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From: robinson@elux1.cs.umass.edu (Richard Robinson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Othello
Message-ID: <30395@dime.cs.umass.edu>
Date: 10 May 91 16:55:18 GMT
References: <8993.28273AF2@wolf.sublink.org>
Sender: news@dime.cs.umass.edu
Reply-To: robinson@elux1.CS.UMASS.EDU (Richard Robinson)
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
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In article <8993.28273AF2@wolf.sublink.org> Rino.Sassi@wolf.sublink.org (Rino Sassi) writes:
>I'm developing (in Turbo C) an OTHELLO (TM) program.
>
>Current  version  at level 4 (abt 30 mins per player, on a Compaq 386s) has 
>the following features:
>
>- looks forward 4 moves;          

You should be able to search a lot farther than that. You should allocate
a certain amount of time per move, then use an iterative alpha-beta
routine to look as far as time allows.

>- calculates the last 10 moves.
>
>I'm  using  a simple alfa-beta algorithm with a complex evaluating function 
>(similar  to  IAGO).  It wins regularly OthelloKiller (Commodore Amiga) and
>
>Windows/othello  (ibm) at similar levels.  I would appreciate ANY help from 
>you  in  order  to  increase its strenght.  In particular I'm interested in 
>alfa-beta  algorithms  (killer  cut,  time  limited  moves, ...  ), special 
>evaluating  functions  (about X squares, borders, ...  ), literature, books 
>(titles),  other PD or SHAREWARE Othello programs, and tournament dates and 
>sites (possibly in Europe).

Killers are easy - Every time you get a cutoff, save the move that caused
the cutoff in an array indexed by the current ply. Change your alpha-beta
routine to first search the killer if it is legal in the position. viola.

As for a great article, I suggest you read the paper on BILL 3.0. You
can find it in a recent issue of Artificial Intelligence. (Sorry, don't
know the number off hand.

-Dread
--
robinson@elux1.cs.umass.edu