Evaluation function
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An evaluation function, also known as heuristic evaluation function or static evaluation function by game-playing programs to estimate the value or goodness of a position in the minimax algorithm. The evaluation function is typically designed to be fast and accuracy is not a concern (therefore heuristic); the function looks only at the current position and does not explore possible moves (therefore static).
One popular strategy for constructing evaluation functions is as a weighted sum of various factors that are thought to influence the value of a position. For instance, an evaluation function for chess might take the form
c1 * material + c2 * mobility + c3 * king safety + c4 * center control + ...
See also
External references
- Keys to Evaluating Positions (http://myweb.cableone.net/christienolan/coach/evaluating.htm)
- http://alumni.imsa.edu/~stendahl/comp/txt/gnuchess.txt - Heuristic function used by GNU Chess