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From: derek@uwvax.UUCP (Derek Zahn)
Newsgroups: net.games.chess
Subject: Re: Computer Chess
Message-ID: <504@uwvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 11-Jan-86 20:43:08 EST
Article-I.D.: uwvax.504
Posted: Sat Jan 11 20:43:08 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 13-Jan-86 01:10:33 EST
References: <496@uwvax.UUCP> <3229@hplabsb.UUCP>
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 53

> If a tournament is "open", then it's open to any player.  If you
> want to have "human only" tournaments, then OK.  If the object of
> an open tournament is to find the strongest player, then so what if
> the winner is human, machine, or martian.

I don't think that the object of a tournament is to find the strongest
player.  That seems a pretty narrow view.  
  
> > ... Tournaments and competitions are for humans vs humans.
> 
> Says who?

Obviously, this is a matter of opinion.  In the open tournament I referred
to, a surprisingly large number of people went out of their way to request
NOT to be paired with a computer.  The TD will not allow computers next
year for this reason.

> > If computers started taking top prizes in
> > our tournaments, I think it would delete greatly from the 
> > excitement of tournament play.
> 
> I think it would be just the opposite.

Really?  I have a hard time believing that the average (read: non-computer-
science-nut) tournament player would be thrilled by the spectacle of 
somebody's machine taking top-prize from Masters struggling to make a
living (or at least part of one) from chess.

> Today, we see evidence that someday a machine may possibly be the world
> champion.  This is a significant breakthrough in AI!!  For a long time,
> chess was believed to be an intellectual activity that was beyond the
> ability of a machine.  I'm happy and proud that Hans has been part of
> this; he is finally realizing his dream.

I realize the marvelous progress that Hans+Co. have made in the field of
AI, and as a computer scientist, can appreciate the accomplishment and
all of the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into it so far.  There
is plenty of which to be proud.

However, I doubt that a machine will ever "be the world champion".  It may
BEAT the world champion, but will never be it.  The idea is ludicrous, just
as computers being world bridge, checkers, etc champions is silly, even though
there must be computers that could kick the stuffing out of humans in
these games.

I guess that there is really nothing to worry about, though.  As soon as
computers get better than the world champion, they will most likely be
banned from most tournaments.  Until then, it will be fun to watch the
progress, and I will not play a computer willingly at a tournament; if
I want to get creamed by a machine, I have one in my living room on
24-hour call.

derek