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␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	ISeptember 18, 1978 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dr. David Levy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓104 Hamilton Terrace
␈↓ ↓H␈↓London NW8 9UP
␈↓ ↓H␈↓England

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear David:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Enclosed␈α
is␈α
a␈α
draft␈α
for␈α
250␈α
pounds.␈α
 It␈α∞is␈α
remarkable␈α
that␈α
1978␈α
turned␈α
out␈α
to␈α
be␈α∞the␈α
very
␈↓ ↓H␈↓≡rst␈αyear␈αin␈αwhich␈αthere␈αwas␈αa␈αchance␈αat␈αa␈αreal␈αcontest.␈α To␈αtell␈αthe␈αtruth,␈αwinning␈αthe␈αbet␈αwould
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have␈α
had␈αa␈α
disappointing␈αaspect.␈α
 Namely,␈αwhen␈α
I␈αmade␈α
the␈αbet␈α
I␈αthought␈α
that␈α
more␈αconceptual
␈↓ ↓H␈↓progress␈αwould␈αbe␈αmade␈α
than␈αhas␈αoccurred␈αand␈αthat␈α
this␈αprogress␈αwould␈αbe␈αnecessary␈α
for␈αmaster
␈↓ ↓H␈↓level␈α
chess.␈α
 While␈α
Atkins␈α
and␈α
Slate␈α
have␈αmade␈α
progress,␈α
it␈α
is␈α
mostly␈α
a␈α
re≡nement␈αand␈α
debuugging
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of older ideas.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        In␈αacting␈αas␈αa␈αprotagonist␈αin␈αthis␈αcontest,␈αI␈αthink␈αyou␈αhave␈αdone␈αa␈αgood␈αjob␈αin␈αkeeping␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓public␈α⊂informed␈α∂of␈α⊂the␈α∂actual␈α⊂scienti≡c␈α⊂state␈α∂of␈α⊂computer␈α∂chess,␈α⊂even␈α∂though␈α⊂I␈α⊂haven't␈α∂always
␈↓ ↓H␈↓agreed␈α
with␈α
all␈αyour␈α
statements.␈α
 The␈α
one␈αmajor␈α
lack␈α
in␈α
the␈αcommentary␈α
on␈α
computer␈αchess␈α
games,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓and␈α⊂it␈α⊂is␈α⊂more␈α⊂the␈α∂programmers'␈α⊂fault␈α⊂than␈α⊂yours,␈α⊂is␈α∂the␈α⊂lack␈α⊂of␈α⊂information␈α⊂about␈α⊂what␈α∂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓program␈αactually␈αthought␈αit␈αwas␈αdoing␈αand␈αwhat␈αvariations␈αit␈αconsidered␈αin␈αits␈αanalysis.␈α It␈αwould
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be␈αvery␈αworthwhile␈αif␈αyou␈αcould␈αget␈αthis␈αdata␈αbefore␈αyou␈αpublish␈αan␈αanalysis␈αof␈αthe␈αgames␈αof␈αthe
␈↓ ↓H␈↓≡nal matches.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Best regards,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science