lightvector/KataGo v1.3.4

New Nets, Negative PDA, Improved defaults

on GitHub

If you're a new user, don't forget to check out this section for getting started and basic usage!

Note if upgrading from v1.3.3 or earlier: KataGo OpenCL version on Windows will now keep its tuning data within the directory containing the executable, instead of from where you run it. This might mean that it will need to re-tune once more if you've been running it from a GUI that calls it from elsewhere. If so, then as usual, you can run the benchmark to let it tune as described in: https://github.com/lightvector/KataGo#how-to-use

New Neural Nets!

Each of these might be around 40 Elo stronger than those in the previous release of neural nets. Training still continues. :)

• g170-b30c320x2-s2271129088-d716970897 - ("g170 30 block s2.27G") - The latest 30-block net.
• g170-b40c256x2-s2383550464-d716628997 - ("g170 40 block s2.38G") - The latest 40-block net.
• g170e-b20c256x2-s3354994176-d716845198 - ("g170e 20 block s3.35G") - The latest 20-block net (continuing extended training on games from the bigger nets).

KataGo Code Changes this Release

UI and Configs

• Default configs and models!

  • For commands that need a GTP config file, if there is a file called default_gtp.cfg located in the same directory as the executable, KataGo will load that file by default if -config is not specified.
  • For commands that need a neural net model file, if there is a file called default_model.bin.gz or default_model.txt.gz located in the same directory as the executable, KataGo will load that file by default if -model is not specified.
  • So, if these files are provided, then KataGo's main engine can be now invoked purely via ./katago gtp with no further arguments.

• Adjusted a variety of minor default settings for GTP configs. KataGo should resign slightly more aggressively, have a higher maximum number of moves to display in its PV, use a better number of visits for genconfig, etc. NOTE: some of these may not take effect without switching to the new gtp configs included in the zip files for this release.

Play Improvements

• "PDA" scaling should be much more reasonable now on small board sizes than it used to be, hopefully improving handicap game strength on small boards.

• Negative "PDA" is used by default now for games when KataGo receives handicap stones. It can also be set explicitly in the config for testing non-standard unbalanced openings (but unlike handicap games, for arbitrary unbalanced positions it won't be detected by default). This should greatly improve KataGo's strength in handicap games as Black by causing it to play a little more solidly and safely. Thanks to Friday9i and others in the Leela Zero Discord chat for testing this. Note that the implemented scaling is probably still far from optimal - one can probably obtain better results by tuning PDA to a specific opponent + time control.

• Added option avoidMYTDaggerHack = true that if added/enabled in GTP config, will have KataGo avoid a specific opening joseki that current released networks may play poorly. Against certain bots (such Leela Zero) this also tends to lead to much greater opening variety.

Dev-oriented Improvements

• Implemented printsgf GTP command.

• Implement a couple of new GTP extensions that involve a mild hack specifically to help support the Sabaki gui.

• Removed a lot of old unused or deprecated code, significant internal refactors, added a bit of high-level documentation about what parts of the source code implement what.

• Removed dependence on dirent.h.

Selfplay-training Changes

• Added a new option to upweight training on positions with surprising evaluations, and a new option to help increase the proportion of "fairly" initialized games during selfplay.