Reviving the game of checkers.
Jonathan Schaeffer, Joseph Culberson, Norman Treloar, Brent Knight, Paul
Lu, and Duane Szafron.
In D.N.L. Levy and D.F. Beal, editors,
The Second Annual Computer Olympiad,pages 119-136,
Ellis Horwood, London 1991.
Abstract
Chinook is the strongest 8x8 checkers program around today. Its
strength is largely a result of brute-force methods. The program is capable of
searching to depths that make it a feared tactician. As with chess, knowledge
is the Achilles' heel of the program. However, unlike the chess example,
endgame databases go a long way to overcoming this limitation.
The program has precomputed databases that classify all positions with 6 or
less pieces on the board as won, lost or drawn (with 7 pieces under
construction). The program came second to the human World Champion in the U.S.
National Open, winning the right to play a World Championship match against
him. Chinook is the first computer program in history to earn the
right to play for a human World Championship.
joe@cs.ualberta.ca