lightvector wrote:Yep I think your experience is transferable, but probably to midgame positions with extreme and deep tactics, some of which end in huge winner-take-all swings.
In games between Karl's 40b-IH120 (with Black) vs. my 60b-IH120 (with White), White likes to enter a "normal" middle game (i.e. without Main Semeai), if she gets the chance to do so.
There exist several moments for playing my Guzumi (40b likes these a lot), which provide White with the above mentioned option.
Apparently, the "extreme and deep tactics" of the Main Semeai tend to be too extreme and too deep for Katago, too.
For opening and for "common" game positions, the komi and/or current winrate doesn't make nearly as much of a difference, to the degree that in practice I find it usually not worth spending the time fiddling with.
That is what I also wanted to emphasize.
I think that over time Robert will also become more "insensitive" to these parameters.
For example, KataGo plays still pretty reasonably in 3 or 4-stone handicap games, in which the initial winrate for white < 1%, and well enough to win against amateurs and usually severely challenge professional players (although 4 stones, and even often 3 stones is too much to overcome versus strong pros). Mostly good moves that gradually close the gap as the opponent makes mistakes or plays inefficiently, rather than mostly "desperation moves" that can be refuted and all just fail. In some ways, even too respectful of the opponent sometimes.
With the "desperation moves" in IH120, there are no longer any meaningful possibilities to turn the tide. In addition, the board is already very full of stones.
This should absolutely not be the case in the handicap games you described.
And yes, KataGo is very very smart in accumulating small advandages!
