Newsgroups: comp.ai
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From: sje@mv.mv.com (Steven J. Edwards)
Subject: Re: Question about Chess Programs
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Date: Sat, 4 Feb 1995 13:25:03 GMT
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jhutfles@esu3.esu3.k12.ne.us (jay w hutfles) writes:

>I'm an AI outsider, but am interrested by it and want to learn more.  I'd 
>really enjoy learning more about the "game" systems, for a lack of proper 
>terminology, that are taught to defeat great chess or checker players.  
>My question is, are the rules of the games hard-wired into the 
>machines/computers, or are they mainly "taught" how to play the game?  
>Would it be more productive one way or the other?  

>Any help, or any books on the subject, would be greatly appreciated.

A good starting point would be _How Computers Play Chess_ by David
Levy and Monty Newborn, Computer Science Press 1991 (paperback, ISBN
0-7167-8121-2).

There are a few machines with chess knowledge built into the
circuitry, but none of these have yet been offered commercially.  All
of the store-bought chessplaying machines and programs use general
microprocessors just like any other program.

The programs are not "taught"; few, if any, would claim a general
learning ability.  Instead, they are "told" how to move the pieces,
how to evaluate a position, and how to generate and search a game tree
of possible future positions.

-- Steven (sje@mv.mv.com)

