Path Length to ELO

[mhull]

Path length here would be the notional number of machine instructions required to play at a particular level of chess.

The more specific question:
Has the path length been shortened or lengthened in the last 30 years to be able to play at a particular level?

Expert
Master
Senior Master/NM
IM
GM
WC
WC+

Of course, 30 years ago the top chess projects would have done well to reach a NM norm.

Facts? Tests? Opinions?

[mhull]

Example:

If we think the path length has been shortened to play at 2200 in the last 30 years, then in principle we could perhaps reprogram a dedicated chess computer from late 1980s to improve its play from ~2000 to ~2200.

[bob]

Path length here would be the notional number of machine instructions required to play at a particular level of chess.

The more specific question:
Has the path length been shortened or lengthened in the last 30 years to be able to play at a particular level?

Expert
Master
Senior Master/NM
IM
GM
WC
WC+


Of course, 30 years ago the top chess projects would have done well to reach a NM norm.

Facts? Tests? Opinions?

Speaking for myself, the path length is much shorter today. In 1977 I played in the 2nd WCC with the last selective version of my program, which was well over 100,000 lines of code. So from that perspective, it is shorter. Probably the evaluations are a bit longer, but that is only a fraction of the total search path length.