[computer-go] Hello / Pondering

[Joel Veness]

Hi Chris,

> Yes, I understand that deciding on zero seconds is an option.  But
> consider the following situation:  Your engine makes a move very
> quickly (perhaps it is a statically-recognized, large-group-saving
> move or maybe your time management code demanded a fast move).  Now
> suppose your opponent thinks about it's move for a much longer time.
> If your engine uses option A (with zero additional seconds), then you
> are now pondering for a long time on a subtree that is probably
> meaningless because your hastily guessed opponent response was not
> based on sufficient exploration of that subtree.  If you had chosen
> option B, then you are using that large chunk of time to fairly ponder
> on the entire tree.  It just seems right.  But on the other hand, it's
> tough to argue against Don's empirical results.  Like he said, it
> doesn't hurt to try both in your engine -- it just takes time, like
> everything else.

Good point.

Yes, I am aware of this issue from my days in computer chess. I added
code to move instantly when there was only one legal move available,
but then noticed the problem you describe (which I fixed by adding a
small minimum think time - sufficient for chess since predicting
opponent moves is much easier).

Joel