Engine Festival 2012

[Nelson Hernandez]

You can say it's nothing special, nothing that many engines have done before. You're right, of course. Yet, whatever its provenance, Houdini is generating games and analysis that, taken as a whole, are gradually improving opening theory. Many engines participate in that process but Houdini, currently being preeminent, has the most important voice these days.

[Houdini]

You can say it's nothing special, nothing that many engines have done before. You're right, of course. Yet, whatever its provenance, Houdini is generating games and analysis that, taken as a whole, are gradually improving opening theory. Many engines participate in that process but Houdini, currently being preeminent, has the most important voice these days.

I'm not talking about improving opening theory, I'm talking about *playing* - without book - a lot of main lines of popular openings.
In terms of understanding of openings and quality of opening play, Houdini 3 is a significant improvement compared to Houdini 2 and Houdini 1.5.
It actually shows best in Chess960 where Houdini 3 is about 80 Elo stronger than Houdini 2 (a much larger difference than for normal chess).

Robert

[kranium]

I consider this as one of the major improvements in Houdini 3: even without a book it will play many openings in a very natural way, re-inventing decades of opening theory on the move.
Robert

I'm not talking about improving opening theory
Robert

yes, of course, thanks for the clarification...

[mar]

I consider this as one of the major improvements in Houdini 3: even without a book it will play many openings in a very natural way, re-inventing decades of opening theory on the move.
Robert

I'm not talking about improving opening theory
Robert

yes, of course, thanks for the clarification...

[Houdini]

I consider this as one of the major improvements in Houdini 3: even without a book it will play many openings in a very natural way, re-inventing decades of opening theory on the move.
Robert

I'm not talking about improving opening theory
Robert

yes, of course, thanks for the clarification...

I intended "re-inventing" (with hyphen!) to mean "discovering autonomously". In other words: Houdini 3 plays the book lines without having the book.
Not "reinventing" as in "create anew and improve".

If my limited control of the English language misguided you, I apologize.

[kranium]

I consider this as one of the major improvements in Houdini 3: even without a book it will play many openings in a very natural way, re-inventing decades of opening theory on the move.
Robert

I'm not talking about improving opening theory
Robert

yes, of course, thanks for the clarification...

I intended "re-inventing" (with hyphen!) to mean "discovering autonomously". In other words: Houdini 3 plays the book lines without having the book.
Not "reinventing" as in "create anew and improve".

If my limited control of the English language misguided you, I apologize.

wasn't misguided at all, nor mis-guided!
but if i blindly accept all you post, certainly not well-guided...