Using a computer in correspondence chess

[Roger de Coverly]

'It is expected that players will decide the moves for themselves.

ICCF players interpret that to mean that they can consult any number of engines and play the move they as the human in command consider "best" from all the possible choices.

[MJMcCready]

That would explain the computer-like moves I have seen in many of my games. Time for a rethink on that one then.

[MartinCarpenter]

Just saw some article about them having finally finished the most recent correspondence WC on chessbase and remembered this.

The interesting thing is that its got all the games attached - these people clearly don't hold back at all. Massive theory and utterly terrifying looking positions seemingly abounding. Significantly more interesting than a lot of OTB super tournaments in that sense I'd think. Actually a bit intriguing that humans can clearly still contribute a non trivial amount vs computers even in this sort of situation.

As you'd expect with all that time and computer help, an awful lot of draws, but someone won it

http://en.chessbase.com/post/a-30-month-tournament

[Michael Mkpadi]

This is the justification for still playing correspondence chess in this day an age of tablebases and 3300+ elo engines.

Let me take you on a thought experiment. Imagine Google and IBM joined forces and create a Quantum Chess Computer that solves the entire chess game tree. What is the first thing that will happen the day after? Well ChessBase will try to buy a licence and include the quantum engine in their latest version of Fritz v253, me and many others will finally work up the courage to quit chess. But more interestingly you can imagine the correspondence players and cheaters (I'm not suggesting the two are one and the same btw) getting their hands on a quantum chess machine and feeding it a position.

What will happen if you feed a quantum chess computer a random position hoping for the best play and optimal result. Well if the position is a win the computer will tell you it is a win for you and give you lines to play that win with best, worst or indifferent play from opponent. But imagine the position is lost for you, then the quantum chess computer will tell you are lost and when you ask for "best play" it will tell you all moves are lost and equally good or bad. Oh dear! I paid out £50K for a chess computer that tells me to jog on when i feed it a lost position.

I think the correspondence players are back in business.

[Jon Tait]

fwiw, I've just blogged about this subject:
http://200opengames.blogspot.co.uk/2016 ... lysis.html

tl;dr – using computers is not cheating but it does make the game considerably less fun