HIARCS Chess Forums

[Fernando]

If we go the the historic circumstances that surround the creation of the last Spracklen program, perhaps we can understand better why they produced a kind of full-width program -or almost- and so why Blincoe has lost games with it in Paris in short time intervals.
The reason could be this:
The Spracklen were hired by Saitek when the star of Richard Lang was going high in the sky of computer chess. They were hired to defeat Lang the next time. Remember, please, that in that epoch, near the last ice age of chess computers, the good or bad selling of an unit depended if they could get the first place in those machine-machines tournaments. Lang was beginning to win them and Saitek wanted to stop him in his tracks.
But then, what happened?
Dan and Kathe were, in that time, somewhat worn out. They had already produced his best. They had already discovered and developed his best ideas in the realm of specific heuristic in the search. They had already created the quiescent function and the special extension that was activated with exchanges.
Lang, on his side, was a rising star that each day produced new stuff.
So...
What the Spracklen did?
They endorsed his faith in raw power.
After all they were provided with the fasted processor of those years. With such hardware they thought they could match and even supersede Lang programs on the ground of full or at least more exhaustive calculation.
They tried that and failed.
They failed because when his unit came to the market, more that one year has passed away and Lang had again produced a better selective program.
Spark did not win the Lang thing and the Spracklens were fired.
Last wave of that history is Blincoe embarrassment in Paris....


Spengler and Toynbee send his regards
Fernando
_________________
Festina Lente

[Steve B]

EXCELLENT analysis and historical perspective
i am always amazed how in one post you are asking something very basic and in the next post you write like the Supreme Elder himself

but can i ask you...
do you HAVE to include me in this sad tale of the Spracklens demise and disgrace?

can we not simply forget that i operated this gutless computer in Paris?

will not a payment by Paypal make you edit your last post Regards?
Steve

[Fernando]

Payment?

No, no.
Super 9 could do the trick...
In the meantime.....


I could receive the Spark thing to avoid you the expenses of his funeral regards
Fernando
_________________
Festina Lente

[Steve B]

[9RX]

I am new to this forum, and let me say that I am just delighted to see some real humor here! And not just great insight for everything chess!!

9R

[Larry]

[Steve B]

[ricard60]

Welcome to the fórum 9RX,

Thanks for the memories.

Regards
Ricardo