Sam has closed his piano and gone to bed ... now we can talk about the real stuff of life ... love, liberty and games such as Janus, Capablanca Random, Embassy Chess & the odd mention of other 10x8 variants is welcome too
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Unfortunately there is again a problem with this beta version as it plays instantly every move....
What should we put for license keys to work properly until February....?
1-Decima = Based on a really interesting concept! The bad thing is that it has a rather slow gameplay. I assume that games would be long until the interesting indeed target is accomplished.....
2-CRC = Based on the innovative idea of Ficsher, now for 10x8 boards including the Bishop+Knight and Rook+Knight pieces. JACV** but this time this is interesting really, as the gameplay is very good.....
3-Odins Rune Chess = Not very easy rules to follow. Yet when they are completely understood the game is very good......
4-Opulent Chess = Man, too tactical and complicated in its gameplay(blame the 10x10 board), to be something to worth mention. JACV!
5-Chess with Batteries = It has the interesting idea of the batterie and it's quite interesting, but i think it's just another regular Chess variant(JACV).
6-Eurasian Chess = A very difficult game to play properly due to the big branching factor and many kind of moves possible. Since there are many Pawns the quick and interesting play of Chinese Chess is not possible.....
7-TenCubed Chess = Not any innovative idea and way too complicated to play! I'm not speaking for the rules but about the gameplay......
8-Countdown = A game with too many rules to remember and it needs 10 players to be played, although this is not mandatory and fewer are possible, yet i don't know if 2 players game would be interesting. It is based on luck and although it is based on an interesting idea is not something intriguing in my opinion.......
WhiteTower: Is it that important? :) It is not so important, yet i should have defined what the dot means. Dots or commas are both wrong if we want to follow international standards! Instead just the number as it is or using a single space for each 3 digits from the right is the correct way.......But i write from 4 years old numbers in this way and i guess Walter does the same, so it's not easy to forget it......
Walter Montego: A computer can run 24 hours a day studying each of the 960 positions and just keep getting more and more prepared for the next upcoming tournament.
There is something behind that that is very tricky!
Even if we suppose that we let a computer run and play against another computer FRC games, for even 15 years or 50 and then build an opening repertoire from that games, WE SHOULD NOT IN ANY WAY, CONCLUDE THAT THIS OPENING WE HAVE BUILT, IS A DECENT ONE TO PLAY FRC CHESS!
I had to use bold-capitals in that statement because it's a well known fact. The reason that our book that is based on 50 years or 1.000.000.000 games, is not suitable for a strong FRC opening book? Because it is based on the knowledge of the 2 computers they play and any weaknesses these 2 have will be included in the book! Even if we had 10 different computers with 10 different styles (personalities) for 50 years to play, then again we do nothing at all! Zero! Even if we include book learning (there is such an option now for the record) in the computers.
Again because the positional (mainly) weaknesses would be a major factor for being our opening book bad.
And these weaknesses will be exposed if we allow after 50 years the computer to play against a human GM at FRC........
So to build a good FRC book we need to play by both humans AND computers for a very long time AND successive learning by both of them during the process. This last one is very important........
For example such questions occur very often to Backgammon, where the top playing programs have obtained their enormous strength by playing millions of games against itself. Strangely enough this approach works for Backgammon while at Chess fails miserably......
The procedure is simple:
Program a Backgammon engine with some simple rules of knowledge. This engine would be a complete moron at Backgammon. Let it play 10.000 games against itself. Let it learn from its mistakes and then import the knowledge into a new engine. Let this engine play another 10.000 games and repeat the procedure. After many learning stages and about 60.000 games you will have a very strong Backgammon bot. This doesn't work at Chess!
And i say it is odd to reach their enormous strength by playing games against itself because this procedure would seeminly lead as i said to playing engine that would have many weaknesses in some areas. But it doesn't! Actually it does in some technical plays of Backgammon bots, but it's not so significant to prevent them plat at top level. But at Chess it fails completely!
Modified by Chicago Bulls (8. November 2005, 17:29:56)
Walter Montego: Reinhard was correct!
(Well almost, if he didn't assume that 400 were the years that we developed our Chess opening knowledge. He should say ~100 instead). But correct on what? On his statement that we have to wait around 960·400 years for having the same opening knowledge for all FRC position as we now have for Chess. Because this opening knowledge didn't come from computers but from humans mainly. Of course now that computers play at the same level or above from the very best humans we can learn from their games too. But "can" and "should" is different from "it will" and i mean we CAN learn from their games, so the years that the opening knowledge for all 960 FRC positions will not be 100·960, but less lower, but is any chance that this WILL happen? NO! There are not so much interested people on this to made it possible. So we have to wait for the natural evolution of this which will take the time Reinhard said.
But all these are not important.......
What is important is your wrong statement regarding FRC only:
When the gigs become teras and when understanding how to program these types of games becomes better and more efficiently improved, these games will be just as well mastered as regular Chess is nowadays.
Since now computers have the same strength or more of the top humans at handling Chess positions and since there are no opening books for FRC, the strength of computers at FRC IS the same or above (actually is above because FRC requires more tactics) from the top humans! So computers have already mastered FRC!
About Gothic Chess or CRC i think if there is an inceasing interest in these games, then in 2-3 years AND because these games are highly tactical, computers will be better than humans.......
(Consider this simple example: Gothic Vortex is based on Crafty(An open source engine that is looking with the hubble telescope the very top engines) mainly. And is already a very tough opponent. Consider what will happen if Gothic Chess engines will be based to Fruit or Shredder that are top Chess engines.)
Subject: Re:not true;Fischer is STILL UNDEFEATED as World Champion.
Modified by Chicago Bulls (5. November 2005, 21:54:18)
tedbarber: I agree on most but you should not underestimate Kasparov saying him just excellent player.... Kasparov was one of the most dominating Chess-entities ever existed! Yet i think Fischer was at the exact same level of Kasparov showing a comparable genious.....I'll not speak about Capablanca but these 2 (Fis and Kasp) were the most amazing human Chess players this earth has seen.
Now they are both retired, i think the mighty Fruit 2.2.1 should be called their successor...
Modified by Chicago Bulls (28. October 2005, 12:21:33)
I want to see Pythagoras play Cartaphilus, that would be a great game!
And what if Cartaphilus is the Robert Fischer himself....? I mean what he has more to do in the cold Iceland from playing games....?
By the way is there any progress on Bobby Vs Garry event......?
I was online the last 2 days on GCLive for about half an hour but nobody played me because nobody was there. Are any scheduled times that i should log in?
By the way the interesting match GV Gold II beta against Smirf 1.29 continues at: this site.
Also after my current tournament will finish, i will play with the newer at that time Smirf (if it will be available) using a small opening book i'm developing in order to give it much better play....
So Zillions of Games shows a nice performance! I didn't expected this.... At Round 7 it beat with black Smirf 1.20 with a strange way. The opening moves was not good for Smirf nor ZoG but Smirf managed to play better and had a slighly better position, although it has shown a much more optimistic evaluation. I thought it would win but it played some dubious moves and after a crushing attack by ZoG it lost the game......
The other game needs no comments, Gothic Vortex scored a point convincingly against the old Smirf 0.59.
Round 7 SM1.20 - ZoG = 0-1
GV - SM0.59 = 1-0
Me bye....
Round 6 had me lose for the first time and that was with my favourite at this game white pieces! My bad opening play and especially my awful 15.Ng3?? decided the game immediately.......
Gothic Vortex from the other side, had an easy win against Zillions of Games......The game from ZoG's side was too stupid to give it.....If anyone is interested just say it, to post it....
Round 6 Me - SM1.20 = 0-1
ZoG - GV = 1-0
SM0.59 bye....
I haven't much time lately that's why i didn't run any new rounds. I'm back at normal now......
Round 5 continued with an adventure win for me against GV. What a game! Game started after the opening with a favourable for me position, as i had set up for a typical "Gothic Vortex" attack and at
this point it seemed clear to me that G.V could not resist in any way.....My anti-comp game leading to an invisible for GV attack worked perfectly! And after 19.Ci3 i was sure that my attack was unstopable!
But the damn GV proved with precise moves, that there was a defense and after my primary attack
lost its power, GV seemed better. Then i created a smaller attack but again it was obvious that it will not lead anywhere....The final position before the endgame? I had a Bishop and a Rook against the
Queen of GV with a semi-open position, being one Pawn behind too. GV played generally wrong the
endgame allowing my h2-Pawn to advance to h7 so the game was draw anyway since GV had the option of
repeating the moves, giving checks.......
But then G.V played a terrible move -64...d3??- not continuing the series of checks and i immediatelly found the easy win......The bad thing for G.V is that after all exchanges that led to a position Rook+Bishop+1Pawn for me against 7 Pawns of GV, didn't show a decisive advantage for me but only a slight one......
This is logical since the capturing of Pawns would occur after many maneuvers and many plies later,
but todays programs are not "bean counters" that have to reach many plies to see the truth, but they
are supposed to be more knowledgeable.....GV is not a bean counter but not so knowledgeable as it has
to travel a long way until this happens.....
There was also the win of Zillions of Games against Smirf 0.59. I have underestimated ZoG after all! It is showing a rather nice performance...... ZoG in this game, ouplayed SM0.59 completely......
Round 5 Me - GV = 1-0
ZoG - SM0.59 = 1-0
SM1.20 bye....
Because is not convenient at all to download each version, uninstall the old and then installing the newer, can you invent a simpler method?
Also is the above procedure i'm doing the most easy? I mean, is there any other way of installing the newer versions......?
Modified by Chicago Bulls (5. October 2005, 20:57:50)
What i would like to see in future Smirf versions:
a)Play the 34...Cj4+ move and then 35...Bg2! in the below game.
b)Not play early in the opening Bxc6 or Bxh6 giving its Bishop for a Knight.
c)Stop exchanging a Chancellor or an Archbishop for a Rook and a Knight or Bishop, without seeing any combination that gains immediate advantage.....
Modified by Chicago Bulls (5. October 2005, 17:25:41)
Smirf 1.19 has been updated to Smirf 1.20. Although updating engines in the middle of a tournament, is not an appropriate way of testing the programs, i will make this update. For any new updates i will first finish this tournament and then include the newer versions in a new one and compare the final results.....
Oh my, oh my! Smirf 1.20 blew it! In its game against G.V it had a winning position but it didn't
managed to find the winning move and not only this but it lost at the end.....The opening phase wasn't
the best for both and Smirf seemed a bit better. After some nice moves by Smirf, that GV didn't expect, Smirf took a small advantage but GV managed to equalize and it even thought it was slightly
better. After a good move by Smirf (25...Bd5!) followed by a nice plan to attack the white's King, GV started to worry and at move 34 thought it was losing. The only thing Smirf had to do was to find 34...Cj4+ and then after 35.Ki1 Bg2! white is clearly losing.....But it played some moves that was out of what game required, so it lost the advantage and at the and it lost the game too. After Smirf lost its attack, GV easily outplayed Smirf especially at the endgame. The opposite happened in the middlegame, but that was not enough for Smirf.
In the other game, although at the start Smirf didn't let me use my anti-comp strategy of: creating a strong quiet attack,let it prevail in the non-King side and then unlease my attack, i've managed to take advantage that its King was exposed and with a poisonous Rook sacrifice i've created an
unstopable attack, so i won......
Round 4 SM0.59 - Me = 0-1
G.V - SM1.20 = 1-0
ZoG bye....
Modified by Chicago Bulls (4. October 2005, 23:24:15)
Round 3 continued with an easy win for me against Zillions of Games and a long game that ended with a win for the newer Smirf 1.19 against the older version Smirf 0.59. In this game SM0.59 played better the early middlegame after also a slighly better opening play, but SM1.19 managed to outplay it in the long run and get into a clear won endgame, that managed to win easily.......
Round 3 Me - ZoG = 1-0
SM1.19 - SM0.59Z = 1-0
G.V bye....
I should note that the above PGN, in order to be pasted into Smirf has to be "fixed" first, as the Brainking posts-system breaks the line with the FEN......
Unfortunatelly i didn't managed to finish the 3 round, but this will be done tomorrow. I've played only 1 game: Smirf 0.59 - Gothic Vortex = 0-1 That was an easy win for Vortex.........
Round 2 ZoG - SM1.17 = 1-0
SM0.59 - G.V = 0-1
ME bye....
Table after the 2nd round of 40:
PLAYER |POINTS/GAMES
G.Vortex | 2.0/2.0
Me | 1.0/1.0
ZoG | 1.0/2.0
Smirf1.17| 0.0/2.0
Smirf0.59| 0.0/1.0
Pairings for Round 3:
SM1.19 - SM0.59 (There will be an update on Smirf 1.17 promoting to 1.19 version)
Me - ZoG
G.V bye......
Modified by Chicago Bulls (3. October 2005, 00:38:46)
Round 2 ZoG - SM1.17 = 1-0
SM0.59 - G.V = will follow tomorrow along with 3 round........
Me bye....
ZoG - SM1.17 = 1-0
This game came as a surprise to me partly because although at one moment Smirf 1.17 seemed it will take the win, it finally lost, but mainly because i had highly overestimated its strength and this game showed to me that Smirf has a long way to travel before it can become the way i have imagined it was..........
3 VERY IMPORTANT things:
1)Smirf once again (like in its game on the GC forum with Gothic Vortex) gave one of its major pieces for a combination of 2 minor pieces. Specifically it gave its Chancellor for a Rook and a Bishop. As Ed Trice said and i completely agree, this exchange is completely wrong if there are no immediate advantages. I definitely advice Reinhard to give a penalty for such an exchange, if there is no tactical trick in the horizon that gains immediate advantage.......
2)Smirf even after having 2 Rooks against a Rook and a Chancellor of ZoG, it evaluated the position as unclear or even at some moments as its advantage!!!!!!!!Not a really trustworthy evaluation......
3)The time control can be characterized as a rather rapid game or even blitz game, so as Reinhard has already said about Smirf, having problems with non-slow controls, this is definite "excuse"
for Smirf for answering the bad play after one point. But it's definitely no excuse for the above
2 things i mentioned........Slow or blitz, even thinking to give a C for a R+B without an immediate gain, but for stretegical reasons, is completely wrong.....And having an drawing evaluation in a game you have 2R versus R+C is again completely wrong.......
But you don't have to worry. You have the same! I just used as a version NOT this shown in the "about" box but that in the starting page that says: Ver. BC 117. My "about" says what your about says.....
Me = Me Time= 40/20' + 40/20' + 20' (around 30 sec/move)
On every series of rounds, every player will play against any other with black and with white.
There will be 4 series. Every serie will have 10 rounds. Every player will play 32 games, 16 with white and 16 with black.
I assume that creating a starting Gothic Chess X-FEN in the variants.PGN and matching Smirf against G.V and posting the results is not something illegal right.......? I mean making Smirf play Gothic Chess with a indirect way, is not something illegal right.....?
Now it works..........!
Only my old Gothic Chess key for playing Gothic Chess too doesn't work. Do you have any key to let it play against Gothic Vortex and Zillions........?
Modified by Chicago Bulls (30. September 2005, 12:49:45)
I have installed newer Smirf beta on a clean interface(never installed any Smirf before) and faced the problem Walter and others describe. No matter what time i set per move for Smirf to play, it plays in 1-2 seconds.........
So it's not a matter of INI files but it is general. Smirf beta has a bug not allowing searcch of more than 1-2 seconds....
And that's of cource the reason for losing against Zillions. From 0.55 beta Smirf was already crushing Zillions. So now, current version should be able to perform around 90%+ against Zillions.......
I should note that current Gothic Vortex perform around 98%+ against Zillions....
Reinhard: Last time my time hasn't allowed me of properly testing Smirf and i feel ver sorry about this....I had millions things/tests to do with it, but all the situation -i had so many things to do back then (exams for university,football practice,studying 4 mathematical problems...etc)- prevented me from giving you any results since i run only a few games.....But this time is different. I have enough time to concentrate on Chess engines testing and Smirf.
So if you want to give me another chance i would be glad to test the newer Smirf.......
I'm the old "Chessmaster1000", George, so just tell me if you want another beta tester.....
The only tournament Smirf has participated has been in last November, where it tooks place four of eight in the Gothic Chess World Championship.
Today it will be 100% 2nd and ?% first........Assuming the strength of the opponents would be the same. If it's not then just the 100% would be 87%. The progress of Smirf is amazing....
I concluded the above from the 2 games you posted against Gothic Vortex and from some others....
Nah, even after a billion of games here, the percentage of draws will be more or less the same......Why?
A-80%)Because the strength of most players is on beginner's level........
B-20%)There are many time-outs......
mahavrilla:
S-1:That seems like an accurate statement. S-2:Janus seems way too complicated for its value on the first move to be decided at this point.
You agree with the Sumerian's statement of having white a 3/10 Pawn starting advantage(S-1) AND you believe that Janus is way too complicated for any speculation about the starting advantage of any player(S-2)????????????????
For Chess there is the general idea that black has to fight (not hard) to gain equity first and then if he succeeds he can look for a win.
For Gothic Chess the same is not valid and both sides seems to have equal chances.
For Janus Ed Trice mainly and i -in a much smaller degree- have the opinion that Black has "something" better. I don't know what is this "something" but i can feel it.....Black seems to me, to have more attacking chances.....
Grim Reaper: I would like to believe that never having suffered a loss in Janus while collecting a fair number of wins allows me the freedom to speculate that the game might be inherently easier to play from Black's perspective.
The above is much different from the:
White is also at a disadvantage by moving first in Janus
My opinion about Janus, although as like you, i dislike this game as it is too diagonal, is that it is well balanced, even though i have the same feeling -in a much lower degree- that black has something better.....
or evidence that the moon is NOT made out of green cheese. Can you give me an evidence for the opposite....?
Only if you transfer me into the moon you can convince me and this is quite difficult.....
Grim Reaper:White is also at a disadvantage by moving first in Janus.
No i don't think so. I or you or anyone can not prove anything of cource, and i understand that this was just your opinion, your feeling, about the game, but the fact you feel that you have troubles with white while with black not, doesn't prove nothing.........
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