Re: computer-go: new strategy game with $10,000 prize

["Vlad Dumitrescu" <vlad_dumitrescu@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

well, I don't know about this game, but there isn't really any big problem
to create "new" games that will be harder to solve than Chess or Go. Arimaa
is basically just trying to defeat the brute-force approach used in Chess.

Just let's imagine Go played on a 25x25 board. Even if 19x19 Go would be
"solved" just the sheer additional space to be searched would add enough
problems for computers. If 25x25 is not enough, then 35x35 or whatever. That
is, if the main power of a Go playing program was raw CPU power...

I think humans will still be able to play the game reasonably well, because
the local game would be the same, just strategy would differ (simplified).
If a "human level" Go program would use the human-like way of thinking, then
it should be able to adapt to the new complexity.

For a new game however, just as Don said, the only feasible way for a
program to play is by raw brute-force search, because there is no theory to
use for higher-level analysis yet.

My 2 cents of ramblings :-)
Vlad

----- Original Message -----
From: "Don Dailey" <drd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <computer-go@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <computer-go@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, January 20, 2003 5:21 AM
Subject: Re: computer-go: new strategy game with $10,000 prize


>
> I took  a look at this.   I'm not sure  it's as complex as  he claims.
> Even though the legal move count  at any given node is quite high, the
> game is very  threat oriented (tactical).  Also, for  what it's worth,
> there have not been hundreds of  years of human experience at the game
> which should help some!
>
> So if a program can be designed that is very good at seeing short term
> tactics, it might be very hard for a human to beat.
>
> $10,000 isn't worth the effort  by itself, but it seems like something
> that would certainly be worth the fun of trying.
>
>
> Don
>
>
>
>
>    X-Sender: fotland%smart-games.com@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>    Date: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 15:58:57 -0800
>    From: David Fotland <fotland@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>    Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>    Sender: owner-computer-go@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>    Precedence: bulk
>    Reply-To: computer-go@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>    http://arimaa.com/arimaa/
>
>    He thinks his game is 100x more complex than go, and offers $10,000 for
a
>    program
>    that can beat a human by 2020, with $1000 for the best program at the
end
>    of 2003.
>
>    I think this prize can be won this year, but I don't have time to work
on it :(
>
>    Any takers?
>
>    David
>