Yes, a strategy for perfect Hex play is difficult to find (known to be a PSPACE-complete problem). Hex (on large-sized boards like 19x19) is like Go in that we approach it with heuristics because finding a perfect solution is intractable. In practice, both Go and Hex have rules to put both players on closer to an even footing (komi in Go, the "pie rule" (a.k.a. swap) in Hex).
Are there any classic games left where humans have a marked advantage over computers ?
Hex. It has neither a centuries-long tradition nor a large player base, but many of us who have learned the game consider it classic in the sense of having great depth and beauty. There is active work on Hex programs and they are still far behind the best human players.
Well, that's up for debate. Go is arguably the hardest game to play (and master) there is.
Hex (a.k.a. Con-tac-tix or Nash) is a very subtle and interesting game. Programs still can't beat the best human Hex players.
DeepMind's CEO was quoted in the NYTimes today saying, "Really, the only game left after chess is Go". I wish reporters knew to ask him, "What about Hex?"
I expect Itanium to replace Xeon, but not until 2003, when McKinley and its successors open a performance gap over Xeon.
[...]
Changes in servers never happen fast. But with Itanium now a reality, Intel's dominance is only a matter of time.
Doncha love it when people get cocky about predicting the future.
The BBC often says "thousand million" to avoid confusion; "billion" means 1E9 in the USA, and 1E12 in Britian. See http://www.m-w.com/mw/table/number.htm
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Yes, a strategy for perfect Hex play is difficult to find (known to be a PSPACE-complete problem). Hex (on large-sized boards like 19x19) is like Go in that we approach it with heuristics because finding a perfect solution is intractable. In practice, both Go and Hex have rules to put both players on closer to an even footing (komi in Go, the "pie rule" (a.k.a. swap) in Hex).
Are there any classic games left where humans have a marked advantage over computers ?
Hex. It has neither a centuries-long tradition nor a large player base, but many of us who have learned the game consider it classic in the sense of having great depth and beauty. There is active work on Hex programs and they are still far behind the best human players.
Well, that's up for debate. Go is arguably the hardest game to play (and master) there is.
Hex (a.k.a. Con-tac-tix or Nash) is a very subtle and interesting game. Programs still can't beat the best human Hex players. DeepMind's CEO was quoted in the NYTimes today saying, "Really, the only game left after chess is Go". I wish reporters knew to ask him, "What about Hex?"
From Google, "more than 2.7" means, well, you know what.
The BBC often says "thousand million" to avoid confusion; "billion" means 1E9 in the USA, and 1E12 in Britian. See
http://www.m-w.com/mw/table/number.htm