[computer-go] 9x9 games wanted and the next big challenge

[David Doshay]

On 8, Jul 2007, at 2:51 AM, chrilly wrote:

> If it would be really a big challenge, there would be some money.

According to Herodotus "The Histories" right after king Xerxes of  
Persia lost 20,000 men at Thermopylae fighting 300 Spartans and a  
collection of less than 100 others, a few Arcadian deserters informed  
Xerxes that the Greeks were celebrating the Olympic festival. When  
asked what the prize was for which the men contended, they mentioned  
the wreaths of olive leaves. Tritantaechmes, upon hearing that the  
prize was not a large sum of money, cried out "Good heavens, what  
kind of men have you brought us to fight against - men who compete  
with one another for no material reward, but only for honour!"

About 20 years ago I asked another physics student who was known as a  
good programmer to join me in an attempt to win the Ing prize. His  
answer was "If we are good enough to win the Ing then we can make far  
more than a million in less time just working in Silicon Valley." He  
was right.

If it were easy it would have been done by now. It is NOT easy, and  
thus it IS a really big challenge.

Cheers,
David