QUESTION: Tournaments and Opening Books?

[Sean Evans]

Hi, when you have your tournaments what opening book do you use for each program?

For instance, if the out of the box opening book is stronger for Program A over Program B, then A would have a better chance of winning even though B's engine might be stronger.

Cordially,

Sean

[Dann Corbit]

Hi, when you have your tournaments what opening book do you use for each program?

For instance, if the out of the box opening book is stronger for Program A over Program B, then A would have a better chance of winning even though B's engine might be stronger.

Cordially,

Sean

Sedat has lots of tournaments designed just to find out what opening book is best.
See, for example:
http://www.sedatchess.com/scct2010.html

[Dann Corbit]

Hi, when you have your tournaments what opening book do you use for each program?

For instance, if the out of the box opening book is stronger for Program A over Program B, then A would have a better chance of winning even though B's engine might be stronger.

Cordially,

Sean

Sedat has lots of tournaments designed just to find out what opening book is best.
See, for example:
http://www.sedatchess.com/scct2010.html

Actually, that one was a more general tournament. Here is one of his book analysis tournaments:
http://www.sedatchess.com/scct6.html

[kingliveson]

Hi, when you have your tournaments what opening book do you use for each program?

For instance, if the out of the box opening book is stronger for Program A over Program B, then A would have a better chance of winning even though B's engine might be stronger.

Cordially,

Sean

Opening book is not the best way to test engines because it fails on many aspects, one of which you've mentioned.

[govert]

So what's the alternative?
I guess you need a bunch of different starting positions, but how do you determine the lack of bias towards a particular engine?

[Graham Banks]

So what's the alternative?
I guess you need a bunch of different starting positions, but how do you determine the lack of bias towards a particular engine?

Allowing each engine to play as both White and Black from a given starting position should help minimise that concern.

[kingliveson]

So what's the alternative?
I guess you need a bunch of different starting positions, but how do you determine the lack of bias towards a particular engine?

Allowing each engine to play as both White and Black from a given starting position should help minimise that concern.

When both plays the same position it can't really be called bias especially if there are more than a handful positions. There are some test suites you can download. Nunn, Silver Suite (Albert Silver), and ECO Variations (mine).

[Kirk]

Hi, when you have your tournaments what opening book do you use for each program?

For instance, if the out of the box opening book is stronger for Program A over Program B, then A would have a better chance of winning even though B's engine might be stronger.

Cordially,

Sean

I would think a "bookless" engine tournament would be very interesting

[kingliveson]

Hi, when you have your tournaments what opening book do you use for each program?

For instance, if the out of the box opening book is stronger for Program A over Program B, then A would have a better chance of winning even though B's engine might be stronger.

Cordially,

Sean

I would think a "bookless" engine tournament would be very interesting

Bookless and no set positions lead to limited variations. Some engines love Ruy Lopez and that's all you will get.

[Sedat Canbaz]

Code: Select all

I would think a "bookless" engine tournament would be very interesting

I have already 3 type of tournaments,where all engines have been played:
1.Without opening books,no tablebases
2.With same neutlar (Perfect 12.33) book+tablebases
3.With own books+tablebases

SCCT's 3 Type Tournaments:
http://www.sedatchess.com/scct_3type.html

Best,
Sedat