Which program now would not have been unimaginable in 1997?

[S.Taylor]

Even though we critiscize todays programs, and rightly so, but I'd be intereseted to know how we would see them all in comparrison with the best available in 1997.

Would most of the freeware today have been the number one world beater, had it been around in 1997?
If so, which?
Or,
Which not?

(I'm asking in comparrison also to Deeper Blue, but mainly, in comparrison to all else).

[George Tsavdaris]

Even though we critiscize todays programs, and rightly so, but I'd be intereseted to know how we would see them all in comparrison with the best available in 1997.

Would most of the freeware today have been the number one world beater, had it been around in 1997?
If so, which?
Or,
Which not?

(I'm asking in comparrison also to Deeper Blue, but mainly, in comparrison to all else).

Today Rybka 1.0 beta is freeware and is able to compete even with the strongest non-Rybka commercials so the answer is simple: The best freewares of today would crush any commercial or not Chess engine of 1997. Playing in the same hardware of course.

The interesting question is if Rybka 1.0 beta with hardware of 1997 would be able to beat Deep blue of 1997..... I can't decide on that.

[S.Taylor]

I think the strongest comercial stuff might have been Hiarcs 6 on the first pentiums?
So how would todays second grade freeware (non-rybka) do on those?

[Uri Blass]

I think the strongest comercial stuff might have been Hiarcs 6 on the first pentiums?
So how would todays second grade freeware (non-rybka) do on those?

very bad edit:I mean to hiarcs and not to the second greade freeware
It is not going to be in the top 30 freeware.

From the cegt 40/4 list

http://www.husvankempen.de/nunn/40_4_Ra ... liste.html

357 Hiarcs 6.0 2510 40 40 222 53.6% 2485 25.2%

For comparison ETchess is clearly better:

282 E.T.Chess v18.11.05 2582 13 13 2105 47.2% 2601 29.2%

Hiarcs6(assuming it becomes freeware) is not going to be one of the top 40 freeware in the ccrl blitz list because E.T.chess is number 40 in
that list.

http://computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/404/cg ... ons_only=1

E.T. Chess 18.11.05 2607 +14 −13 54.1% −36.4 28.8% 2090


Uri

[Uri Blass]

I think the strongest comercial stuff might have been Hiarcs 6 on the first pentiums?
So how would todays second grade freeware (non-rybka) do on those?

very bad
It is not going to be in the top 30 freeware.

From the cegt 40/4 list

http://www.husvankempen.de/nunn/40_4_Ra ... liste.html

357 Hiarcs 6.0 2510 40 40 222 53.6% 2485 25.2%

For comparison ETchess is clearly better:

282 E.T.Chess v18.11.05 2582 13 13 2105 47.2% 2601 29.2%

Hiarcs6(assuming it becomes freeware) is not going to be one of the top 40 freeware in the ccrl blitz list because E.T.chess is number 40 in
that list.

http://computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/404/cg ... ons_only=1

E.T. Chess 18.11.05 2607 +14 −13 54.1% −36.4 28.8% 2090


Uri

After another checking I am not so sure about it because hiarcs4 is almost as strong as E.T.chess based on ccrl and if hiarcs6 is 20 elo better than hiarcs4 then it may be in the top 40 programs.

http://computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/404/cg ... 4#Hiarcs_4


If I take the level of Fritz5.32(today freeware) as the level of the top commercial of 1997(I believe that the level was lower than that) then we have rating of 2644 that is only place 28 in the freeware list

http://computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/404/cg ... ons_only=1

[S.Taylor]

Thanks! so it is all well documented with test results.
It looks like I've been quite a bit out of things for some time!

So an interesting question might be how much do we really appreciate the best, or even second best programs of today?
Only 10 years ago, thousands of penniless chess enthusiats might have found $10,000 any day, for something you can get today as freeware.