I don't based any decisions on the possibility that we might use a book because I think it's important to optimize komodo to play the whole game (even the opening) as well as possible. Even though a good book might make it possible to ignore the opening, we feel that it benefits the program to understand this phase anyway. And yes, we expect in any important game to be using the book but as I say we don't optimize for that.hgm wrote:If you have castling rights, it is a different matter. But during most of the game you will not, and when you have a book, you will virtually never search a position where you have castling rights. So focusing on this is even worse than optimizing for the end-game, which at least you might reach...
I don't think you read my post where I admit that my intuition on this could easily be wrong and drew attention to the fact that if you interpose you are putting yourself in a self-pin. So don't get nasty with me, I am sympathetic to your point of view on this. You have said nothing here I don't already understand - I am a fairly strong tournament chess player.
A castled King does not lose rights when moving, nor does it necessarily move towards the center. Kc3-b3 is a quite sound move after Q-side castling, Kg8-h8 is played in many games. You still seem to ignore my point that SEE-safe interpositions can be horrible blunders. Again, that in opening theory it is sometimes good, should be of little concern when you use book. During most of the game you don't have a large supply of pieces that weren't doing anything because they were not yet developed, so that getting them pinned does not make the situation much worse.Especially as the opponent is also not yet developed enough topunish you for it.
As I said, I almost always try things both ways, because I know that whatever I think is correct has about a 50% chance of being the case. I have discovered that most people who are sure they are correct about something are right about 50% of the time
Don