evec comments on Does Checkers have simpler rules than Go? - Less Wrong

14 Post author: jkaufman 13 August 2013 02:09AM

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Comment author: Eugine_Nier 15 August 2013 01:53:26AM 0 points [-]

(without the swap rule)

I'd like to point out that without the swap rule it's also very easy to write a program that plays perfectly.

Comment author: evec 15 August 2013 10:21:50PM 4 points [-]

I don't believe your comment is true in any meaningful sense. Can you explain what you mean?

Details: It's easy to prove that the first player wins in Hex without the swap rule, but it's even easier to prove the second wins in any (deterministic, ...) game with the swap rule. Neither proof is constructive, and so neither provides an efficient program.

Interpreting your statement differently, it's easy to write a program that plays any (deterministic, ...) game optimally. Just explore the full game tree! The program won't terminate for a while, however, and this interpretation makes no distinction between the versions with and without the swap rule.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 16 August 2013 05:25:27AM 1 point [-]

Oops. I was apparently confusing hex with bridge-it.