Computer Chess Compendium

Transcription

1 Computer Chess Compendium

2 To Alastair and Katherine

3 David Levy, Editor Computer Chess Compendium Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

4 First published 1988 David Levy 1988 Originally published by Springer-Verlag New York, fue. in 1988 Softcover reprint ofthe hardeover Ist edition 1988 Typeset by W. Tumer & Son, Ud Halifax ISBN DOI / Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publieations Data Levy, David N.L. Computer Chess Compendium ISBN (ebook) Bibliography:p. Includes index. 1. Chess--Data proeessing 1. Title. GV U '7 ISBN

5 Contents Preface vii Introduction Programming a Computer for Playing Chess - C. E. Shannon Chess - A. Turing The Chess Machine: An Example of Dealing with a Complex Task by Adaptation - A. Newell 18 2 Famous Chess Programs Chess Playing Programs and the Problem of Complexity (excerpt) - A. Newell, J. C. Shaw and H. A. Simon Computer v Chess Player - A. Bernstein and M. de V. Roberts A Chess Playing Program for the IBM A. Kotok The Greenblatt Chess Program - R. D. Greenblatt, D. E. Eastlake IIIrd and S. D. Crocker The Technology Chess Program - J. 1. Gillogly CHESS The Northwestern University Chess Program - L. Atkin and D. Slate Cray Blitz - Robert A. Hyatt, Albert E. Gower and Harry L. Nelson Position Evaluation Statistics for the Chess Computer and the Factor of Mobility - E. T. O. Slater A Five-Year Plan for Automatic Chess (excerpt) Good Tree Searching Techniques Tree-Searching and Tree-Pruning Techniques- 1. A. Birmingham and P. Kent Some Methods of Controlling the Tree Search in Chess Programs - G. M. Adelson-Velskiy, V. L. Arlazarov and M. V. Donskoy The Heuristic Search and the Game of Chess. A Study of Quiescence, Sacrifices and Plan Oriented Play - L. R. Harris A Theory of Evaluative Comments in Chess with a Note on Minimaxing - D. Michie Analysis The Sequence of Phases - A. D. de Groot Skill in Chess - H. A. Simon and W. G. Chase 175

6 5.3 Decision Making and Computers - M. M. Botvinnik A Chess Mating Combinations Program - G. W. Baylor and H. A. Simon Robot Chess - D. G. Prinz Writing a Chess Program A Computer Chess Tutorial- N. D. Whaland Using Patterns and Plans in Chess - D. Wilkins Mate at a Glance - J. Birmingham and P. Kent Special Purpose Software and Hardware Some Ideas for a Chess Compiler - M. R. B. Clarke Robots - H. Vigneron CHEOPS: A Chess-orientated Processing System - J. Moussouris, J. Holloway and R. D. Greenblatt BELLE: Chess Hardware - J. H. Condon and K. Thompson lbeendgame Co-Ordinate Squares: A Solution to Many Chess Pawn Endgames - K. W. Church Goal-Directed Search in Chess Endgames - H. J. van den Herik Computer Analysis of a Rook End-Game V. L. Arlazarov and A. L. Futer Games Played by Chess Programs Games from the ACM Tournaments Games from the World Computer Championships Blitz Games between Computers and Human Players Simultaneous Games between Computer Programs and Human Players Games Played by Computer Programs in Human Tournaments Miscellaneous Games played by Computer Programs The World Microcomputer Championships 419 Bibliography 421

7 Preface For many years I have been interested in computer chess and have collected almost every learned paper and article on the subject that I could find. My files are now quite large, and a considerable amount of time, effort and expense has been required to build up this collection. I have often thought how difficult it must be for many computer chess enthusiasts to acquire copies of articles that they see referenced in some other work. Unless one has access to a good reference library, the task is almost impossible. I therefore decided to try to make available, in one volume, as many as possible of the most interesting and important articles and papers ever written on the subject. Such a selection is naturally somewhat subjective, and I hope that I will not offend authors whose works have been excluded. In particular I have decided to exclude any material which has appeared in the Journal of the International Computer Chess Association (ICCA), or in its precursor, the ICCA Newsletter. The reason is simply that the ICCA itself is in the process of compiling a compendium containing the most important material published in those sources. For further information on ICCA membership and publications the reader is invited to contact: Professor H. 1. van den Herik, University of Limburg, Department of Computer Science 6200 MD Maastricht Netherlands or Dr Jonathan Schaeffer Computing Science Dcpaitment, University of Alberta, Edmonton Alberta, Canada T6G 2HI. In compiling a volume of this nature, the editor must naturally seek permission from the copyright owners of the original publications. In every case the permission that I requested was granted, and I have acknowledged the source and the copyright owner on the first page of each article. In general I have been as faithful to the original as the typesetters and proof-readers would permit, but in the interest of consistency I have adopted a uniform policy in two areas. Firstly, instead of retaining the bibliographies that appeared at the end of many of the papers in this collection, I have ensured that each and every one of the references contained in those bibliographies has been included in the bibliography at the end of this volume. This saves space and allowed me to make the style of reference uniform throughout the book. Secondly, where games or fragments of games appeared in descriptive notation in the original, I have translated them into algebraic. Chess programs employ algebraic notation for move entry and display, and most of my readers will be more familiar with the algebraic form than descriptive. For anyone who has never come across algebraic notation before, it is sufficient to know that the square in White's bottom left-hand corner is ai, his bottom right hand corner is hi, his top left hand corner is a8 and the remaining corner h8. A chess move in algebraic notation may appear as: ~dl-h5 (naming the piece, the "from" square and the "to" square), or merely ~h5. In pawn moves the pawn's symbol is often omitted. Checks are indicated by +, and the rest is easy. In a book of this size some typographical errors are inevitable, and I will always be pleased to hear, via the publishers, of any mistakes discovered by the reader. At the start of each chapter I have written a brief introduction. Apart from these meagre contributions, the credit for this volume goes to the original authors. Their work has been the inspiration of chess programmers everywhere, and anyone who is interested in the subject ought to find most, if not all of the material in this book, absorbing and valuable. David Levy London, September 1988

8 "Chess is the intellectual game par excellence. Without a chance device to obscure the contest it pits two intellects against each other in a situation so complex that neither can hope to understand it completely, but sufficiently amenable to analysis that each can hope to out-think his opponent. The game is sufficiently deep and subtle in its implications to have supported the rise of professional players, and to have allowed a deepening analysis through 200 years of intensive study and play without becoming exhausted or barren. Such characteristics mark chess as a natural arena for attempts at mechanization. If one could devise a successful chess machine, one would seem to have penetrated to the core of human intellectual endeavour." A. Newell, 1. C. Shaw and H. A. Simon