SLOBOL (2015 language)

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SLOBOL is a language created by Tanner Swett in 2015.

A SLOBOL program consists of a grid of characters, representing a Go board of any finite size and shape. The characters may be # (hash, representing a "wall"—a point in the grid that does not correspond to a point on the board), . (period, representing an empty point), X (representing a black stone), or O (representing a white stone).

Execution consists of a game of Go starting with the specified position and obeying the Tromp-Taylor rules. Each player follows the optimal strategy, where "optimal strategy" means that each player always makes the move which results in the highest final score for that player, assuming that the other player follows the optimal strategy. (This definition is recursive but well-founded, as a Go game with superko is guaranteed to halt in time exponential in the number of squares.) If the optimal strategy permits multiple equally good moves, the move which is made is unspecified (a correct implementation may select any of the moves among those which are tied for best).

A naive implementation probably halts in double exponential time in the number of squares.

No significant programs have been created.