On Jul 24, 1:24 pm, Richard wrote:
On Jul 24, 10:53 am, "
wrote:

There it is. How on earth can it be possible to
solve 21 out of 156 checkers openings instead of
156 out of 156 UNLESS they have not really
solved checkers completely? This also would
seem to explain the strange comments posted
here earlier, which suggested the same thing by
misusing the term solved to mean partly-solved.

This is a misinterpretation of the results. The Chinook team proved
checkers is a draw from *the starting position* or so called "go as
you please" play. The 156 checker openings are ballots used in the 3-
move restriction style of play, where the first three plies (2 red
moves, one white move) are pre-determined. The Chinook team is not
saying that they have solved all of these, but they don't need to in
order to claim that unrestricted checkers is a draw.

Exactly. To put it in chess terms, this would be like a computer
program that proves that it can always win or draw at chess with the
white pieces. Every game, it starts with 1. e4, and it never loses,
then help bot comes along and says "But it didn't prove that chess is
solved, because it's not proven for games starting with 1. d4."


Precisely. The claim "checkers is solved" is
misleading. What is commonly understood as
"checkers drawn with correct play" is hardly the
same as actually solving the game.


Da Vinci Helicopter Flies Atlantic! (in theory)

Fischer Busts King's Gambit! (on paper)

Tal Sacrifices Proved Unsound! (after the games)



I may yet be forced to admit that checkers has
indeed been "solved", but I doubt it. I'd sooner
admit that the French Defense is sound, or that
Bxh2 was just a miscalculation.


-- help bot