Thinking Machine 6
June 9, 2016 7:25 AM   Subscribe

 
I have never seen a browser crash in quite that way before, but I think it means it forfeited and I finally beat a computer at chess.
posted by mattamatic at 7:34 AM on June 9, 2016 [15 favorites]


This thing made the rounds a few years ago. I crushed it then and I crushed it today! It's a very weak chess program.
posted by thelonius at 7:49 AM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Tried a slightly unorthodox king's pawn opening and it locked up hard. Maybe we're hugging the site to death?
posted by fifthrider at 7:51 AM on June 9, 2016


I thought I broke it when it took forever and started going all "WOPR playing tic-tac-toe" on me.
posted by prepmonkey at 7:56 AM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


I don't think it's frozen, it just moves slower as it plots each combo permutation. Once the board is cluttered with the display data, we can't see the faint lines that it's still drawing.
posted by Think_Long at 8:03 AM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


It just blundered into a mate in 2 here.
posted by thelonius at 8:04 AM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Boy howdy I suck at chess.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:13 AM on June 9, 2016 [7 favorites]


It’s kind of weird that it’s locking up and flailing around so much since these days your phone can easily beat a chess grandmaster. Baby’s first chess program?
posted by pharm at 8:15 AM on June 9, 2016


The next time I play chess with someone I'm bringing orange and green markers so that they, too, can be visually overstimulated.

(I am also not great at chess.)
posted by beerperson at 8:38 AM on June 9, 2016 [1 favorite]



It’s kind of weird that it’s locking up and flailing around so much since these days your phone can easily beat a chess grandmaster. Baby’s first chess program?


I think they're all about the line drawing
posted by thelonius at 8:39 AM on June 9, 2016


Yeah, I suck at chess, but this is really neat. It's actually kind of instructive to watch which moves the computer considers more often, and try to predict which one it'll take.

You guys are so much better at chess than an internet toy that's really awesome
posted by Made of Star Stuff at 8:39 AM on June 9, 2016



You guys are so much better at chess than an internet toy that's really awesome

Congratulations on sucking!
posted by thelonius at 8:42 AM on June 9, 2016


Having the possible moves illustrated like that is pretty neat! You can get the gist of how you're doing by the overall colour balance, and it shifts and changes as your options increase or run out.

So far I'm holding my own! The AI has 4 of my pawns, but I have a pawn, a knight, and a bishop. I feel ready to make a valiant stand in the name of human intelligence.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 8:52 AM on June 9, 2016


So the ultimate goal of this program is to terminate Firefox with extreme prejudice? Job well done.
posted by Splunge at 9:01 AM on June 9, 2016


What a lovely thing! I want a chess set with those pieces! Thanks, TMoTaT.
posted by stanf at 9:06 AM on June 9, 2016


It's missing a few rules- it let me castle out of check, for example.
posted by thewumpusisdead at 9:12 AM on June 9, 2016


Update: I got thoroughly spanked. Appologies to humanity.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:15 AM on June 9, 2016


It's missing a few rules- it let me castle out of check, for example.

And the reverse: it castled when in check:
1. d4 d5
2. c4 dxc4
3. e4 e5
4. d5 Nf6
5. Nc3 Bb4
6. Qa4+ c6
7. Qxb4 cxd5
8. Qb5+ O-O
DevilsAdvocate claims victory based on TM6's illegal move.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:22 AM on June 9, 2016 [3 favorites]


Oh, this is by Mark Wattenberg among others.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 9:24 AM on June 9, 2016


Scholar's mate works.
posted by synthetik at 9:30 AM on June 9, 2016


Can anyone explain why it decided that this was a draw? I was about to lose and the machine oh well I guess nobody wins. Does it hate winning?
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:08 AM on June 9, 2016


Did the bishop just capture your remaining pawn? If so, your king has no legal moves, and that's a statemate.
posted by grog at 11:17 AM on June 9, 2016


Ah, I see what you mean. I hadn't realized the king was entirely out of moves there.
posted by vibratory manner of working at 11:22 AM on June 9, 2016


Did the bishop just capture your remaining pawn? If so, your king has no legal moves, and that's a statemate.

Wow, that's an absolutely staggering blunder by TM6 considering it had a mate in one with ... Qf3. I can't help but wonder how its algorithm works — that seems to go far beyond just deliberately weak-ish play.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:41 PM on June 9, 2016


I've been playing this for years. I assume I saw it here on MeFi.
Time to go looking.
posted by MtDewd at 1:52 PM on June 9, 2016


Oh, it was version 4. Also posted in 2005.
Maybe 4 was more stable.
posted by MtDewd at 1:56 PM on June 9, 2016


It castled out of check against me too. I beat it in spite of that, and in spite some weak play on my part. Looks pretty though!
posted by Songdog at 8:03 PM on June 9, 2016


« Older The crumbling glories of Kolkata, "City of...   |   The sounds of starships Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments