Chess will never be solved, here's why

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MARattigan
btickler wrote:

I know that K+R vs. K is won, vs. any engine, and I will happily demonstrate it. 

 

I'll watch.  (With which colour are you going to win?)

Typewriter44
Optimissed wrote:
Kotshmot wrote:
btickler wrote:
Optimissed wrote:


Of course I know that Ba6 is won for black. Maybe it's too late to tell you not to be ridiculous. Also, Elroch explained that he had made a simple mistake. Stop behaving like a kid and going on and on about it. Your reading comprehension is currently about zero. You're cracking up and I do mean that.

You're not even talking about the same incident, which is par for your course.  If you know that Ba6 is won for black, then you can beat Stockfish from that position, on command.  Go ahead and demonstrate, without using an engine.  You can do it on live chess.

I know that K+R vs. K is won, vs. any engine, and I will happily demonstrate it.  If you are claiming to know, 100%, then you are claiming the same level of confidence.  You would think after a decade of watching Ponz get pounded for his 99.9999% that you might have learned something about making hyperbolic assertions...but alas, no.

Even if chess was solved and we knew a certain position is winning, more often than not we still wouldnt be able to beat stockfish from there. I'm not sure what this conversation is supposed to prove


It does prove that, when faced with a chess position which is obviously, clearly and definitely lost for one side, btickler can't tell it's lost. Fair enough, because he's a weak player but next, he tells others that they can't tell it's definitely lost either.

So if Carlsen, Fischer, Kasparov and Capablanca were lined up and agreeing that it's won for black, he'd be telling them that they can't know that. I wonder who has to give him permission, before he can agree that it's won.

I think you're missing the point. As far as I know, nobody is arguing that they believe 2. Ba6 is good for white. However, they are merely pointing out that there is no proof that 2. Ba6 is won for black. It probably is, but that doesn't mean it certainly is. Even if you're 100% sure of something, that doesn't make the probability of it being true 100%.

Elroch
Optimissed wrote:

No, it's you who makes the assumption. I'm certain about the chess example given.

Of course. I understand that you are certain, and that your inappropriate certainty is a result of not understanding the difference between something that is deduced to be true and something that is believed to be true entirely by inductive reasoning.

No other has been mentioned.

For someone who does not already possess adequate intuition about quantifying uncertainty, it is necessary to explain it in this way. For example, someone owns a ticket in a 1 in a trillion lottery (each ticket is a random number from 0 to 999,999,999,999 and so is the winning number) and they express certainty they will not win. You explain to them that if that were correct, they should also be certain of not winning if they possessed a quadrillion randomly numbered tickets. But if they did, they would be almost sure of winning, proving their certainty wrong.

 

newbie4711

I wonder how does the algorithm filter the moves? Just because 2.Ba6 is a piece sacrifice? There are lots of piece sacrifices that are unclear or even win the game.

Typewriter44
Optimissed wrote:

The position is either a win, draw or a loss. In this case, it's a win for black. Probability isn't involved. How can it be, except for someone who believes that the win is down to chance?

Yes, the position is either a win, a draw, or a loss. But until every line has been calculated, there is no way to prove that it is a win for black. I believe it's a win for black, I'm almost certain of it. But there are many positions where a player is down a bishop but the position is a win or a draw. It's possible, no matter how unlikely, that white has a line that gets to one of those win/draw positions by force, even after 2. Ba6. And it will remain possible until someone, or something goes through every possible variation of 2. Ba6.

 

lfPatriotGames
Typewriter44 wrote:
Optimissed wrote:

The position is either a win, draw or a loss. In this case, it's a win for black. Probability isn't involved. How can it be, except for someone who believes that the win is down to chance?

Yes, the position is either a win, a draw, or a loss. But until every line has been calculated, there is no way to prove that it is a win for black. I believe it's a win for black, I'm almost certain of it. But there are many positions where a player is down a bishop but the position is a win or a draw. It's possible, no matter how unlikely, that white has a line that gets to one of those win/draw positions by force, even after 2. Ba6. And it will remain possible until someone, or something goes through every possible variation of 2. Ba6.

 

That seems pretty obvious. There are sacrifices in chess that often lead to winning. So it's also possible there is a very deep sacrifice (that no computer has even come close to discovering) somewhere in the opening or middle game. Which leads to a forced win, from the opening position. For either black or white. 

lfPatriotGames
Optimissed wrote:

I think opening the door of an aeroplane at 20,000 feet and jumping out would be a good test. After all, there's no proof that you'll die. Go for it .... you could learn from it.

D.B. Cooper jumped from 10,000 feet. He's sort of a local legend. So from 20,000 feet you'd have the advantage of about twice as long to decide your next move. 

lfPatriotGames
Optimissed wrote:
lfPatriotGames wrote:
Typewriter44 wrote:
Optimissed wrote:

The position is either a win, draw or a loss. In this case, it's a win for black. Probability isn't involved. How can it be, except for someone who believes that the win is down to chance?

Yes, the position is either a win, a draw, or a loss. But until every line has been calculated, there is no way to prove that it is a win for black. I believe it's a win for black, I'm almost certain of it. But there are many positions where a player is down a bishop but the position is a win or a draw. It's possible, no matter how unlikely, that white has a line that gets to one of those win/draw positions by force, even after 2. Ba6. And it will remain possible until someone, or something goes through every possible variation of 2. Ba6.

 

That seems pretty obvious. There are sacrifices in chess that often lead to winning. So it's also possible there is a very deep sacrifice (that no computer has even come close to discovering) somewhere in the opening or middle game. Which leads to a forced win, from the opening position. For either black or white. 



For someone who pretends she believes that chess is a forced win for white, everything is obvious if it's contrary.

I was just agreeing that it's obvious it's a win, loss, or draw. And also obvious that it's possible that what currently is believed to be a loss could in fact be a draw or win. Over time the ability to assess chess positions gets better, so opinions change. 

MARattigan
MARattigan wrote:
btickler wrote:

I know that K+R vs. K is won, vs. any engine, and I will happily demonstrate it. 

 

I'll watch.  (With which colour are you going to win?)

If you didn't like that example, the fact is that White cannot necessarily force mate in KRK even from White to play positions (which rules out stalemates and hanging rooks); in fact from the majority of White to play positions.

Here is another you might like to try. See if you can force mate from the final position (shown) against the computer.

 

Typewriter44
Optimissed wrote:

In that case, the kind of proof demanded is incorrect, if it cannot possibly be given.

But it can be given (whether hypothetically or when the technology is developed in the future), because there are a finite number of possible positions after 2. Ba6. I'm not sure where you stand in the original "Will chess ever be solved?" question, or even if you've been involved in that discussion at all, but the very question of whether or not it is possible to analyze every position (from the starting position or after Ba6) is the entire point of this thread.

Typewriter44
Optimissed wrote:
Typewriter44 wrote:
Optimissed wrote:

In that case, the kind of proof demanded is incorrect, if it cannot possibly be given.

But it can be given (whether hypothetically or when the technology is developed in the future), because there are a finite number of possible positions after 2. Ba6. I'm not sure where you stand in the original "Will chess ever be solved?" question, or even if you've been involved in that discussion at all, but the very question of whether or not it is possible to analyze every position (from the starting position or after Ba6) is the entire point of this thread.


Even with meaningful games, the number of move permutations is effectively infinite, in that there may not be enough time in this galaxy to do it, given present technology.

Interesting, I appreciate you explaining your perspective, so thank you for that happy.png

 

I suppose it really boils down to how far technology develops. There was a time where the current level of engines was believed to be impossible. 

tygxc

@4222
"whether hypothetically or when the technology is developed in the future"
++ Present technology can weakly solve chess in 5 years now

"there are a finite number of possible positions after 2. Ba6." ++I showed it is a forced checkmate in 82. There is a finite number of possible positions in the initial position as well.

"Will chess ever be solved?" ++ Chess can be weakly solved in 5 years, but if it will depends on money to hire the assistants and rent the computers.

"whether or not it is possible to analyze every position" ++ The point is that not every position needs analysis, some positions like 1 e4 e5 2 Ba6 can be dismissed immediately

tygxc

@4208

"There are lots of piece sacrifices that are unclear or even win the game."
++ That is right, but 1 e4 e5 2 Ba6 is no such case.
In game theory unclear does not exist: it is either a draw, a win, or a loss.
Per Capablanca any material advantage no matter how small is enough to win the game,
when all other factors are equal.
In this case black is up a bishop, a considerable material advantage.
All other factors are equal.
So that position is a loss for white.
I even proved above it is a forced checkmate in 82.
So weakly solving chess does not need to burn engine time on 1 e4 e5 2 Ba6.

lfPatriotGames
Optimissed wrote:
lfPatriotGames wrote:
Optimissed wrote:

I think opening the door of an aeroplane at 20,000 feet and jumping out would be a good test. After all, there's no proof that you'll die. Go for it .... you could learn from it.

D.B. Cooper jumped from 10,000 feet. He's sort of a local legend. So from 20,000 feet you'd have the advantage of about twice as long to decide your next move. 


Did he live?

I'll say yes. 

MARattigan

Felix Baumgartner jumped from 127,852 feet, but that was a balloon.

I've beaten D.B. Cooper by a couple of thousand feet several times. Opinions differ on the question of whether I'm alive.

DiogenesDue
Optimissed wrote:

googolplex.

Where's the diatribe about what a stupid term googol is? wink.png

You don't like "weak solution", but you are fine with googolplex...

DiogenesDue
Optimissed wrote:

These people, talking about "proof", miss the point because they're only interested in deductive proof and if the premises don't exist, then a syllogism is impossible. So, instead of becoming nihilists, which is what they're doing, they need to calm down a bit and, in particular, they should desist from telling other people how to think.

...he said, telling other people how to think.

DiogenesDue
Optimissed wrote:

Can't you, sort of, pretend you know what's going on in a way that makes you look like you have at least some intelligence? You tell me off and say that I can't criticise you without resorting to insults but when you are as confused and generally childish and repetitive as you are, it isn't possible to find anything worth answering. You're just so completely obsessive and you pretend that things you say make sense and are even intelligent. Honestly, you are not worth even trying to answer because you will just find something else completely foolish to say. You're a troll, btickler. You always start your bouts of trolling in the hope that someone will insult you, so you can feel superior.

If that were true (it's isn't), it would beg the question...why do you then deliver?  Some type of aberration on your part?  Can't wait to hear your usual noble self-aggrandizing spin on this..."I'm doing you a favor, blah blah blah...".

DiogenesDue
tygxc wrote:

@4200
I hope you are still alive when Chess is solved with around 10^17 positions.

You have that hope because I actually hold a position with risk.  Your "well, it won't work until this exact set of events happen to my specifications, but don't ask me to pay for it..." position is carefully crafted to allow you to retreat from failure forever.

This is how crackpots protect their egos.  In twenty years time you'll still be here spouting the same garbage.

DiogenesDue
Kotshmot wrote:
btickler wrote:
Optimissed wrote:


Of course I know that Ba6 is won for black. Maybe it's too late to tell you not to be ridiculous. Also, Elroch explained that he had made a simple mistake. Stop behaving like a kid and going on and on about it. Your reading comprehension is currently about zero. You're cracking up and I do mean that.

You're not even talking about the same incident, which is par for your course.  If you know that Ba6 is won for black, then you can beat Stockfish from that position, on command.  Go ahead and demonstrate, without using an engine.  You can do it on live chess.

I know that K+R vs. K is won, vs. any engine, and I will happily demonstrate it.  If you are claiming to know, 100%, then you are claiming the same level of confidence.  You would think after a decade of watching Ponz get pounded for his 99.9999% that you might have learned something about making hyperbolic assertions...but alas, no.

Even if chess was solved and we knew a certain position is winning, more often than not we still wouldnt be able to beat stockfish from there. I'm not sure what this conversation is supposed to prove

If you cannot win a position against *any* opposition put forth, then you cannot claim you are "100% sure" it is a winning position.  Can't get any more obvious than that.