cause me problems to find volunteers for that task) but
>>>>>they also do not spend much time about book.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I doubt that you find people willing to help you after you have pointed out
>>>>here. I mean people who do a hard work with book: tuning by hand, testing every
>>>>variation, etc. Anybody can generate a random books, only some persons have the
>>>>patience to do a hard work. Well, see you in 20 years!
>>>
>>>I certainly do not expect help from you.
>>>It seems that after what I posted in the past you hate me regardless of what I
>>>do.
>>
>>I dont hate anybody. In my country, we are not used to hating people. This is a
>>Forum and the debate are less or more difficult. The language is just a problem.
>>English is not my native language and neither yours.
>>
>>However, sentences such as "book is unimportant" can be rude for the work done
>>by fun of a few people who is willing to help some chess author.
>
>I am sorry if you felt bad with my sentences
>I will not repeat them.
>
>The reason that I got the feeling that you hate me is that you posted against me
>when I said nothing about the importance of the book but only asked a question.
>
>the first post that is relevant for the last discussion is
>
>http://www.talkchess.com/forums/1/message.html?411459
>
>Uri

Look thw other messages where the debate turned more and more difficult. This
link was not the initial one. Just a message among the messages of the debate
and discussion of the last 7 days.

Feeling is just a human thing. This is a Forum and the discussion can turn more
or less hard and difficult. You will never face an easy debate where the
position are contrary. That is a fantasy. It doesnt mean you must hate people.

You pointed out a bunch of declarations, I said why they are not perfect as you
can think. This is a debate, this a Forum....... If you think, this is hate,
God?!!!!!!

AO.









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