Re: [computer-go] Computer Go tournament at EGF

[Richard Brown <rbrown@xxxxxxxx>]

Don Dailey wrote:

> The point he is making is that you can't isolate the execution time of
> the algorithm from the playing strength.  It IS in fact easy to write
> a perfect go program given no time constraints (just search until
> solution.)  The issue isn't how GOOD your program is, it is how good
> it is in a given amount of time.
I've heard that assertion many times before, that "It IS in fact easy
to write a perfect go program given no time constraints (just search
until solution.)"

But there is an _inherent_ time constraint:  It's the age (and the
expected age) of the universe.  It has been shown that it would take
longer than the duration of the universe to perform the search, even
if there were enough storage.

Furthermore, the number of go positions one would have to store is
larger than the (finite) number of atomic particles in the universe,
so even if there were an _infinite_ amount of time (which there isn't,
because the universe does have an age) there isn't enough storage
space to keep track of the results.

Similarly, even if there were an _infinite_ amount of storage, (which
there isn't, because the number of atomic particles in the universe
is finite) there isn't enough time to perform the search!

Such problems -- those that require a longer time than the age of the
universe, or that require more storage than the number of atomic
particles in the universe are called "inherently intractable".

And that's why _not_even_ brute-force will work.  It is _NOT_ possible.

The assertion that it is "easy to write a perfect go program given no
time constraints" is simply not true.

Not even theoretically.

That said, I _still_ think that a program that can play a perfect
game given a week is of more intrinsic value than one that can play
a flawed game in an hour.  It all depends upon what is considered
truly important for the program to be able to do.

Thus we see that the issue is entirely subjective.

What is _not_ subject to interpretation, is whether it is theoretically
possible to write a perfect program that uses brute force, "given enough
time" or "given enough storage".  It absolutely is not possible, let
alone "easy".

--
Rich

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