Better document how mate scores are stored in TT

[stockfish] / src / search.cpp

diff --git a/src/search.cpp b/src/search.cpp
index b70409b88511878c6bf13966ad7c8142958b3e1f..f976908ec31b0e5b2a9f9d36235b365461a3d9e7 100644 (file)
--- a/src/search.cpp
+++ b/src/search.cpp
@@ -588,9 +588,9 @@ namespace {
     const bool SpNode   = (NT == SplitPointPV || NT == SplitPointNonPV || NT == SplitPointRoot);
     const bool RootNode = (NT == Root || NT == SplitPointRoot);
 
-    assert(alpha >= -VALUE_INFINITE && alpha <= VALUE_INFINITE);
-    assert(beta > alpha && beta <= VALUE_INFINITE);
-    assert(PvNode || alpha == beta - 1);
+    assert(alpha >= -VALUE_INFINITE && alpha < beta && beta <= VALUE_INFINITE);
+    assert(PvNode == (alpha != beta - 1));
+    assert(depth > DEPTH_ZERO);
     assert(pos.thread() >= 0 && pos.thread() < Threads.size());
 
     Move movesSearched[MAX_MOVES];
@@ -640,11 +640,16 @@ namespace {
          || ss->ply > PLY_MAX) && !RootNode)
         return VALUE_DRAW;
 
-    // Step 3. Mate distance pruning
+    // Step 3. Mate distance pruning. Even if we mate at the next move our score
+    // would be at best mate_in(ss->ply+1), but if alpha is already bigger because
+    // a shorter mate was found upward in the tree then there is no need to search
+    // further, we will never beat current alpha. Same logic but with reversed signs
+    // applies also in the opposite condition of being mated instead of giving mate,
+    // in this case return a fail-high score.
     if (!RootNode)
     {
-        alpha = std::max(value_mated_in(ss->ply), alpha);
-        beta = std::min(value_mate_in(ss->ply+1), beta);
+        alpha = std::max(mated_in(ss->ply), alpha);
+        beta = std::min(mate_in(ss->ply+1), beta);
         if (alpha >= beta)
             return alpha;
     }
@@ -701,7 +706,7 @@ namespace {
     if (   (move = (ss-1)->currentMove) != MOVE_NULL
         && (ss-1)->eval != VALUE_NONE
         && ss->eval != VALUE_NONE
-        && pos.captured_piece_type() == PIECE_TYPE_NONE
+        && pos.captured_piece_type() == NO_PIECE_TYPE
         && !is_special(move))
     {
         Square to = move_to(move);
@@ -1122,7 +1127,7 @@ split_point_start: // At split points actual search starts from here
     // harmless because return value is discarded anyhow in the parent nodes.
     // If we are in a singular extension search then return a fail low score.
     if (!moveCount)
-        return excludedMove ? oldAlpha : inCheck ? value_mated_in(ss->ply) : VALUE_DRAW;
+        return excludedMove ? oldAlpha : inCheck ? mated_in(ss->ply) : VALUE_DRAW;
 
     // If we have pruned all the moves without searching return a fail-low score
     if (bestValue == -VALUE_INFINITE)
@@ -1190,10 +1195,9 @@ split_point_start: // At split points actual search starts from here
     const bool PvNode = (NT == PV);
 
     assert(NT == PV || NT == NonPV);
-    assert(alpha >= -VALUE_INFINITE && alpha <= VALUE_INFINITE);
-    assert(beta >= -VALUE_INFINITE && beta <= VALUE_INFINITE);
-    assert(PvNode || alpha == beta - 1);
-    assert(depth <= 0);
+    assert(alpha >= -VALUE_INFINITE && alpha < beta && beta <= VALUE_INFINITE);
+    assert(PvNode == (alpha != beta - 1));
+    assert(depth <= DEPTH_ZERO);
     assert(pos.thread() >= 0 && pos.thread() < Threads.size());
 
     StateInfo st;
@@ -1366,7 +1370,7 @@ split_point_start: // At split points actual search starts from here
     // All legal moves have been searched. A special case: If we're in check
     // and no legal moves were found, it is checkmate.
     if (inCheck && bestValue == -VALUE_INFINITE)
-        return value_mated_in(ss->ply);
+        return mated_in(ss->ply); // Plies to mate from the root
 
     // Update transposition table
     move = bestValue <= oldAlpha ? MOVE_NONE : ss->bestMove;
@@ -1491,8 +1495,8 @@ split_point_start: // At split points actual search starts from here
 
 
   // value_to_tt() adjusts a mate score from "plies to mate from the root" to
-  // "plies to mate from the current ply". Non-mate scores are unchanged. The
-  // function is called before storing a value to the transposition table.
+  // "plies to mate from the current position". Non-mate scores are unchanged.
+  // The function is called before storing a value to the transposition table.
 
   Value value_to_tt(Value v, int ply) {
 
@@ -1506,8 +1510,9 @@ split_point_start: // At split points actual search starts from here
   }
 
 
-  // value_from_tt() is the inverse of value_to_tt(): It adjusts a mate score from
-  // the transposition table to a mate score corrected for the current ply.
+  // value_from_tt() is the inverse of value_to_tt(): It adjusts a mate score
+  // from the transposition table (where refers to the plies to mate/be mated
+  // from current position) to "plies to mate/be mated from the root".
 
   Value value_from_tt(Value v, int ply) {