The Baron 1.6.0

[Richard Pijl]

A new version of the Baron is available from the Baron's Lair.
It is a slightly improved version of the one that played at IPCCC 2005 and ended shared 5th there.
Some Highlights:
- EGTB 6 men supported
- Experimental features included (but turned off by default)
- Many bugfixes
Have fun,
Richard.

[Gábor Szots]

A new version of the Baron is available from the Baron's Lair.
It is a slightly improved version of the one that played at IPCCC 2005 and ended shared 5th there.
Some Highlights:
- EGTB 6 men supported
- Experimental features included (but turned off by default)
- Many bugfixes
Have fun,
Richard.

Thanks, Richard. However, I don't understand the section in the ini file about blitz time controls. Are they valid for incremental clock too? What is the effect of the parameters?
Also, the parameter about sacrifices. Is it influencing tactics? Or positional sacrifices? I personally have the experience that minor piece sacrifices always lose...

I would appreciate bit more detailed explanation.

Best regards,
G?bor

[Pradu]

I personally have the experience that minor piece sacrifices always lose...

Always?

[Richard Pijl]

However, I don't understand the section in the ini file about blitz time controls. Are they valid for incremental clock too? What is the effect of the parameters?

Initially the Baron assumes a game takes blitzbase amount of moves. For every move made, this expected number of moves is reduced a little, until it reaches blitzmin, which is, as the name suggests, the minimum number of moves it expects to make until the end of the game. This rough forecast is of course only used in time management.
Blitzbase seems a bit low, but it turns out to work quite fine. If you compare with TSCP, that program always uses 30 remaining moves in its time management

Also, the parameter about sacrifices. Is it influencing tactics? Or positional sacrifices? I personally have the experience that minor piece sacrifices always lose...

This parameter controls how big the penalty is for making minor piece sacrifices, irrespective of the purpose of the sacrifice. As a sacrifice isn't made for no purpose (it must see some sort of compensation for the piece) it is most likely that it will sacrifice in a king attack. Note that values above 5 even reward a piece sac, which may not be a wise thing to try (may be fun though ).
Hope this answers your questions
Richard.

[Richard Pijl]

Forgot about the incremental clock question...
Yes, the blitzmin and blitzbase parameters will be applicable with incremental clock too.
Richard.

[Gábor Szots]

I personally have the experience that minor piece sacrifices always lose...

Always?

Yes, in the sense that e.g. a minor piece for 3 pawns is a bad trade. Of course not in the case where it is tactically winning.

[Gábor Szots]

However, I don't understand the section in the ini file about blitz time controls. Are they valid for incremental clock too? What is the effect of the parameters?

Initially the Baron assumes a game takes blitzbase amount of moves. For every move made, this expected number of moves is reduced a little, until it reaches blitzmin, which is, as the name suggests, the minimum number of moves it expects to make until the end of the game. This rough forecast is of course only used in time management.
Blitzbase seems a bit low, but it turns out to work quite fine. If you compare with TSCP, that program always uses 30 remaining moves in its time management

Also, the parameter about sacrifices. Is it influencing tactics? Or positional sacrifices? I personally have the experience that minor piece sacrifices always lose...

This parameter controls how big the penalty is for making minor piece sacrifices, irrespective of the purpose of the sacrifice. As a sacrifice isn't made for no purpose (it must see some sort of compensation for the piece) it is most likely that it will sacrifice in a king attack. Note that values above 5 even reward a piece sac, which may not be a wise thing to try (may be fun though ).
Hope this answers your questions
Richard.

Yes, thank you.

[Richard Pijl]

Thanks to Leo Dijksman an alternative download address is available:
The Baron 1.6.0
Richard.