Re: Why is Houdini 4 so clueless?
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 6:45 am
I really don't understand this post ??!! Houdini lost a game against SF ... big deal and it happens both ways. The game posted seems like an example where Houdini resigned too early as even at SF depth of 107 !!! the evaluation is still less than +2. The resign setting was probably set too low and even though there might be a white win, it sure is not very clear and certainly worth playing it out. I hate games like that where one engine resigns too early.
Having said that ... it is a well known fact that SF can go deep into a position incredibly fast ... much faster than any engine out there. I remember a pawn push in TCEC that completely busted Houdini and that was on big hardware and LTC, yet Houdini never saw it coming. This does not mean that Houdini is a bad engine but is more a testament to the amazing job the SF team have done in improving and tuning the SF engine. As for SF being a free engine ... well I assure you that "free" is not due to lack of time spent by a group of very talented and dedicated hardcore engine specialists working on the SF project. They are giving their time free of charge, but that does not mean that the engine is of poor quality. Think of it as a "gift" rather than "free".
Having said that ... it is a well known fact that SF can go deep into a position incredibly fast ... much faster than any engine out there. I remember a pawn push in TCEC that completely busted Houdini and that was on big hardware and LTC, yet Houdini never saw it coming. This does not mean that Houdini is a bad engine but is more a testament to the amazing job the SF team have done in improving and tuning the SF engine. As for SF being a free engine ... well I assure you that "free" is not due to lack of time spent by a group of very talented and dedicated hardcore engine specialists working on the SF project. They are giving their time free of charge, but that does not mean that the engine is of poor quality. Think of it as a "gift" rather than "free".