It seems somewhat weaker than the version with look-ahead in the games vs. the latter, but nearly the same strength as the latter in the games vs. other programs. The strength of Handtalk mainly depends on the precise calculations in its static evaluation. Block identification Block identification in Handtalk, similar to that proposed by Ken Chen, depends firstly on the influence of stones, and then appended by some connection patterns. However, the influence function is obviously different from that proposed by Ken Chen. A normal black stone radiates negative influence.
Dead stone radiates influence with opposite sign.
Half-dead or injured stone radiates less influence. The influences of stones on a point are additive, but not linear additive. For example, the influence on a point adjacent or diagonally adjacent to both black and white stones is 0, independent on the numbers of black and white stones. The unit of resulting influence is referred to as dot. The black blocks are formed in similar way.