Re: [computer-go] Search = Bad!

[Don Dailey <drd@xxxxxxx>]

> > Oh, Tic-Tac-Toe.  That game is trivial.  
> I didn't know there was a mathematical formula for playing Tic-Tac-Toe, 
> what is it? How about for genaralized Tic-Tac-Toe (n-in-a-row on a 
> p-by-q board)?

Tic-Tac-Toe can be reformulated to seem more mathmatical.   It goes like
this:

   Given a set of numbers, 1 - 9,  each player alternately chooses 1 number
   from the set and adds it to his own collection of numbers.   It is forbidden 
   to choose a number that has already been selected.    The first player
   who can take any 3 of his numbers and make 15 wins.  

   This game, as it turns out,  is the equivalent of tic-tac-toe.  I'm not
   sure how to solve it by formula,  but in this form it seems more possible.

The trick is that you lay out the 9 numbers as a kind of magic square like so:

    8  1  6
    3  5  7
    4  9  2

And getting any 3 of your numbers to add up is the same as putting X
or O on a row, column or diagonal.

Since a magic square can be layed out in many configurations, it is
like you are playing a "pure" form of tic-tac-toe, the reflections,
rotations, symetries are automatically handled and you are not
concerned with the visual aspect of the game.

Maybe it's possible that GO has some equivalent mathmatical game that
might not be immediately recognized as the spacial/visual game we
know?


- Don
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