Editable RGG FAQ Part 6 Section 4

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This page is part of the rec.games.go FAQ on SL, and can be edited using normal SL methods, but please read the FAQ Format Guidelines first.

For more details on the workings of the FAQ, see rec.games.go FAQ on SL.


6.4: Which is the best computer program?

As already explained, computers make weak opponents. Since they cannot learn, they also make boring opponents, as they make the same mistakes over and over again. Of course it can be fun to beat a computer which takes a 9stone handicap, but the methods used to beat it are unlikely to work against human players, and may even give you bad habits.

However, computer programs play each other in various tournaments and can be ranked by their relative strengths.

Here is an excerpt from the [ext] Smart-Games site, edited by David FOTLAND.

It gives an indication of the 'average placement in an international competition', based on recent results in international computer Go tournaments:

Top ten Go playing computer programs (Last updated by David Fotland in August 2002):

 Author              Program                 Score
 ZhiXing Chen        Handtalk/Goemate        1.9
 Michael Reiss       Go4++                   2.1
 Ryuichi Kawa        Haruka                  3.2
 Lei Xiuyu           Wulu                    3.8
 David Fotland       The Many Faces of Go    4.0
 Ken Chen            Go Intellect            5.9
 Yong-Goo Park       Fun Go                  6.6
 Tristan Cazenave    Gogol/Golois            9.5
 Oishi Yasuo         Goro                    9.7
 Hiroshi Yamashita   Aya                     10.0

Since 2002, the two major computer Go tournaments have been the Computer Olympiad and the Gifu Challenge. KCC Igo (sold as Silver Star in Japan) won the Gifu Challenge from 2003-2006. The winners of the Computer Olympiad in the last few years have been:

 2008  The Many Faces of Go
 2007  MoGo
 2006  GNU Go
 2005  HandTalk
 2004  Go Intellect
 2003  GNU Go
 2002  Go++

Haruka and Wulu are also strong and for sale, but they have not recently entered any public competitions. (In general, attendence by commercial programs in public computer championships has fallen off since 2002.)

A major advance in 2006 was the discovery of Monte Carlo Tree Search, which has bumped the top program strength up to about 1 kyu. Strong users of MCTS include MoGo, CrazyStone, and Fuego, and commercial programs Leela and Many Faces.

However, playing strength might not be the main advantage of a computer program. Other aspects might be more important, such as aesthetics, games database, teaching possibilities etc.

The ideal program for you will therefore depend on what you want to do with it.


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