[computer-go] Monte-Carlo is the future of 19x19

[sylvain.gelly at m4x.org]

Hello,

> I'm not trying to pick a fight.  I was responding to a bunch of people who
> think that really fast random search with a stupid evaluation will crush
> traditional programs next year.

It is not what we said. At least it is not what I meant, and I think it is 
true for the others.

> Monte carlo has a place in go programs, and is a very useful technique, but
> I don’t think it can make a strong program all by itself.

I think there is sometimes a misunderstanding of what Monte-Carlo is. 
Monte-Carlo is a method to approximate an expectation using a finite sample 
of randomly drawn points. No more, no less.
It does not talk about "stupidity", especially it does not specify the 
distribution against which you are computing your expectation.
If the distribution is pro players playing against themselves, MC with 3 
simulations per move and one ply search will crush the best human player by 
far.

Sylvain