Re: [computer-go] Re: Computer Go tournament thoughts

[Don Dailey <drd@xxxxxxx>]

Gunnar,

It sounds like an NNGS server is a good choice.

- Don



   Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 04:38:47 +0100
   From: Gunnar Farnebäck <gunnar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

   Don wrote:
   >   1.  Server will probably need to have the capability to manage the
   >       matches.   As someone else suggested and I completeley agree with,
   >       I would like to log my program onto the server, leave it attended
   >       for a few days,   and come back with lots of results.
   >
   >   2.  Time-control.    Programs like SlugGo and my program will want
   >       to have long time control matches.    Other programs may not
   >       want this.   Provisions should be made for both.
   >
   >   3.  Although managed matches should be provided, you may also want
   >       to request by mutual agreement, specific matchups.  I may decide
   >       to log in specifically to play a game or series of games with
   >       someone elses program for example.
   >
   >   4.  It's rude to log off during a game so there needs to be a way to
   >       gracefully terminate the session,  perhaps by saying "no more games
   >       after the current game finished."

   4 is not a big issue as long as resumption of games is implemented. If
   the programs play dozens or hundreds of games a day, nobody will worry
   about occasional interrupted ones.

   But you forgot the most important point to really make it interesting:

   5. A possibility for programmers and other observers to watch and
      discuss the games while being played.

   Personally I think the most practical solution is to:
   1. Set up an NNGS server.
   2. Add an admin command to start a game between two players, unless
      there already is such a command.
   3. Write a robot which logs in on an admin account and arranges
      matches between available programs. Many administrative tasks could
      be done through tells to the admin robot.

   What about KGS? Programs are playing there and maybe the tournament
   infrastructure that has been mentioned will be a success. However, in
   my opinion KGS is severely restricted by its secret protocol. KgsGtp
   does provide GTP engines with the possibility to play there but you
   can't experiment with it yourself and add interesting functionality.
   In comparison my NNGS-GTP bridge gnugoclient (can be used by any GTP
   engine, despite the name) is much more powerful and flexible.

   Anyway, this discussion won't actually produce a computer go server.
   At the end of the day it's the people who sit down and write the code
   who decide what solution will be used.

   /Gunnar

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