Re: computer-go: GoeMate is now 1st in 13x13-CGoT

[Nick Wedd <nick@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In message <200202010539.AAA10030@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Don Dailey
<drd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes

< snip >
>could prove my point.   The computer they didn't like  was known to be
>the best at the time and dominated all  the other computers back then.
>But it took a long time  to convince them otherwise,  they just had to
>see several  wins  (the  better computer  rarely  lost but  they  kept
>believing it was "lucky.")

This suggests that the better computer understood something which the
experts did not.

Many backgammon players, playing for the first time against Snowie or
Jellyfish, are convinced that the program is lucky with its dice;  some
insist that it is cheating with the dice throws.  In fact, backgammon
programs are better than most humans at "duplication": arranging the
position so as to maximise the number of dice throws which will be good
for themselves, and minimise the number which will be good for their
opponents.

In Go, I rather doubt that any experts, even 5-kyu experts, will be
impressed by a Go program's "luck" at present.  But it will be
interesting if they are.

Nick
-- 
Nick Wedd    nick@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx