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From: hemphill@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Thomas S. Hemphill)
Newsgroups: net.games.chess
Subject: Re: Perfect Play?
Message-ID: <264@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: Sat, 15-Mar-86 16:41:56 EST
Article-I.D.: cit-vax.264
Posted: Sat Mar 15 16:41:56 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Mar-86 04:16:47 EST
References: <2916@sunybcs.UUCP>
Reply-To: hemphill@cit-vax.UUCP (Thomas Scott Hemphill)
Distribution: net
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 28

Organization : California Institute of Technology
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In article <2916@sunybcs.UUCP> ugfailau@sunybcs.UUCP (Fai Lau) writes:
>
>Therefore, it seems that the one who wins is the one who makes the fewer
>mistakes during the couse of the game.

To get right to the heart of the matter, this assertion is not correct.
The loser is the person who made the last mistake.  The winner is his
opponent.

As others have pointed out, the loser can have a better (i.e. lower) total 
"point score" (one for best move, two for next best, etc.) than the winner.
This should not be surprising, since one bad move, even the "second best"
could lose for a player who had outplayed his opponent for the rest of the
game.  But there is another way of assigning point totals that *does* work.

0pts -- assigned to all moves that keep a won game won or a drawn game drawn.
        Also assigned to all moves in a lost position.

1pt  -- assigned to a poor move that causes a won game to become theoretically
        drawn, or a drawn game to become lost.

2pts -- assigned to a blunder that causes a won game to become lost.

One other detail--is chess a theoretical win for white?  If so, then you need
to give one point to black just for being black.