Suggestions for new CCT rules

[garybelton]

The CCT tournament currently has excellent rules, here are my suggestions for five new CCT rules with the intention of improving the event:

1) There should be a unique book author per engine per CCT

2) Maximum depth in opening book after which the engine must start moving, unaided by book = 10 full moves

3) Hardware and engine software should be in your finger notes

4) Extend allowed disconnection period to 10 minutes

5) All parties should conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner, at all times

On 2, let someone else like Sedat run a book tournament or go to the playchess engine room for it. Failure to comply with 2,3,5 should result in immediate ejection of the participant from the tournament. 1 can't be measured so you would have to rely on the honesty of the players. But at the end of the day, you'll get the tournament you want of course, so I encourage everyone who plays in and enjoys watching CCT to contribute ideas.

[Togga]

there should be one chess engine tourney without any opening book usage:)

[mathmoi]

Hi garry,

As a programmer I don't agree about the second point : "Maximum depth in opening book after which the engine must start moving, unaided by book = 10 full moves"

I think that if you can beat another engine while still in the book or play for 20-30+ moves in your book you should be allowed to do so. IMHO, the book is part of the engine, you can't amputate it like you can't restrict the use of the TT for example.

Another problem with this rule is that you just can't enforce it. If one want to use a book move after ply 10 he'll just wait some second and send the book move.

About the 4th point : "Extend allowed disconnection period to 10 minutes", The best thing to do would be to let the clock running while the opponent is disconnected, but I don't think it's possible with the current server software. Maybe someone could modify the server software (is it OSS?) to allow the games to continue while one of the opponent is disconnected.

[garybelton]

the book is part of the engine, you can't amputate it

Good input, but you know that many top opening book authors find the moves that go into these books using a combination of engines other than the engine that is playing with it? (Along with their chess skills). Like in the Sjeng-Hiarcs 50 move game in book, this was forged out of 1000's of Rybka v Rybka hours on the Playches server. So I don't really agree that the book is part of the engine, in actual fact you are playing moves found by other engines from this book.

[garybelton]

Possibly but there might be a lot of less interesting games, computers play the initial moves of a chess game a little unimaginatively in my opinion, you may even get duplicate games.

[Togga]

it is not true.

i made last time many private engines tourneys without openings books and many engines played very good without an opening book at even fast timecontrols.

[Togga]

in such turney like cct you would not get duplicate games, one engine plays only one game against each other.

[garybelton]

I am certainly not against "no book" tournaments, I think it's asking a little too much for an "unlimited book" tournament to go directly to a "no book" event rather than "limited book" but I am not totally against it.

[Togga]

i dont want that specially cct plays without books, i wanted only propose that there could be one other tourney without books.

[mathmoi]

the book is part of the engine, you can't amputate it

Good input, but you know that many top opening book authors find the moves that go into these books using a combination of engines other than the engine that is playing with it? (Along with their chess skills). Like in the Sjeng-Hiarcs 50 move game in book, this was forged out of 1000's of Rybka v Rybka hours on the Playches server. So I don't really agree that the book is part of the engine, in actual fact you are playing moves found by other engines from this book.

Hi Garry,

You've got a point I did not though of. Of course using Rybka vs rybka games to generate a deep book for an engine other than Rybka seems un-legitimate.

What I would not want to see disappear is book created from, let's called them historic games. That is human and engine games that were not played for the sole purpose of creating a opening book. I also think that programmer should still be able to use book learning capabilities, even if this mean that they can beat a particular engine while still in the book.

However I don't know how we could prevent one while still allowing the other.