by M. M. Newborn
Summary of the ACM Sixth U.S. Computer Chess Championship By M.M. Newborn McGill University, Montreal, Canada Playing stronger chess than ever before on CDC's superfast CYPER 175, CHESS 4.4, the chess program of David Slate and Larry Atkin captured the ACM's Sixth U.S. Computer Chess Championship in Minneapolis at the ACM's Annual Conference on October 19-21, 19765. CHESS 4.4 defeated all four opponents in capturing its fifth of the ACM's six tournaments. TREEFROG, the work of Ron Hansen, Gary Calnek, and Russell Crook of the University of Waterloo and winner in 1975, lost only to CHESS 4.4 in the final round and finished in second place. It was TREEFROG *under the name RIBBIT) that dethroned Slate Atkin's program last year. Twelve teams participated in the four round Swiss style tournament. In addition to the tournatment, David Levy, International Master from England and the tournament director, played a simultaneous exhibition on Sunday evening against the program. SORTIE passed up the exhibition; Slate and Atkins' program played two boards running on Northwestern University's CDC 6400 computer in one game and on a CDC CYBER 175 in the other. Levy won ten games, drew two, and lost none; CHESS 4.4, running on the CYBER 175 and TREEFROG, running on a Honeywell 6080 drew with Levy. Against CHESS 4.4, the game edned with Levy having a Pawn on the seventh rank but dow a Knight and probably lost against best play by his Opponent (Fig. 1). In his game again TREEFROG, Levy left a rook en prise on the 50th move and was fortunate to gain a draw when TREEFROG was unable to force a win with a Rook and Bishop to Levy's Bishop of opposite colore. (Fig.2). In the exhibition the computers plated at a rate of 40 moves in two hours. [image] David Slate, programmer of CHESS 4.0, winner at ACM-76. [image] "The minute you say that a thing cannot be done, you are through with that thing. And no matter how much you know – even if you are an expert – if you say it can't be done, you are all through. And someone knowing nothing about it, but thinking it can be done, now is a better man for the job than you." Harry Myers [image} Figure 1. Position at end of Levy (White) vs CHESS 4.0 (Black_ White to move. [image] Figure 2. Position at edn of TREEFROG (White) vs Levy (Black) Black to move. *Black pieces are circled. [image]
