I would like to see handicap games on CGOS.
AntIgo-4, playing on CGOS, uses MC/UCT and considers only win vs. loss,
ignoring margin of victory. I used a faster, dumber version of it to play a
number of handicap games against even weaker engines on 9x9 boards. To make a
long story short, I didn't see any evidence that this algorithm is
fundamentally disadvantaged in handicap games. In fact, I agree with Remi's
view that it is particularly *well* suited to handicap games compared to
territory based algorithms. When it finds itself behind, it goes for the
swindle. Against an equal opponent, that's obnoxious and futile. Against a
weaker foe, it's wise.
To take the most extreme experiment, I played it against a random
non-eyefilling opponent with 9 handicap stones in an 'X' on the 9x9 board. For
the first couple of turns, Antigo predicted its odds of winning at between 0
and 1% for any move. But it still preferred some moves over others and did not
play randomly. And every turn brought a pleasant surprise. It won 46 out of 50
games.
Is the handicap problem more or less severe on 19x19 boards?
Dave Hillis
antminder on KGS
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