[computer-go] .. if Monte-Carlo programs would play infinitestrong

[Heikki Levanto]

On Mon, Nov 27, 2006 at 12:59:30PM -0500, Don Dailey wrote:
> A good point to consider - is "God" actively trying to confuse his
> opponent and complicate things, or is he simply playing objectively best
> moves?
> 

I have heard this terminology somewhere, but can't remember where:

A "god" plays perfectly, without trying to confuse the opponent,
assuming the opponent will play perfectly too, and the game flowing
naturally to its logical conclusion.

A "devil" plays nearly perfectly, but will put up traps for an unwary
opponent, play to complicate things when it is in his advantage to do
so.

Thus a "devil" is more likely to win over human opponents, even from too
large handicaps. But a "god" will win over the "devil", as he will not
fall in any of the traps, but can use the suboptimal play spent in
setting those up.

-H


-- 
Heikki Levanto   "In Murphy We Turst"     heikki (at) lsd (dot) dk