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Aberg variation of Capablanca's Chess. Different setup and castling rules. (10x8, Cells: 80) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

H.G.Muller wrote on Thu, Apr 24, 2008 08:11 PM UTC:

Reinhard,

Apparently my point is not yet clear. My conclusion on piece values has
nothing to do with the fact that Joker80 ends consistently above Smirf in
10x8 Chess tourneys, and that Joker values pieces in one way, and Smirf
values them in another. This indeed is not proof for anything.

The result is 100% based on the fact that if I let engines play positions
with material imbalance, certain combinations of pieces systematically
beat other combinations, if the players are equally strong (e.g. because
they are identical). This is independent of the engine used, provided it
is not completely silly. No matter how you PROGRAMMED Smirf to value the
Archbishop, you cannot prevent that Smirf that plays a complex position
with where it has A will systematically beat the Smirf that has B+N+P in
stead. Because A is much stronger than B+N+P, and Smirf's search will
discover that, because it can use the A to gobble up Pawns which the B+N
will not be able to defend. And even if it could trade the A for B+N, and
wuld think it is an equal trade, it will most of the time prefer to win a
Pawn. And by the time it has captured the Pawn, the win of the other Pawn
will be within the horizon, and then another. And when the opponent is out
of Pawns, its own passers will get the promotion within the horizon. Most
of the time you will not be able to fool the search by giving it faulty
piece values.