[computer-go] Re: Interesting problem

[Mark Boon]

On 4-jan-07, at 18:53, David Doshay wrote:

>  I see it as perfectly fair that the bot with
> the better ability to read, and thus knows it can pass, should be
> rewarded for that reading skill.

I think you are mistaken for the real reason of the 'second phase',  
where he who passes has to pay a point. This 'second phase' only  
comes into effect after both sides have passed. It's to solve  
disputes in a fair manner. Since capturing dead stones would cost  
points, how do you resolve a dispute where your opponent claims his  
stones are not dead? (Think bent-four corner.)The actual proof  
consists of playing out the sequence that captures the stones. Every  
time your opponent passes and you continue playing moves to capture  
the stones you'd lose a point. That's why passing has to be  
compensated by paying a point. It's not about Go playing skills that  
should be rewarded but about being able to resolve disputes fairly.

In the case at hand this phase is abused by a player who doesn't  
contest the status of stones but instead contests the result of the  
game when it would be counted according to Japanese rules. Personally  
I think programming your bot to play inside opponents territory when  
you obviously know it won't affect the outcome under normal  
circumstances is showing poor mentality. You'd be wasting my time and/ 
or computing time. Using the rules used as an argument doesn't hold  
for me. How would you feel if your opponent played out possible all  
ko-threats at the end of the game? This is possible without  
punishment under any set of rules.

In my opinion, the fact that we humans feel bad doing something like  
that should be enough to at least make an effort to make your program  
avoid such behaviour too. Unfortunately it seems rather frequent that  
the opposite is true and that some put effort into explicitly  
programming such bad behaviour. Personally I htink it's a waste of  
time. It may win you a game occasionally but it won't make your  
program play any better.

Mark

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