Doctor module for Fritz/Chessbase?

MLK and RJP

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Dec 7, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/7/97

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Does anyone have this module? Can they comment on it's strength or playing
style?

I'm actually looking for something that plays with a human-like style, and is
not as strong as any of the Fritz engines.

Thanks,
--
Robert Pawlak and
Michelle Kienholz
Chess widower's home page at:
http://members.aol.com/rjpawlak/ch_widow.html

pulgao

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Dec 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/8/97

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tree...@crosslink.net (MLK and RJP) wrote:

>Does anyone have this module? Can they comment on it's strength or playing
>style?
>
>I'm actually looking for something that plays with a human-like style, and is
>not as strong as any of the Fritz engines.

I'm not sure you'd call it human-like, but it plays in an interesting
style, different from Fritz and Hiarcs. It's pretty aggressive,
analyzes like lightning (I suspect by a *drastic* pruning of the
search tree), and is a tougher opponent than I was lead to believe by
Matthias & company.

I don't think it's as strong as Fritz or Hiarcs, but it's no pushover
either. I have a bit of trouble with it, but I suspect that's mostly
due to my own personal quirks as a player.

-- Steve Lopez

http://www.chessbaseusa.com/NY1924/ny1924.htm
http://www.chessbaseusa.com/TNOTES/etn.htm
http://www.smartchess.com/SmartChessOnline/default.htm

Dyslexia is a bicht

Ingo Althoefer

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Dec 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/8/97

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Steve Lopez wrote:
>tree...@crosslink.net (MLK and RJP) wrote:
>>Does anyone have this module? Can they comment on it's strength or playing
>>style?
>>

>>I'm actually looking for something that plays with a human-like style,and is

>>not as strong as any of the Fritz engines.

The different versions of Doctor are written by Hans-Joachim Kraas and Guenter
Schruefer ( who, by the way, also programmed Bobby which beat "Cray Blitz" in
the 1986 World Computer Chess Championship in Cologne ). Doctor was the
first commercial chess program with a k-best mode.

I use it intensively in my 3-Hirn experiments. In the match against GM Yusupov
it proposed several interesting moves in the openings ( of the Shuffle Chess
games ). Especially it has a better understanding than the other programs
on what to do with a king that is still in the center but can not castle.
( To be precise: The version I used against Yusupov was a new Doctor2.5
which has not been made commercial yet. )

>I'm not sure you'd call it human-like, but it plays in an interesting
>style, different from Fritz and Hiarcs.

It is an extreme point in the landscape of all chess programs.
Its strengths are mainly in strategy, and also in endgames with unusual
pawn structures.

>It's pretty aggressive,

>analyzes like lightning (I suspect by a *drastic* pruning of the search tree)

Maybe you interpret the depth counter wrongly. Doctor increases the search
depth by 1/3-ply always. So when it shows "depth 18" this means 6 plys ( +
lots of extensions ) in reality.

For 3-Hirn these 1/3-deepenings are good, because you see new variations more
often than in programs which iterate by steps of 1-ply.

>and is a tougher opponent than I was lead to believe by Matthias & company.

It is tough.

>I don't think it's as strong as Fritz or Hiarcs, but it's no pushover
>either. I have a bit of trouble with it, but I suspect that's mostly
>due to my own personal quirks as a player. -- Steve Lopez

Ingo Althoefer.

Amir Ban

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Dec 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/8/97

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Ingo Althoefer wrote:
>

> The different versions of Doctor are written by Hans-Joachim Kraas and Guenter
> Schruefer ( who, by the way, also programmed Bobby which beat "Cray Blitz" in
> the 1986 World Computer Chess Championship in Cologne ). Doctor was the
> first commercial chess program with a k-best mode.

Damn ! So many people said that Doctor is an earlier version of Junior
that I started to believe it myself.

Amir

mclane

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Dec 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/8/97

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Amir Ban <ami...@m-sys.com> wrote:

>Damn ! So many people said that Doctor is an earlier version of Junior
>that I started to believe it myself.

>Amir

!!! :-)

We knew it better. Altough I found it quite amusing to let this
misinformation circel a few more months and to watch how you will
react ! :-)

pulgao

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Dec 8, 1997, 3:00:00 AM12/8/97

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alth...@mipool.uni-jena.de (Ingo Althoefer) wrote:

>Maybe you interpret the depth counter wrongly. Doctor increases the search
>depth by 1/3-ply always. So when it shows "depth 18" this means 6 plys ( +
>lots of extensions ) in reality.
>
>For 3-Hirn these 1/3-deepenings are good, because you see new variations more
>often than in programs which iterate by steps of 1-ply.

Thanks! I didn't know this!