Mostly for Christophe Theron

[Rolf]

Are you saying that it takes an army of progammers to even compete with Vas? This Linux-like project won't happen, but I'm quite confident that one day a programmer will deliver a competitive engine.

Meanwhile, nirvana is Rybka 3 and it doesn't make any sense to me to blame Rybka people for a situation caused by the failure of others to provide better engines.

Enrique

I'm so happy that you are making such trivial truths very clear, Enrique. Respect! Would be nice if you could reach the guy.

[Karmazen & Oliver]

This Linux-like project won't happen, but I'm quite confident that one day a programmer will deliver a competitive engine.

... people for a situation caused by the failure of others to provide better engines....

Enrique

but I'm quite confident that one day a programmer will deliver a competitive engine and ...

and God willing that programmer puts to donwload totally free and gratuitous that better program... XD

it is this the law of the Viking "who kills to iron, there is iron he/she dies", or perhaps "eye for eye"...

also, it has quite sense to make responsible certain programmers of creating a situation of break of the market, not to create a better engine, but to give their work to put (free) an end to the very-small competitors.

THAT is something that never before had happened and that neither it was necessary, because they were not a threat for the supremacy of R...

it is simply a destruction for destruction, not very constructive and anything useful.

but, it is time of waiting, perhaps in a time to that team happens him the same thing but from the other side of the scale.

then perhaps he/she doesn't have so much grace and they wondered if it was so necessary, it is so necessary not to allow to all the other ones to lower the prices.

ok, their engines can be in a worse position of the ranking... for that different prices exist... with a zero price, the only thing that you get is to be alone and in certain way, it leaves of the popularity of r it has gotten it for that the players faces the engines among them, if alone it is R, with who will play. ?

self-destruction. ?

[BubbaTough]

Just to play devils advocate a bit:

1. I do not think Rybka is unbeatable, or even close. There are still many huge jumps forward to come in this area of research...do not believe folks that claim things are stagnant. I think there are a number of people that, given sufficient resources, could create programs as good or better within three years starting from scratch. The reason it doesn't happen is this is not an area where unlimited resource projects are likely...most participants build their engines in their spare time while juggling things like full time jobs and families.

2. Best performance writing a program likely requires multiple people (such as is the case on the Rybka team) but a single person could still achieve major breakthroughs and blow current programs away. It would be very hard for someone without both a significant chess background and a significant computer programming background to do this (another argument for teams).

3. Effective teams do not happen that often in the hobbyist world, because most effective teams have a clear team leader, have assigned roles, deadlines, mechanisms to protect participants from worries about "unfair practices" (such as a teammate contributing little but taking lots to put into their own private engine) etc.. These are things that are difficult in a casual team of hobbyists that meet over the internet, but easy in a company.

4. There is nothing wrong with people giving anything they want away for free regardless of motivation. The main reason to blame for chess programming being difficult to make a living off of is that many people enjoy doing it as a hobby...and the resources required to perform significantly better than the best of these hobbyists are not reasonable to expend given likely returns on investment.

-Sam

[Nimzovik]

Well stated