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Aberg variation of Capablanca's Chess. Different setup and castling rules. (10x8, Cells: 80) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]
H.G.Muller wrote on Fri, Apr 18, 2008 09:15 PM UTC:
FYI: Smirf falls way behind Joker80 in any real-life tournament played so far. See, for instance, the Battle of the Goths Championship 2008, which is currently playing at http://80.100.28.169/gothic/battle.html . And the main reason it does so is because it loses many points against engines in the lower part of the ranking. If you would look at the games (they can be downloaded from the mentioned page) you see the same pattern over and over again: Smirf voluntarily engages in losing trades, thinking it is +4 or +5 ahead, and subsequently is slaughtered by the weaker opponent because its piece material simply cannot keep up with the opponents overwhelming force, even if wielded by a less competent player. So I would say using Smirf in connection with piece values is a particularly bad example.

As for your scientific method, you seem to forget that science is about explaining observed FACTS. So if your 'coherent, logical, consistent' theory predicts that A is of nearly equal value as B+N, while in practice the B+N have a losing disadvantage, I would say the World would was better off without it. A theory not explaining the facts can at most contribute to MISunderstanding of relative piece values... The ones who determine the facts through accurate measurement thus contribute in an absolutely essential way to our understanding, as without such facts the theoreticians cannot even start their work.

Your 'understanding' of piece values is such that you consider piece values that do have C-A different from R-B 'flawed'. I.e., to be flawless in your eyes, a theory would have to predict that two pieces which perform equally (C and A) have to be assigned values that differ by several Pawns, or pieces that differ by several Pawns in strength (R and B) to be assigned a value that is equal. Why would I read a 58-page monologue from someone adhering to such flawed logic? It can only be a waste of time. And the FACT that C offers no significant advantage over A in Capablanca Chess games won't go away by it...