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        Arimaa >> Off Topic Discussion >> Shogi programs beat top shogi amatuers
        
(Message started by: Janzert on May 5^th, 2008, 8:55am)

Title: Shogi programs beat top shogi amatuers
Post by Janzert on May 5^th, 2008, 8:55am

I've heard Shogi described as the Japanese version of chess and has a game tree complexity fairly close to Arimaa.

It's played on a 9x9 board, with each player starting with 20 pieces of 8 differing ranks. Instead of the 8x8 board, 16 piece, 6 ranks of chess. Captured pieces can also be placed back on the board by the capturing player. I believe this is the main mechanic that increases the complexity in shogi as opposed to the multiple steps per turn mechanic in Arimaa.

Unfortunately it appears that all the information on the games won against the humans is in Japanese. The English announcement to the computer-go mailling list can be read here (http://groups.google.com/group/computer-go-archive/browse_thread/thread/4c17db35c20c53f5).

Janzert

Title: Re: Shogi programs beat top shogi amatuers
Post by RonWeasley on May 5^th, 2008, 11:30am

Thanx! Janzert. I am interested in Shogi too.

Title: Re: Shogi programs beat top shogi amatuers
Post by Fritzlein on May 17^th, 2008, 9:31am

Thanks, Janzert. Somehow this post didn't register with me at first. The write-up of the tournament is very engaging apart from the fact that the computers beat the top amateurs, but I was particularly interested that the defeated humans are actually stronger than some professionals. There may now be a hundred computer-beating Shogi players or fewer left in the world.

Title: Re: Shogi programs beat top shogi amatuers
Post by Janzert on May 17^th, 2008, 1:05pm

There is now an english write up on the whole tournament at http://gamelab.yz.yamagata-u.ac.jp/SHOGI/CSA2008/18csa.html. There is a short section on the HvB games towards the end in a section marked "The Exhibition". One thing of note is that it seems these games were played with short time controls.

Janzert