The number of effective moves for Chinese chess

Abstract

The accurate measurement for opening positions in a game is an important issue in computer games. Evaluation functions used in game-playing programs are designed for the middlegame, and may not suitable for the opening phase. This paper proposes a method, named the number of effective moves, which is composed by a set of opening heuristics. It can be seen as an evaluation function for the opening. In addition, we implement a GUI tool based on an opening book to facilitate adjustments. The tool helps to discover new opening lines in practice and to assist move selection in the opening.