Walter Montego: .
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Yes you are confused....

-Endgame tablebases with 3,4,5,6 for example pieces(these are the endgame tablebases that have been generated until now, although i believe that 6 piece tablebases haven't been completed yet(for Gothic Chess)) are tables that programs look in their search and get perfect information about the position.
For example if they end one moment in their search to have a position with 5 piece and they have/support endgame tablebases, then instead of wasting time to evaluate the position(that means with not sure results since their evaluation maybe wrong sometimes) they will have the perfect information (win,draw,loss) immediately!
BUT in order these positions to occur in Gothic Chess or CRC we have to go to many captures so only few pieces to remain. But mooooost times the game is decided much earlier..... So if a program uses them at Gothic Chess i believe that only in 1 out of 400+ games there could be an advantage....
So we are speaking about zero advantage by using 3,4,5 or even 6 piece endgame tablebases....


-Opening books are tables that programs look at the beginning of the game and they represend knowledge gathered by millions of games around history. So they are priceless!

So when i speak about bases i speak about "opening books" and "endgame tablebases". The first help a lot the latter doesn't.


Take these opening books away from Vortex or the others that use them, will they beat SMIRF?

It doesn't matter! The fact that Smirf doesn't use them, why should make other programs to adjust to what Smirf uses and what not?
Every program uses what its author managed to give it as supplies to make it play better....!