Seasoning the Seasons of Go

[Elom0]

I was surprised to learn that seasons in China have very different timing to the definition UK's meteorological agency. I wouldn't have been surprised at a mild difference since much of China is not near the sea compared to the mostly-near-sea roman empire but the difference is beyond that. We've all heard about the mooncake shenanigans of the mid-autumn festival . . . in August!* Unless I'm mistaken . . .

Perhaps the same can be applied to AI. Their perception of when the opening, middle-game and endgame begin might shed light on how we might better understand them. Perhaps the AI's belief there's been a transition between the opening and the endgame may be a change in priority in the direction of moves. And of course that transition between the middlegame and the endgame is already marked by when an AI not trained for points makes weird moves in the endgame.

*In any case, I still think that schools should switch from the dumb concept of year groups to the smart concept of half-year groups that are based on equinoxes. Then they can be called warm first years for those that begin in spring and cool first years for those that begin in autumn.

[John Fairbairn]

I was surprised to learn that seasons in China have very different timing to the definition UK's meteorological agency.

Sounds to me as if you haven't factored in the lunar calendar, which would typically account for a month or so's difference. All the modern terms and associations reflect the lunar tradition (which is still in partial use). But it was also well known in ancient China that season starts and ends differed from North to South.

We have something not too dissimilar in the UK. Ne'er cast a clout till May is out. In the south "out" is taken to mean (so southerners tell me) May has "appeared". Up north, we take "out" to mean "is over".

[Elom0]

I was surprised to learn that seasons in China have very different timing to the definition UK's meteorological agency.

Sounds to me as if you haven't factored in the lunar calendar, which would typically account for a month or so's difference. All the modern terms and associations reflect the lunar tradition (which is still in partial use). But it was also well known in ancient China that season starts and ends differed from North to South.

We have something not too dissimilar in the UK. Ne'er cast a clout till May is out. In the south "out" is taken to mean (so southerners tell me) May has "appeared". Up north, we take "out" to mean "is over".

The Chinese mid-autumn is in September near the equinox after all, so . . .

In other words, to an inlander, the equinox and solstices represent the middle of the season, whereas to a person near the seas they represent the beginning, and the Chinese use the lunar calendar in conjunction with an inlander season pattern but have always acknowledged pan-regional differences?

I forgot that AI might conform to a different pattern of game phases altogether like Törmänen-Yang game phases. Understandung how AI interprets phases of time may be the first step in understanding AI.