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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
⊃April 28, 1978 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Mr. Earnest Rubin
␈↓ ↓H␈↓540 S. Carlyn Spring Road
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Arlington, VA 22204

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Rubin:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓My␈αopinion␈αis␈αthat␈αpresent␈αchess␈αprogramming␈αis␈αnot␈αsu≠ciently␈αadvances␈αto␈αmake␈αprograms␈αthat
␈↓ ↓H␈↓honestly␈αplan␈αin␈αthe␈α
style␈αof␈αa␈αparticular␈α
master␈α-␈αpresent␈αor␈α
past.␈α Possibly␈αa␈αpreference␈αfor␈α
closed
␈↓ ↓H␈↓or␈α
open␈α
positions␈αcould␈α
be␈α
incorporated␈α
in␈αthe␈α
position␈α
evaluation␈α
function␈αbut␈α
this␈α
would␈αonly␈α
be
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a␈α
step␈α
in␈αthe␈α
desired␈α
direction.␈α As␈α
long␈α
as␈αchess␈α
programs␈α
must␈αevaluate␈α
tens␈α
and␈α
thousands␈αof
␈↓ ↓H␈↓positions␈α
in␈α
order␈α
to␈αdecide␈α
on␈α
a␈α
move,␈αthey␈α
can't␈α
be␈α
said␈αto␈α
immitate␈α
human␈α
play␈α
even␈αthough
␈↓ ↓H␈↓they may perform well.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓The␈α
best␈α
complete␈α∞summary␈α
of␈α
computer␈α∞chess␈α
is␈α
in␈α∞the␈α
book␈α
␈↓↓Chess␈α∞Skill␈α
in␈α
Man␈α∞and␈α
Machine␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓edited by Peter Frey.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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