mclure%Sri-Unix@sri-unix.UUCP (07/15/84)
For some reason, I have never been impressed by anything Botvinnik has written about computer chess or his PIONEER program. I do not think he has contributed much. This book is a followup to his COMPUTERS, CHESS, AND LONG-RANGE PLANNING book of a few years ago. This book is more interesting. But again, I don't find his writing impressive. Botvinnik has an annoying habit of "theorifying" anything related to computer chess. He doesn't seem able to write in concrete terms about computer chess. Theory is all well and good, but in computer chess results are the most important factor. Sometimes I think Botvinnik is trying to make a PhD thesis out of all this stuff because it seems so purposely obfuscating when it could have been easily simplified. He should learn to eschew obfuscation. What is impressive about this book are the appendices which are written by other people. The first is "Fields of Play" by B.M. Stillman. The second is "The Positional Estimate and Assignment of Priorities" by M.A. Tsfasman and B.M. Stilman and the third is "The Endgame Library in PIONEER" by A.D. Yudin. There is genuinely new material in these appendices and some of it is fascinating. Apparently these authors are collaborators with Botvinnik on the PIONEER program, which has yet to rear its head at a tournament and actually play a game of chess so that the world can judge it. I wonder when, if ever, Botvinnik will finally decide that he is willing to take the plunge. So far I have heard nothing but talk. And in the world of computer chess, talk is cheap. Stuart