Re: [computer-go] Computer Go Tournament / Ladder Thoughts

[Don Dailey <drd@xxxxxxx>]

> 2) I personally would like to see an automated Computer Go Ladder.  Matches
> would be played continuously for all participants.  As new participants
> join the ladder, they would start at the bottom and play matches to move up
> the ladder.  Multiple versions of the same program could conceivably
> participate simultaneously.  The statistics of the ladder could be quite
> interesting.  The sheer number of games would allow any "learning"
> participants to improve over time.  Humans would be unlikely to impersonate
> a computer program due to the volume of games required to stay in the
> ladder.

I love the idea too, but I'm not crazy about the ladder format, having
experienced problems  with ladders in  clubs, such as  avaialablity of
contestents and generally you play  the same people over and over once
you find your level.

What I  would like to  see along the  same lines is a  continous match
server.  I mentioned this before  but didn't go into any details.  The
idea is that you log your program on whenever you want to, and set the
number of games you wish to play (or set it continuous play.)

You don't pick and choose who  you play, the server software makes the
choice.  If your machine is logged off the server in the middle of the
game, you  default the current  game (or are  given a small  period of
time to  reconnect.)  When you  whish to log  off the server  you give
notice in some way and after the current game is finished (if any) you
are not scheduled.

But the whole idea is that you get to play continuously, to the extent
the server can arrange this.

The scheduler can  provide variety and balance and  make sure that the
best  programs don't  play the  worst ones  very often  and  provide a
rating system.

You could have  multiple programs if you choose,  but the system would
encourage a versioning  system of some kind so  that multiple programs
by the same  author could be treated as a  family.  No matches between
the  same  family members  and  matches would  be  chosen  based on  a
combination  of  providing   diversity  of  opponents  (taking  family
membership   into   consideration)  and   playing   mostly  (but   not
exclusively)  opponents of  similar  strength and  of course  opponent
availability.

It's my  opinion that  such a system  would encourage  competition and
perhaps  rapid advancement  in  computer go,  especially if  attention
could be  drawn to the top  5 list.  Researchers could  use the system
for testing their ideas.  We could all benefit enormously IMHO.

The  only problem  I see  is that  there would  likely be  hundreds of
wannabe gnugo clones  on such a server.  A few years  ago, it was this
way (and mabye  it still is?)  on the  internet chess servers.  People
that  knew nothing about  chess programming  were hosting  versions of
Crafty  and getting  excited over  it,  attaching their  ego's to  the
results of their particular Crafty clone.

I wish I could build this server myself and have considered it.

- Don
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