RE: computer-go: question

["Xu, Mousheng (SEA)" <moushengxu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

(5) tremendously.

Your assumption is equivalent to the statement that you have a 99.99%
perfect evaluation function. What is left is how fast you can get the
highest score (efficiency of searching). 

Actually it's more than that. Because if you know whether you can & how
to kill and survive, you can then use it to make a lot of strategic
decisions to speed up the search. Given your assumption, it would be
very close to beat a 9p.

Tim, are you making fun of us or what? :)

-- Mousheng Xu

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Klinger [mailto:klinger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, December 10, 1999 2:46 PM
To: computer-go@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: computer-go: question



I have a question for those of you with working go-playing programs.  

If you had an oracle that could tell you the life and death status of
any
block on the board, taking essentially no time to do so, how much do you
think it would improve your program?  If you like, you can also assume
that
the oracle tells you how to go about making life for a block (if it's
possible).  You can even assume it tells you the *best* way to go about
it,
with respect to an evaluation function of your choosing.

If it's easier, answer the question using one of the following ratings:

(1) not at all, (2) a little, (3) a fair bit, (4) a lot, (5)
tremendously

and feel free to offer any qualifications.

Thanks.  I'm looking forward to your responses.

Tim

Just in case there's any confusion about what I mean by a 'block', I
mean a
maximal set of adjacent stones of the same color (black or white).  I
don't
mean groups or chains or anything less solidly connected.