[ Crosspost trimmed. ]
samsloan <samhsloan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> One factor to be considered is that the number of possible moves in
> a backgammon games is infinite. The players could easily just
> keeping hitting each other to infinity.
>
> The number of possible chess games, while very large, is not
> infinite. After a few billion moves the 50-move rule becomes a
> factor.
No, the number of possible chess games is infinite, since claiming a
draw under the fifty move rule or threefold repetition is not
mandatory. For analytical purposes, one can consider the game to be
finite, on the assumption that a player who can't win will always
claim the draw as soon as he can and that a player who can win will
never offer a repetition or a fifty-move draw.
Dave.
--
David Richerby Slimy Toy (TM): it's like a fun
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ child's toy but it's covered in
goo!
