Houdini is getting some wider press. Congratulations!

[Graham Banks]

On most forums people cheer when one of their fellow forum members makes the headlines..

Martin is a fellow CCRL member and computer chess friend who has branched out into developing his own website and tournaments.
He is doing a great job and I am very happy for him.

[Martin Thoresen]

I want to thank everyone for their encouraging words. Robert, Graham, Ignacio.

Whether my project qualifies as "international news" is debatable, of course. Personally I can understand if someone thinks it's just "another private computer event located in someones basement".

I am sad that someone feels the need to create a bad vibe, that goes to both "sides" by the way.

I will repeat my goal: to create interesting chess games. That should be a thing no one in here should have to fight about.

Best,
Martin

[Gino Figlio]

Martin,

Your tournaments are extremely interesting to chess fans and also big international news.
Thank you.

[Hood]

A. Silver is CB colaborator so he criticises/attacks its rival Chessdom.
It is easy.

Actually, if the purpose were to tear down ChessDom, wouldn't the smartest move would be to say nothing, since I sincerely believe their move is a big mistake?

If anything, it has been singularly enlightening watching the hot-headed replies here to what was simply a comment on the strategic decision made by ChessDom.

I think Martin has a very fine private tournament, but that a supposedly serious news site would promote it over strong events and national championships, which is what they cover, is quite simply a blunder.

If you analyze it from a business point of view, there is no other conclusion possible. They will estrange the organizers and events they are supposedly helping, by showing they are of lesser importance, and their credibility will take a huge hit as well.

TCEC is a private event organized by a fan on his computer at home who chose a few engines in an event that no one has any say in. Other authors cannot elect to participate or win, nor can they elect to *not* participate, as he basically chooses whichever engine he wants and runs it as he pleases.

Interestingly, only a handful of people have understood this, the others stuck in their "Houdini vs. the world" perspective on things.

Are you a business analyst to give and estimate business decisions ?
As the CB collaborator you shold not give the good advice to the competitior, is not it Your publication can be treated as a false advice.

I think that it is the good business decision in a long horizon.
CB started open war vs Chessdom by illegal live transsmission Topalov Anand event....

Martin tournament is an international event because:

- there are playing engines from differrent countries
- there is an international audience
- there is an international media transmission

That it is enough to make the event international.

The event has very interesting format and is required and expected by fans confrontation between CB selling programs vs free engines.
It is the shot in the target .

Keep going on Martin .

Rgds
Hood

[Maharadja]

thanks for the wonderfull site Martin and thanks to chessdom for broadcasting it to the larger public. I have your tournaments always in the background at work.

Also a big thanks to Robert en Richard and the stockfishteam and the other free engine authors of the other divisions for their engines and for their commentary at chessbomb.

[De Vos W]

Houdini 1.5 leads TCEC with perfect score!

Press:
http://www.chessdom.com/news-2011/houdini-chess-engine


TCEC:
http://www.tcec-chess.org/

Fascinating, and an incredible blunder by ChessDom. It isn't to besmirch Houdini BTW, as that is not the problem. It is the fact they are promoting a small private computer chess tournament, with no official recognition, on their front page as the main article, after only three rounds, which is the sort of reporting reserved for major international chess tournaments.... It is amazingly bad judgment, and beyond stupid.

Of course, I'm happy for Martin, but this changes nothing.

Mr. Silver,

Your Issue with the report has more to do with Houdini 1.5 being given press than the TCEC tournament.
Anyway the world can see now that Rybka 4 is "Silver" and Houdini is "Gold"

[hgm]

Despite all the fuss and mud-throwing contest between Rybka and Houdini fanboys, it seems clear that the publication by chessdom is "politically motivated". The event itself would not deserve any mention. So Houdini played 3 games and won them. Wow, big deal! Someone conducts an engine-engine tourney with 8 top-engines participating. Wow, that's a novelty, real front-page material, even before it is finished!

It seems obvious that someone at chessdom wanted to broadcast that Rybka is no longer the strongest engine, and has been looking / waiting for an opportunity to dress it up. I don't think that any of us seriously believes that chessdom would have published anything about Martin's tourney if Rybka had been leading 3 out of 3 before Houdini. Or if another engine, not believed to have higher Elo than Rybka would have been leading 3/3 before Rybka. (But you never know; fanboyishm / fanatism goes a long way, and can cloud all reason. )

[Sedat Canbaz]

On most forums people cheer when one of their fellow forum members makes the headlines..

Martin is a fellow CCRL member and computer chess friend who has branched out into developing his own website and tournaments.
He is doing a great job and I am very happy for him.

Hello Graham,

+1

Yes, agree with you,there is no doubt that Martin's tournaments (TCEC) are one of the best:super fast machine,engines play with 6 cores,slow time control,LIVE mode,high quality games...and of course very well-looking web site

What we should need more ???

BTW,we should not forget to mention,Frank's tournaments (SWCR) too,especially right now he is running a fantastic tourney,a very good idea
And in my opinion,Champions-League 2011 is one of the most interesting tournaments i have seen so far !

And of course i am very happy and i am following with a big interest the work of:CCRL,CEGT,SSDF...you are doing a GREAT job too !

BIG THANKS to all Testers !!


Best Wishes,
Sedat

[bhlangonijr]

It doesn't miss the point. The point is: if you, me, or whomever decides to gather a handful of engines on a fast computer, is it international news?

Even if you completely fail to see the significance of the TCEC tournament, there is no reason for reacting in the strong way you did, using insulting language.
On most forums people cheer when one of their fellow forum members makes the headlines...

You chose to feel this was a smear on Houdini, as if the name of the engine had anything to do with it.

No, I felt it was a smear on the excellent work of Martin.
I don't give an iota about your smearing Houdini (which you didn't, as you said).

Robert, I remember reading a certain thread in the open-chess forum in which you wrote that, among other things, you don't have interest in participating in WCCC because of its "irrelevance as a tournament with only a few rounds". It's okay to me that you have changed your mind.

@Albert Silver: You are too worried about official entitlements. If I follow your logic it means that if some official organization recognises Martin's tournament as official then it would be okay to put it in the headlines. Other thing you completely missed is that regarding WCCC or any other official tournament they don't have a better method for selecting the participants. Actually whoever author fell inclined to participate with his own * original work * engine can join in! Regardless of its strength. So as you can see Martin's tournament has a much more accurate method for gathering the handful of engines.

What makes a good news is the interest of the audience. It is not whatsoever about official entitlements. And for that I am sure Martin's tournament is a complete success.

It is such a boring thing reading clichés about lack of statistical significance of the tournament when clearly the goal of the whole tournament and the press coverage is entertain the audience. Specially when we talk about computer chess which is something forgotten by the press since Deep Blue's days.

Thanks Martin and Houdini for such a nice event.

[AdminX]

It seems obvious that someone at chessdom wanted to broadcast that Rybka is no longer the strongest engine, and has been looking / waiting for an opportunity to dress it up. I don't think that any of us seriously believes that chessdom would have published anything about Martin's tourney if Rybka had been leading 3 out of 3 before Houdini. Or if another engine, not believed to have higher Elo than Rybka would have been leading 3/3 before Rybka. (But you never know; fanboyishm / fanatism goes a long way, and can cloud all reason. )

Well to be fair, Chessbase is not going to do it. So why shouldn't Chessdom go public with the information?