🚀 go-pugleaf

Gary Cattelino (gary@st.unocal.com) wrote:
: I've been using gnuchess-4.0.pl60/xboard-2.0.pl25 as a chess
: learning tool.  I like to use the backward/forward feature of
: xboard to try out different move sequences and see how they
: play out.  When I'm done playing a sequence, I select "Machine Black"
: and continue the game.  I've noticed that when I play like this,
: gnuchess sometimes plays very badly.  It selects incorrect moves that
: allow it to be checkmated or gives away pieces.  I've saved positions
: and loaded them back in to see if gnuchess would make the same
: bad moves and it doesn't!  It plays much better from the saved
: position than it did the first time around.  What's causing this!?
: Why does the use of forward/backword cause gnuchess to select such
: bad moves?  I thought position evaluation was a deterministic thing.
: Is gnuchess selecting random moves?
: 
: -- 
: Gary A. Cattelino                  Unocal Corporate Information Services
: Phone: (714) 693-6762              5460 E. La Palma Ave.
: INTERNET: gary@unocal.COM          Anaheim, CA 92807

Hey, neat!  I know zip about gnuchess algorithms, but let me guess:
Maybe gnuchess is still using the same min-max tree, and certain
lines have been pruned as obviously good for gnuchess.  Then,
when the sides are changed, maybe gnuchess doesn't regenerate
the pruned branches.  

Well, maybe not.  I guess I find this pretty funny,
'cause I've got some friends and classmates who THINK
like that - no ability to put themselves in somebody
else's place.  "We'll do this and they'll do [something
that is good for us but makes no sense for them]".
Now, we've got a computer thinking like this too! 

Oh well, it's probably just something that doesn't
flip right in the evaluation method.

Kris A. Kugel	908-842-2707
hico2!kak	kak@hico2.westmark.com