I don't think I'm violating my terms of use by quoting only part of
the article, so here are the concluding paragraphs, after spending
over half the article explaining that computer go is difficult:
In the past two decades researchers have explored several alternative
strategies, from neural networks to general rules based on advice
from expert players, with indifferent results. Now, however,
programmers are making impressive gains with a technique known as the
Monte Carlo method. This form of statistical sampling is hardly new:
it was originally developed in the Manhattan project to build the
first nuclear bombs in the 1940s. But it is proving effective. Given
a position, a program using a Monte Carlo algorithm contemplates
every move and plays a large number of random games to see what
happens. If it wins in 80% of those games, the move is probably good.
Otherwise, it keeps looking.
This may sound like a lot of effort but generating random games is
the sort of thing computers excel at. In fact, Monte Carlo techniques
are much faster than brute force. Moreover, two Hungarian computer
scientists have recently added an elegant twist that allows the
algorithm to focus on the most promising moves without sacrificing
speed.
The result is a new generation of fast programs that play
particularly well on small versions of the Go board. In the past few
months Monte Carlo-based programs have dominated computer tournaments
on nine- and 13-line grids. MoGo, a program developed by researchers
from the University of Paris, has even beaten a couple of strong
human players on the smaller of these boards—unthinkable a year ago.
It is ranked 2,323rd in the world and in Europe's top 300. Although
MoGo is still some way from competing on the full-size Go grid,
humanity may ultimately have to accept defeat on yet another front.
Best regards,
Erik
On Jan 29, 2007, at 12:30 PM, Nick Wedd wrote:
I believe that there is an article on computer Go in the current
(January 27th) issue of The Economist. I haven't actually seen it,
I shall go out and buy a copy tomorrow.
If you have an online subscription you can, I suppose, read it at
http://www.economist.com/search/search.cfm?
rv=2&qr=Mogo&area=1&x=11&y=5
If like me you haven't, that URL will allow you to read part of the
first sentence.
Nick
--
Nick Wedd [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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