ICGA Journal - Volume 33, issue 2

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33201

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 65-66, 2010

Authors: David-Tabibi, Omid | Koppel, Moshe | Netanyahu, Nathan S.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: In this paper we introduce a novel method for automatically tuning the search parameters of a chess program using genetic algorithms (GA). Our results show that a large set of parameter values can be learned automatically, such that the resulting performance is comparable with that of manually tuned parameters of top tournament-playing chess programs.

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33202

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 67-79, 2010

Authors: Sato, Yoshikuni | Takahashi, Daisuke | Grimbergen, Reijer

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Recently, Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) has been attracting a great deal of attention in game-programming research. This method has been quite successful in computer Go, but so far results in other games have not been so impressive. In this paper, we present an implementation of MCTS in shogi which combines techniques used in computer Go with a number of shogi-specific enhancements. We tested this implementation on a standard test set of tactical positions. The number of correct answers indicates that the strength of the Monte-Carlo based shogi program is about that of a 1-dan amateur. The results did not carry …over to actual playing strength as the match results against a conventional shogi program with a strength of about a 1-dan player showed. Therefore, it seems unlikely that a pure MCTS-based shogi program will surpass the level of the best conventional shogi programs. However, we also observed that our MCTS program could solve certain opening and endgame positions that are considered hard to solve with the current methods. Therefore, we believe that MCTS can be a useful method to improve the overall performance of a shogi program. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33203

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 80-92, 2010

Authors: Chen, Bo-Nian | Shen, Bing-Jie | Hsu, Tsan-sheng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Chinese dark chess is a popular and easy-to-learn game in Asia. It differs from Chinese chess or Western chess by the characteristic of the possibility of revealing unknown pieces. So, luck may win a game by chance. Typically, a probabilistic behaviour that a player has to consider is implemented. Computer Chinese dark chess problems can be divided into three phases: (1) the opening game, (2) the middle game, and (3) the endgame. The main issue in the opening game is revealing pieces reasonably and effectively. In the middle game, the choice between revealing pieces and moving pieces becomes the …critical issue. Designing a good evaluation function is important, both in the middle game and in the endgame. In an advantageous endgame, an interesting problem is how to capture all the opponent’s pieces to win the game. Search-based methods, such as αβ pruning, are only adequate in cases where no revealing actions are considered. Programs that reveal pieces reasonably and effectively have a higher playing strength. In this note, we introduce the game Chinese dark chess and discuss some research topics about this game. Moreover, we propose some strategies for considering the revealing actions. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33204

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 93-106, 2010

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33205

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 107-107, 2010

Authors: Syed, Omar

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33206

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 108-109, 2010

Authors: Tillemans, Ton

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33207

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 110-112, 2010

Authors: Kaufman, Larry

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33208

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 113-117, 2010

Authors: Kaufman, Larry

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33209

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 118-118, 2010

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/ICG-2010-33210

Citation: ICGA Journal, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 119-120, 2010