18 years later, U of A perfects invincible checkers-playing robot

[icarus]

http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/237777

After 18 and a half years of work - running as many as 200 computers at a time - University of Alberta scientists have developed a program that can win or draw every single time it plays the ancient board game...

Using some bought, begged and borrowed computers - with an average of 50 running at a time - Schaeffer set out to sort through the 500 billion checkers positions and determine which led to “wins, losses and draws.”...

The program ran continuously from 2001 until April 29 of this year, when Schaeffer was able to claim that it had “solved” the game.

This R&D went to good use, because if any Deceptacons come to Earth and challenge us to checkers, we shall not lose.

[Barnes]

After 18 and a half years of work - running as many as 200 computers at a time - University of Alberta scientists have developed a program that can win or draw every single time it plays the ancient board game. Their work on a sex robot that plays checkers continues.

[Zarathustra]

I'm so proud of my school.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Who plays checkers any more? Do the kids? You'd think they'd move on to more exciting electronic alternatives.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Who plays checkers any more? Do the kids? You'd think they'd move on to more exciting electronic alternatives.

18 years ago checkers was hot!

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by icarus

18 years ago checkers was hot!

It's just like computers to kill good ol' fashioned, wholesome family fun.

[Ro]

Reading that reminded me of that "Robot Chicken" skit where a brother and sister are playing checkers and the girl says something like "I hope you have a stroke" after he keeps zoning out.

The scene cuts to a galactic space battle playing out in his head (an homage to The Last Starfighter) in which he has to save the planet by playing a game of checkers against some other aliens. The aliens tell him they chose him for his checker playing abilities, and of course, he wins, and saves the planet.

Cut back to the living room. He's convulsing on the floor, foaming at the mouth. The sister yells to Mom- "something's wrong with Billy!" End scene.

Ah, Robot Chicken.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Thought that this should be bumped up since the same researcher has organized the first man-machine poker tournament this week.

The checkers problem was simply a brute force computing problem...this is much more interesting because in poker (like in many real life situations) you are dealing with incomplete information for decision making.

Outstanding publicity for the research we have going on here in Alberta...

By the way...who do think will win the tournament man or machine?

I am betting on man...for now

[chris lindberg]

I consider myself a good checker player, it would be fun to play this machine for sure.

[skins]

Originally Posted by icarus

http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/237777


This R&D went to good use, because if any Destructicons come to Earth and challenge us to checkers, we shall not lose.

don't you mean the "Deceptacons"?

the poker-bot would be far more interesting. I think the best poker players out there are actually very good at calculating odds in their head.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

By the way...who do think will win the tournament man or machine?

I am betting on man...for now

I don't know about this new machine, but most VLTs I know seem to kick everyone's ass at poker if you play them long enough.

Originally Posted by skins

don't you mean the "Deceptacons"?

[octothorp]

I agree with Fozzie, I don't see this checkers thing as being such a great development in AI. From the sounds of it, the computer has basically formulated a huge lookup table, telling it the perfect move in any scenario. And while I'm sure the program used to create this database of moves is impressive, there's no actual 'thinking' going on during the playing of the game. Poker, where it's more about analysis and there's no such thing as a perfect game, or Go, where the brute force approach is useless due to the sheer number of moves, are both much more interesting from an AI standpoint than checkers or chess. I think the Poker application is particularly interesting, as beyond simple statistical analysis of hands, the machines will eventually need to develop pattern and tendency recognition. Some very sophisticated AI unlike any of those used in traditional AI engines.

[skins]

Originally Posted by skins

don't you mean the "Deceptacons"?

Originally Posted by icarus

...

hey, if you're gonna say it, might as well get it right.

[jammies]

You know, when I first read this I saw "invisible" instead of invincible. Which would have been way cooler. You'd be sitting there, playing checkers against yourself (like everybody who is anybody often does), when suddenly the pieces would begin to mysteriously move on their own, baffling you entirely and causing you to exclaim, "Woo mama, guess that last batch of hootch sat a little too long in the basement! I think I be halluckinatin' again and it sure do feel good!"

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Bump...

The final poker matches are tonight, but it looks like the computers are kicking a**

[octothorp]

I, for one, welcome our poker-playing computer overlords.

Really interesting to hear about how the program actually consists of ten smaller programs and a coach that determines which program will play each hand. I imagine that makes it extremely difficult for human players to anticipate any tendencies.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

Bump...

The final poker matches are tonight, but it looks like the computers are kicking a**

Here is the robot hand that is used to play the poker:

[Fozzie_DeBear]

FWIW the humans win

2 rounds to 1 with one draw