Temperature/Discussion

Kirk: I think it would be fascinating to have the local and global temperatures spelled out (estimates, at least) for a (small) game. It would start at the end, of course, where things can be calculated exactly, and move toward the beginning becoming somewhat vague no doubt as the endgame stage is left. Calculating the temperatures would point out likely errors in play. I am particularly interested in the value of non-territorial plays, and an exercise like this would help me to make some of these ideas more concrete. Has this already been done?

Bill: See http://www.msri.org/publications/video/index0.html and http://www.msri.org/publications/books/Book42/files/spight.pdf for an analysis of the final stages of the Jiang-Rui Environmental Go Game. However, they do not discuss the size of non-territorial plays. Ishida does so in one of his books, but he seems to underestimate them. (His estimates are influenced by the traditional estimate of the first move as worth 10 points by miai counting. The size of komi strongly suggests that that is an underestimate.)

ilan: I note that temperature is never defined on this site, so this page and its variants are useless except for people who already know the definitions.

Bill: The second paragraph starts with the definition of temperature as adopted by go players, which is different from the CGT meaning, for which go players already have a term, miai value.

ilan: I looked up miai value, and it doesn't mention temperature anywhere. Also, the definition of miai value given there refers to moves, whereas temperature refers to positions.

Bill: True. Nonetheless, miai value in go corresponds to temperature in CGT. Go does not need temperature in the CGT sense, and most go players who use the term, temperature , do not do so in the CGT sense. And anyway, do you think it is appropriate to give the average go player either Conway's definition of CGT temperature in ONAG or my definition for extended thermography?

ilan: As it stands, it seems to me that these pages are essentially a discussion between you and Charles Matthews, and the material is incomprehensible to anyone else. At least, I haven't been able to understand any of it.

Jeff: I enjoy reading these pages. I understand much of it, but miss some. I'd ask Bill, Charles, and whoever else to please continue these discussions, though we certainly appreciate any effort to make them more clear!

Bill: Thanks, Ilan. That's helpful. I'll try to make things clearer. I think I'll also add a page for Temperature (CGT).

ilan: OK, and there is another thing which I don't quite get, which is your use of the word "urgent." As far as I can tell, the most urgent play is simply the correct move. By the way, I think this could also apply to "play urgent moves before big moves," but I suppose that there is an implicit meaning in "big move," as in "moves for which you can more easily see their value." I never never really understood temperature, which is why I was trying to read these pages. My impression was that it was a mathematical technique for reducing expressions such as {2 | -2} which seem like they should come from * = { | } because both players can move into final position with similar rewards.

k43r: At the beginning the center is coldest, and corners are hottest. Then enclosures and so on.
Sente is moves which make the temperature around boiling and must be answered.
Reverse sente and honte drops temperature of enemy's move around stone you've placed.
Gote doesn't need answer so it's cold.
Stealing sente is when enemy move made temperature hot, but there was a hotter place on the board, and you played there.
There is also a second thing. The board has temperatures for both players. Sometimes black can have hot positions everywhere with lots of sente moves, while white is left without potential anywhere.
Good moves make temperature for you some degrees hotter, and somewhat colder for your enemy.
Miai makes temperature somehow colder.
At the end of the game temperature drops. At dame filling it's 0 degrees, and after it it freezes.
Playing slow means playing not in hottest areas of goban.

Hey hey hey, i might be wrong. i might be wrong and. Does temperature means something like potential?