Re: computer-go: Why Ko

[Nick Wedd <nick@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In message <Pine.GSO.4.10.10106211523530.17781-100000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
.uk>, Joshua Berryman <joshuab@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
>I know ko is supposed to be one of the most subtle and important aspects
>of the game, but its a funny rule in that no-one can gain anything by
>breaking it: 
>
>If you take the rule as `never repeat a previous board state' then if a
>program does do this then wahey! its back to square one. :)

If a program ignores the ko rule and plays illegally in a ko, it
immediately forfeits the game.

If two players agree that they will both ignore the ko rule, then a
large proportion of their games will fail to terminate.

> I was just wandering if I should trouble to include a ko-checker in my RL
>based program: hopefully, it should prefer a quick reward to a delayed one
>and learn to follow the ko rule of its own accord.

Maybe it will prefer (eternally) delayed punishment to quick punishment,
and learn that it should always retake a ko.

>Sanity check?

Nick
-- 
Nick Wedd