Pioneer

was a Soviet Artificial Intelligence project headed by Mikhail Botvinnik with the aim to develop a chess program to model a Chess Master's Mind, also used as general purpose planning tool to solve [|economical] problems in the [|Soviet Union]. Based on a hierarchical mathematical model consisting of square control, trajectories, sheaves of trajectories, and counter trajectories of attacking and defending pieces, piece chains, and zones, and the intermediate goal to win material within a given horizon, its purpose was a minimax best-first search of extremely narrow but deep game trees. The name Pioneer was chosen in 1977, when the program was invited to play the WCCC 1977 in Toronto. However, Pioneer was never completed in a way that it could play a game of chess in public under tournament conditions. || toc =Early Ideas= Botvinnik's early ideas on attack maps were already formulated and published the late 50s and 60s. At [|Moscow Central Chess Club] in 1966, with the skeptical Georgy Adelson-Velsky and others attending, he introduced the concept of trajectories and found Vladimir Butenko as supporter and collaborator. Butenko first implemented the 15x15 vector attacks board representation on a M-20 computer, determining trajectories. The table below demonstrates the distance from a square (here c2) on a 8x8 board, superimposed on the 15x15 array in such a way that the from square (c2) coincides with the central square of the 15x15 array, which is the origin, tail, or base of all displacement vectors. code ╔════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╗ 210 ║ 7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╔════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╤════╗────┼────╢ 195 ║  7 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 ║  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢────┼────╢ 180 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  5 |  5 ║  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢────┼────╢ 165 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  4 ║  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  5 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢────┼────╢ 150 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  3 ║  3 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  4 |  5 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢────┼────╢ 135 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  3 ║  2 |  2 |  2 |  2 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢────┼────╢ 120 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  3 ║  2 |  1 |  1 |  1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╟────┼────╔════╗────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢────┼────╢ 105 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  3 ║  2 |  1 ║  0 ║  1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╟────┼────╚════╝────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢────┼────╢  90 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  3 ║  2 |  1 |  1 |  1 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 ║  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────╚════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╝────┼────╢  75 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  3 |  2 |  2 |  2 |  2 |  2 |  3 |  4 |  5 |  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢  60 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  3 |  4 |  5 |  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢  45 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  4 |  5 |  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢  30 ║  7 |  6 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  5 |  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢  15 ║  7 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  6 |  7 ║     ╟────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────╢   0 ║  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 |  7 ║     ╚════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╧════╝        0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10   11   12   13   14 code Boris Stilman gave following example to generate a set or sheave of trajectories for a king moving from f6 to h1 : code D(f6,K)         +  D(h1,K)          =  SUM                 SUM == D(f6,h1) 5 4 3 2 2 2 2 2    7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7     c b a 9 9 9 9 9. . . . . . . . 5 4 3 2 1 1 1 2    7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6     c a 9 8 7 7 7 8. . . . . . . . 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2    7 6 5 5 5 5 5 5     c a 8 7 6|5|6 7. . . . . 1 . . 5 4 3 2 1 1 1 2    7 6 5 4 4 4 4 4     c a 8 6|5 5 5|6. . . . 1 1 1 . 5 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 +  7 6 5 4 3 3 3 3  =  c a 8 6|5 5 5 5|. . . . 1 1 1 1 5 4 3 3 3 3 3 3    7 6 5 4 3 2 2 2     c a 8 7 6|5 5 5|. . . . . 1 1 1 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4    7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1     c a 9 8 7 6|5 5|. . . . . . 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5    7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0     c b a 9 8 7 6|5|. . . . . . . 1 code =Mathematical Projection= In Botvinnik's hierarchical Mathematical Projection (**MP**) of chess as a complex system, trajectories build the lowest level of the hierarchy. The concepts of zones as intermediate level of the MP consists of a network of main trajectories conform to attacking or defending plans determined elsewhere, negation trajectories, that is opponent's counter trajectories which may block or combat the primary trajectory in time, and own supporting counter-counter trajectories. The MP controls the growth of a search tree inside a best-first search, and prunes all branches forward which could not reach a goal in time. After Botvinnik introduced the concept of Zones in 1970, Butenko refused further cooperation and began to write his own program.
 * Home * Engines * Pioneer**
 * [[image:320px-Frederick_McCubbin_-_The_pioneer_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_McCubbin_-_The_pioneer_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg"]] ||~  || **Pioneer**, (Russian: Пионер)
 * Frederick McCubbin - The pioneer, 1904 ||~  ||^   ||

=Further Research= In the 70s and 80s, a team around Boris Stilman, Alexander Yudin, Alexander Reznitskiy, Michael Tsfasman, Vadim Mirniy and Mikhail Chudakov worked on Pioneer at the //State Committee for Science and Technology//, [|Moscow], [|USSR], the //National Research Institute for Electrical Engineering//, Moscow, USSR and the [|USSR Academy of Sciences], Moscow, USSR. Botvinnik and his team proposed a attack map and offset map move generating strategy based on Vector Attacks, and a hierarchical geometrical model based on trajectories, sheaves of trajectories and chains - a set of pieces, each with their trajectories, enjoying the property of aiding or hindering the attack of a piece against a target. Based on this research, Boris Stilman later coined the term Linguistic Geometry, a new type of game theory. Alexander Reznitskiy and Mikhail Chudakov presented the current state of a long development originated by Botvinnik in an 1990 ICCA Journal article.

=Controversy= Botvinnik published abilities of Pioneer and its successor CC Sapiens on selected positions, but they never played a complete game of chess in public. For his publication //Three Positions//, Botvinnik was heavily criticized by Hans Berliner   , and his old chess rival David Bronstein.

=Photos=

McGill University 1977

 * [[image:3-3.Botvinnik.McGill_University_Lecture.Montreal.1977.102645344.NEWBORN.lg.jpg width="580" link="http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/still-image/Chess_temporary/still-image/"]] ||
 * Botvinnik's Lecture on Pioneer at McGill University 1977 - any questions? Monty Newborn left ||

Moscow 1980

 * [[image:ReznitkiyStilmanDonskoyBotvinnikNewborn.jpg width="580" link="http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/still-image/Chess_temporary/still-image/3-3.Resnitsky_Stilman_Donskoy_Botvinnik_Newborn.Moscow.1980.102645342.NEWBORN.jpg"]] ||
 * A. Reznitskiy, B. Stilman, M. Donskoy (Kaissa), M. Botvinnik, Monty & Amy Newborn   ||

=Timeline=
 * ~ 1958 || Botvinnik's idea to make computer grandmaster. ||
 * ~ 1960 || Botvinnik's Lecture Humboldt University Berlin: "Men and machines at the chessboard." ||
 * ~ 1961 || Article: MM Botvinnik, //Men and machines at the chess board//. Chess in the USSR, 1961, № 3, Moscow ||
 * ~ 1964 || Goal game of chess (Botvinnik, PIONEER, Mansurov, 2004). ||
 * ~ 1966 || Dispute in Central Chess Club. Trajectory shapes. 15x15 table. Vladimir Butenko programs the trajectory of chess pieces ||
 * ~ 1968 || Book: MM Botvinnik, chess algorithm, //Nauka//, Moscow, 1968 tactical cost of pieces ||
 * ~ 1969 || Concept of Zones ||
 * ~ 1970 || Book: MM Botvinnik //[|Computers, Chess and Long-Range Planning]//. [|Springer] ||
 * ~  || Butenko's refusal to fruther cooperate with Botvinnik ||
 * ~ 1972 || New Programmers: Boris Stillman and Alexander Yudin ||
 * ~  || Computer time on an English computer ICL 4/70 (clone of IBM/360) ||
 * ~ 1976 || Stillman BM, //About the formation of the playing area//. Dep. VINITI 3947-76, (also in Stillman BM, 1979 ). Stillman BM //The tree in the zone busting game//. Dep. VINITI 3947a-76 (also in Stillman BM, 1979 ). ||
 * ~ 1976 || Invitation to a second world championship of chess programs in Toronto, Canada. ||
 * ~ 1977 || Chess program dubbed Pioneer ||
 * ~ 1978 || MM Botvinnik, BM Stillman, AD Yudin //Artificial chess master//. Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the USSSR, Moscow, 1978, № 4, p.82-91. ||
 * ~ 1978 || BM Stillman //Research-based management model of a chess game//. Technical report, VNIIE, Moscow, 1978 ||
 * ~ 1978 || Grants for computer time: ||
 * ~  || At [|University of Mannheim] ([|Hans Meuer]) for the improvement and completion of the PIONEER project (For 0.5 year), Germany . ||
 * ~  || At University of Dortmund (Hans-Jürgen Appelrath) for the development of AI theory of complex systems and its application to the PIONEER project (for 0.5 year), Germany. ||
 * ~  || From [|Control Data Corp.] (CDC, David Cahlander) for the improvement of the PIONEER program and development of efficient methods for solving practical search problems (for 0.5 year), USA. ||
 * ~ 1980 || MM Botvinnik, BM Stillman, AD Yudin, AI Reznitskii, MA Tsfasman //The chess players and computers//. Preprint for the 2nd International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, 9 pages, Repino, Leningrad, Russia, in October 1980. ||
 * ~  || Retired programmer: Alexander Yudin ||
 * ~ 1980 || New developer: Mikhail Chudakov, Vadim Mirniy ||
 * ~ 1981 || Retired programmer: Michael Tsfasman ||
 * ~ 1981 || The grant for computer time (600 rubles) ||
 * ~  || From the USSR National Committee for Science and Technology for the design of new methods and software for solving complex search problems, (For 3 years, MM Botvinnik, BM Stilman, V Mirniy, AI Reznitskiy), USSR. ||
 * ~ 1988 || Retired programmers: Vadim Mirniy and Boris Stillman ||
 * ~ 1990 || Dismissed programmers: Alexander Reznitskiy and Mikhail Chudakov ||
 * ~ 1990 || End of project Pioneer ||
 * ~ 1994 || CC Sapiens ||

=Quotes=

Rushton and Marsland
Paul Rushton and Tony Marsland, 1973, in //Current Chess Programs// :

David Kittinger
David Kittinger and Scott McDonald in Computer Chess Digest Annual 1984 on Novag Constellation :

Reznitskiy and Chudakov
Alexander Reznitskiy and Mikhail Chudakov in ICCA Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4 :

Boris Stilman
Boris Stilman in //Linguistic Geometry//. Acknowledgments :

=See also=
 * Astronomy
 * CC Sapiens
 * Pion
 * Pioneers

=Selected Publications=

1968 ...

 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1968**). //Algoritm igry v shakhmaty//. (The algorithm of chess)

1970 ...
> Boris Stilman (**1975**). //Formirovanie Mnozestva Puchkov Traektorii//. (Formation of the Set of Trajectory Bundles), pp. 70-78 > Boris Stilman (**1979**). //Zoni Igri//. (Fields of Play). pp.70-104. > Boris Stilman, Michael Tsfasman (**1979**). //Pozicionnaja Ocenka i Prioriteti//. (Positional Value and Assignment of Priorities). pp. 104
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1970**). //[|Computers, Chess and Long-Range Planning]//. [|Springer], [|reviews from goodreads]
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1975**). //O Kiberneticheskoi Celi Igri//. (On the Cybernetic Goal of Games), Soviet Radio, Moscow
 * Harry Shershow (**1979**). //On Botvinnik's Program//. Personal Computing, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 51
 * Harry Shershow (**1979**). //A Russian Algorithm for Chess//. Personal Computing, Vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 77
 * Editor (**1979**). //A Russian View of Chess Computers//. Personal Computing, Vol. 3, No. 9, pp. 64
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1979**). //O Reshenii Netochnih Prebornih Zadach//. (On Solving Inexact Search Problems), Soviet Radio, Moscow

1980 ...
> Michael Tsfasman, Boris Stilman (**1984**). //The Positional Estimate and Assignment of Priorities//.
 * Mikhail Botvinnik, Boris Stilman, Alexander Yudin, Alexander Reznitskiy, Michael Tsfasman (**1980**). //Thinking of Man and Computer//. Proc. of the Second International Meeting on Artificial Intelligence, pp. 1-9, Repino, Leningrad, Russia.
 * Tony Marsland, Monty Newborn (**1981**). //A brighter future for Soviet computer chess?// ICCA Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 1, [|pdf]
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1982**). //Decision Making and Computers.// Advances in Computer Chess 3
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1982**). //Meine neuen Ideen zur Schachprogrammierung//. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (German)
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1983**). //The Game of Chess: Its past, present and future//. ICCA Journal, Vol. 6, No. 3
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1984**). //[|Computers in Chess: Solving Inexact Search Problems]//. [|Springer]

1990 ...

 * Alexander Reznitskiy (**1990**). //Pioneer Approach to Chess Programming//. Praxis der Informationverarbeitung und Kommunikation, 3/90, pp. 151-157, K.G. Saur Verlag, Munich.
 * Alexander Reznitskiy, Mikhail Chudakov (**1990**). //Pioneer: a Chess Program Modelling a Chess Master's Mind//. ICCA Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4
 * Mikhail Botvinnik (**1993**). //Three Positions//. ICCA Journal, Vol. 16, No. 2
 * Mikhail Botvinnik, Evgeniĭ Dmitrievich Cherevik, Vasily Vladimirov, Vitaly Vygodsky (**1994**). //[|Solving Shannon's Problem: Ways and Means]//. Advances in Computer Chess 7
 * Boris Stilman (**1994**). //A Linguistic Geometry of the Chess Model//. Advances in Computer Chess 7, [|pdf draft]
 * Marty Hirsch (**1995**). //Botwinnik und die Schachprogrammierung//. Computerschach und Spiele, June-July 1995 (German)

2000 ...

 * Boris Stilman (**2000**). //[|Linguistic Geometry - From Search to Construction]//. Operations Research/Computer Science Interfaces Series. Springer US, ISBN: 978-0-7923-7738-2

=Forum Posts=

1993 ...
> [|Re: Botvinnik article] by Peter Gillgasch, rgcc, October 23, 1996 > [|Re: Botvinnik article] by Marc-François Baudot, rgcc, November 07, 1996 » Advances in Computer Chess 7
 * [|Kasparov missed Beautiful win; Botvinnik's Program muffs analysis] by Hans Berliner, rec.games.chess, July 9, 1993
 * [|Botvinnik article] by Jonathan Schaeffer, rgcc, October 23, 1996
 * [|Botvinniks Chess Algorithm ??] by Bruce Moreland, rgcc, October 05, 1997

2000 ...

 * [|What is Botvinnik's legacy to computer chess?] by Drazen Marovic, CCC, February 20, 2000
 * [|"The Tale of a Small Tree" by M.M.Botvinnik [fragment]] by José Antônio Fabiano Mendes, CCC, March 09, 2000 » Réti Endgame Study
 * [|Re: KAISSA for PC, I'm the proud owner] by Eugene Nalimov, CCC, February 01, 2002 » Kaissa, Siberian Chess

2010 ...

 * [|М. Ботвинник. Проект "ПИОНЕР"] by Kashchey the Deathless, immortalchess, March 10, 2010, ([|Botvinnik. The "Pioneer"] translated by [|Google_Translate])
 * [|Pioneer] by Henk van den Belt, CCC, September 09, 2016

=External Links=

Chess Program
> [|Энциклопедия шахмат - Ботвинник] В.Линдер, И.Линдер, [|The Encyclopedia of Chess - Botvinnik] B. Linder, J. Linder > [|По стопам ПИОНЕРа], [|In the footsteps of Pioneer]
 * [|Лингвистическая Геометрия] Бориса Штильмана, [|Linguistic Geometry] Boris Stilman by Alexander Timofeev ([|Google Translate])
 * [|Computers, Chess and Long-range Planning by Botvinnik] by John L. Jerz
 * [|Über Stand und Entwicklung seines Computer-Schachprogramms "Pionier" referierte Prof. Michael Botwinnik (67), UdSSR, auf einer einwöchigen Vortragsreise durch die Bundesrepublik], April 04, 1978, Computerwoche 15/1978 (German)
 * [|"Pionier" rüstet sich zum Wettkampf], July 21, 1978, Computerwoche (German)
 * [|"Pionier" rüstet sich zum Wettkampf (Fortsetzung)], July 28, 1978, Computerwoche (German)
 * [|Martin Meuer: "I Wanted to Do Something Different in Conjunction with Computers"] | [|chess-news.ru], June 28, 2012

Misc
> [|Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union - Wikipedia] > [|Young Pioneer camp from Wikipedia] > [|Category:Pioneer movement - Wikimedia Commons] > media type="youtube" key="9QchRNthUTo"
 * [|Pioneer from Wikipedia]
 * [|Пионер — Википедия] (Russian)
 * [|Pioneer program from Wikipedia]
 * [|Pioneer anomaly from Wikipedia]
 * [|Pioneer species from Wikipedia]
 * [|Pioneer movement from Wikipedia]
 * [|Pioneers Palace from Wikipedia]
 * Can - [|Unfinished], 1975, [|YouTube] Video

=References= =What links here?= include page="Pioneer" component="backlinks" limit="60"
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