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From: dpb@philabs.UUCP (Paul Benjamin)
Newsgroups: net.games.chess
Subject: Re: Perfect Play?
Message-ID: <617@philabs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Mar-86 09:33:11 EST
Article-I.D.: philabs.617
Posted: Tue Mar 11 09:33:11 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Mar-86 04:24:04 EST
References: <2916@sunybcs.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Philips Labs, Briarcliff Manor, NY
Lines: 35

> 
> 	I have the following question, I am interested in what people
> in the net think about it.
> 
> 	It seems that if any strategic game (i.e. chess) is played flawlessly
> by all participants making the best possible moves (assuming the entire game
> tree is available for reference), there is only one possible outcome for
> each type of game; either one player wins or a tie if the game is
> so allowed. Since in reality it is impossible to built an entire game tree
> for all but the most elementary strategic games such as tic tac toe, it is
> impossible to know who is 'supposed' to win in any given type of game.
> Therefore, it seems that the one who wins is the one who makes the fewer
> mistakes during the couse of the game.
> 	Now let's consider a game tree is available for SCORING ONLY for
> the game of chess. Every arc of the tree is assigned a point value denoting
> the quality of the move comparing to other moves branching from a common
> node. That is, the best move following every node carries the point value
> of one, second best two, third best three, etc.. The tree is traversed
> by a pointer. Whenever a player makes a move, the pointer traverses to the
> corresponding node through the corresponding arc. The player than picks
> up the point value of the arc and adds it to his score. So at any given
> moment of the game, the player who has the lower score is making less
> deviation from a perfect play.
> 	The question is:
> 
> 	IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE LOSER OF THE GAME TO ACTUALLY HAVE
> ACQUIRED LOWER SCORE? IN OTHER WORD, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE LOSER TO HAVE
> MADE FEWER DEVIATION FROM A PERFECT PLAY EVEN THOUGH HE LOST THE GAME??

Yes. Since you have scored the moves qualitatively, and not
quantitatively, it is possible for a winner to choose second-best
moves very often, but still have a very good game, and for the loser
to choose the best move on every move but the last, when he chooses
a second-best move. Unfortunately for him, any move but the best move lost
instantly.