From: Larry Kaufman comcast net> Date: 16 mar 2007 Subject: Re: Bonanza vs Ryu-O Champion It seems strange to me too. Bonanza is roughly on a par with top level amateur players, but such players would probably only have a 5% chance at best against a pro titleholder. So unless Bonanza has been improved greatly, it's just a publicity stunt. Incidentally, Bonanza is considered to be on a par with Amateur 6 Dan players, not Pro 6 Dan players, so it's even more unreasonable than your question implies. By the way, the final score of the Rybka-Ehlvest pawn handicap chess match was 5.5-2.5 for Rybka (giving a pawn). Larry Kaufman ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mark Schreiber" hotmail com> To: topica com> Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 12:56 PM Subject: Bonanza vs Ryu-O Champion > > Talking about handicap systems to level the playing field. If > Bonanza is maybe a 6 dan why is it playing a 9 dan? 9 dan Ryu-O Champion > Watanabe said, "I don't think I'll lose". Then he said, "A loss can > never be permitted". Does anyone have any doubt what will be the result? > Bonanza will be slaughter. Can we learn anything from this? I like to > see more computer vs man matches. But make them balanced. Shouldn't > Bonanza be playing a 6 or maybe 7 dan? > Mark > > Larry Kaufman wrote: >> By a curious twist of fate, just as computer shogi programs are >> reaching >> the level where they can compete with pros without a handicap (as >> planned for Bonanza shortly), in chess the opposite has just >> occurred. A >> match is now taking place in which computer chess program "Rybka" is >> giving a pawn handicap to a renowned grandmaster (Jaan Ehlvest) in >> an >> eight game match, and the computer is leading 3-0! >> You can either take this as evidence of the superiority of shogi >> over >> chess, or as a forecast of things to come in shogi. I think it's not >> so >> many years away that a shogi program will spot the Meijin a lance >> and >> defeat him. Few could have imagined this would happen in chess, but >> it >> has, and shogi will be next. >> >> Larry Kaufman, chess International Master and Shogi amateur 5 Dan. > > > > --^---------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: shogi-l shogi net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a2i6Ys.aB5TiY.c2hvZ2kt Or send an email to: shogi-unsubscribe topica com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER --^----------------------------------------------------------------