Zipf law in the popularity distribution of chess openings

Details Zipf law in the popularity distribution of chess openings Zipf law in the popularity distribution of chess openings

2007-04-20

arxiv.org/abs/0704.2711v2

Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 218701 (2009)

Physics

Physics and Society

5 pages, 4 figures

Scientific paper

10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.218701

We perform a quantitative analysis of extensive chess databases and show that the frequencies of opening moves are distributed according to a power-law with an exponent that increases linearly with the game depth, whereas the pooled distribution of all opening weights follows Zipf's law with universal exponent. We propose a simple stochastic process that is able to capture the observed playing statistics and show that the Zipf law arises from the self-similar nature of the game tree of chess. Thus, in the case of hierarchical fragmentation the scaling is truly universal and independent of a particular generating mechanism. Our findings are of relevance in general processes with composite decisions.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Zipf law in the popularity distribution of chess openings does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Zipf law in the popularity distribution of chess openings, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Zipf law in the popularity distribution of chess openings will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-573711