After 200 games the two versions finished with about equal score after a winning streak from v0.31 in the end.
I have a 'gut feeling' the v0.32 is be better, I can not see how it would not be. However at this point I am not looking for differences that take thousands of games to determine.
Mediocre is not nearly good enough to start chasing 1-2 elo points here and there, I want atleast 50-70 points (about 60% won games) before I am satisfied.
I think I will leave futility pruning and the evaluation as it is for a while and start looking at how extensions are handled. Currently Mediocre has only a very crude check extension, so I will take a look at extensions for mate threat (if null move returns a mate value the branch is searched more carefully), recapture, single-response and something regarding passed pawns.
I will need a new way of handling the extensions and probably make use of fractional plies for some of them. And while doing this I will take care of the repeated work Mediocre currently is doing for determining if a position is in check (it is done in the check extension, late move reduction and futility pruning, this should only be done once).
Off I go. :)
Follow the process of creating a chess engine
Yep there's also more work to do on a chess engine! :-) Do not underestimate evaluation though, you're more likely to get 70 elo from improving the evaluation than from adding extensions!
ReplyDeleteEvaluation is important, and there are certainly many elo-points to be gained there.
ReplyDeleteI have however noticed that Mediocre is superior to most engines searching approximately to the same depths as it. This should indicate that the current evaluation is fairly good.
I have also observed that most engines that search 1-3 ply deeper in the middle game, actually is out-searched by mediocre in the end game. I wonder why?
I have also noticed that most games lost by mediocre is lost in the midle game in positions where it is out-searched and fail to see some long combinations. I think getting a few more plys in the middle game would increase mediocre's strength _a_lot_. This is of course easier said than done :)
I have also observed that most engines that search 1-3 ply deeper in the middle game, actually is out-searched by mediocre in the end game. I wonder why?
ReplyDeleteMaybe they extend too much! :-)