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Beat That Computer

© Copyright 1998, Jim Loy
You may print this and show it to others. But, this article will eventually be part of a book that I am writing. So, please do not distribute it widely.

If you need help reading checkers notation, please print out the numbered board.

Here is a game that I played against my computer. The program is Sage. The computer was set at 2 sec./move. I moved a little slower than the computer.

J. Loy - Sage (2 sec./move)
11-15 24-19 (2nd Double Corner) 15-24 27-20 8-11 (Not in Sage's book, surprisingly) 22-18 10-15 28-24 15-22 25-18 9-14 (Apparently not PP. 7-10 or 6-10 are PP) 18-9 5-14 24-19 6-10 29-25 11-15 19-16 12-19 23-16 15-19 25-22 4-8 22-17 8-11 26-23 19-26 30-23 10-15 17-10 6-17 2-11 31-26 15-18 23-19 18-23 26-22 23-26 19-16 11-15 22-17 14-18 17-14 26-31 16-11 31-26 (Red has to prevent 21-17 and 11-7) 14-10 26-23 11-7 23-19 7-2 18-23 21-17 15-18 2-6 18-22 6-9 22-25 9-13 [diagram]

Is Sage giving me a piece? 19-15 (Red doesn't win the piece. But, he forces the trade) 10-7 3-10 17-14 10-17 13-29 15-19 29-25 23-26 25-22 26-31 (26-30 may be more efficient) 22-18 1-6 18-22 1-6 18-22 6-9 22-17 31-26 32-27 26-30 27-24 (White will lose a piece soon, anyway) 19-28 20-16 30-26 16-11 9-13 17-14 28-24 11-7 24-19 7-2 19-15 2-6 26-23 14-10 15-18 10-7 RW.

When I play that fast, I often lose to the computer. But I win a few, and draw quite a few. How do I ever win?

1. Be careful - The computer always sees the little shots. Play slow enough so that you will see these shots, too. Try to be alert. You will probably play slower than the computer. That's OK. You're trying to learn some skills. This is not a contest of egos.
2. Avoid the strong parts of the computer's opening book - Unless you know of a flaw in the computer's book, you may have to get out of its book to have a good chance of winning. Be careful, however. Most non-book moves are bad. I happen to know that Sage plays the White Doctor poorly. So, I might try to get into that opening. If the computer's book is too tough for you, you might want to turn it off.
3. Gain an early king - Even sacrifice a piece to gain a king. This is an excellent way to defeat people, too. But, the programs fall for this readily.
4. Know your endings - In the above game, I saw that my bridge might cause White some trouble. Then I was able to hold two pieces with one king. I thought I might be winning. At the speed that we were playing, the play may not have been very sharp. But my ideas were pretty good.

The newer programs are hard to beat. This can be frustrating. Just keep trying. Be careful. Be patient.

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