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

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 	nFebruary 5, 1979 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Harry Shershow
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Editor, Computer-Chess Department
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Personal Computing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓1050 Commonwealth Avenue
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Boston, MA 02215

␈↓ ↓H␈↓Dear Mr. Shershow:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        The␈α∂two␈α∂photostats␈α∂you␈α∂sent␈α∂me␈α⊂don't␈α∂have␈α∂the␈α∂quotation␈α∂from␈α∂Dondis␈α∂reprinted␈α⊂in␈α∂I.J.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Good's␈αreply.␈α Good␈αis␈αcertainly␈αright␈αthat␈αfor␈αa␈αcomputer␈αto␈αmove␈αthe␈αpieces␈αin␈αits␈αmemory␈αis␈αno
␈↓ ↓H␈↓more cheating than for a human to move them it his memory.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        As␈αto␈αwhether␈αcomputers␈αshould␈αbe␈αbarred␈α
from␈αtournaments,␈αit␈αseems␈αto␈αme␈αthat␈αthis␈α
is␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓matter␈αof␈αexpediency.␈α When␈αthe␈αhuman␈αchess␈αplayers␈αno␈αlonger␈α≡nd␈αit␈αinteresting␈αto␈αplay␈αagainst
␈↓ ↓H␈↓machines,␈α∂then␈α∂they␈α∞should␈α∂be␈α∂barred.␈α∞ Neither␈α∂the␈α∂programs␈α∞themselves␈α∂nor␈α∂the␈α∞programmers
␈↓ ↓H␈↓have␈αany␈α
special␈αrights␈αin␈α
the␈αmatter.␈α
 It␈αseems␈αto␈α
me␈αthat␈α
when␈αmachines␈αwin␈α
most␈αof␈α
the␈αtime,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈αchess␈αplayers␈αwill␈αwant␈αto␈αbar␈αthem␈αor␈αat␈αleast␈αrestrict␈αthem.␈α It␈αwould␈αbe␈αinteresting␈αto␈αtry␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓formulate␈αa␈αrestriction␈αon␈α
the␈αamount␈αof␈αcomputing␈α
the␈αprogram␈αis␈αallowed␈α
to␈αdo␈αto␈αdecide␈α
on␈αa
␈↓ ↓H␈↓move,␈α
but␈α
it␈αwouldn't␈α
be␈α
easy␈α
in␈αthe␈α
present␈α
state␈α
of␈αcomputer␈α
science.␈α
 Arti≡cial␈αintelligence␈α
would
␈↓ ↓H␈↓bene≡t from the ability to compare how clever a program is apart from how fast it is.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        I␈αhave␈αno␈αcommercial␈αinterest␈αin␈αKalah,␈αand␈αI␈αrepeat␈αthat␈αit␈αis␈αnot␈αa␈αcomputer␈αgame␈αper␈αse.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓I␈α
don't␈α
even␈αknow␈α
if␈α
it␈α
is␈αstill␈α
being␈α
marketed.␈α
 Our␈αprograms␈α
were␈α
written␈α
in␈αthe␈α
early␈α
60s␈αfor␈α
the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓now␈α∞defunct␈α∞PDP-1␈α∞computer␈α∞in␈α∞machine␈α∞language,␈α
and␈α∞I␈α∞can't␈α∞readily␈α∞lay␈α∞my␈α∞hands␈α∞on␈α
them.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Enclosed are some copies of some memos about the program.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



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