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Subject: Re: My thought on Hydra vs Adams Game 1. Yes c4! was a killer shot.

Author: Drexel,Michael

Date: 09:34:36 06/23/05

Go up one level in this thread


On June 23, 2005 at 06:52:39, Vasik Rajlich wrote:

>On June 23, 2005 at 04:03:49, Drexel,Michael wrote:
>
>>On June 22, 2005 at 21:49:25, Robin Smith wrote:
>>
>>>On June 22, 2005 at 16:17:31, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>
>>>>On June 21, 2005 at 23:00:37, Robin Smith wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On June 21, 2005 at 18:36:34, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On June 21, 2005 at 16:44:21, Torstein Hall wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On June 21, 2005 at 15:30:03, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On June 21, 2005 at 14:19:44, Robin Smith wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>On June 21, 2005 at 14:11:23, Mark Young wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>On June 21, 2005 at 14:04:37, Ted Summers wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>To sum it up " He played a drawish opening in a tactic way. " Not a good idea
>>>>>>>>>>>when computers are able to hang with the best and proving themself as better
>>>>>>>>>>>than humans in open tactical positions. However I still think GM Adams can pull
>>>>>>>>>>>it together and Win or Draw this match.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>[D] r2q1rk1/1pp3pp/p2b4/nP1p1p1b/2PPn3/3B1N1P/P1QN1PP1/1RB1R1K1 b - - 0 17
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Having reached this position, we seemed to be watching the beginning of the end
>>>>>>>>>>>for Adams in the first game but hopefully not the match.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>C4! was a killer positional shot.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>c4 was a good move, but hardly a "killer".
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>It seems clear GM Adams missed this move when he played Na5.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Perhaps Adams miissed it, but it hardly seems "clear", since Black is still OK
>>>>>>>>>afterwards. His loss happened later.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>-Robin
>>>>>>>>The problem here is that the kingside is already a bit open.  One does _not_, as
>>>>>>>>a human, allow the computer to open _both_ sides of the board in the same game.
>>>>>>>>It invites a debacle such as this.  Of course, he made a couple of tactical
>>>>>>>>errors around the point where the rook on C8 was hanging, but he was already in
>>>>>>>>the wrong kind of position...
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>All the comps were suggesting the same moves as played by Hydra, so there was no
>>>>>>>>real surprises from the white side, just black making an error here, an error
>>>>>>>>there, before long he fell off the rim of the canyon.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>This is in my view far to general. Black was at least = uptil move 23.Be6
>>>>>>>[D]2rq1r1k/6pp/p2bB3/2p1Np1b/3Pn3/7P/P1Q2PP1/1RB1R1K1 b - - 0 23
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Define "equal".  Here I am considering the important detail that white is a
>>>>>>computer, black is a human.  In that regard, black is _not_ equal up to move 23.
>>>>>
>>>>>By that logic Adams was already much worse after 1.e4 no matter what he did.
>>>>>Let's face it, Hydra is stronger. Adams will probably be under presure in every
>>>>>game where he has the black pieces.
>>>>>
>>>>>> In fact, I don't believe black is anywhere near equal.
>>>>>
>>>>>He is equal unless you use your "considering the important detail that white is
>>>>>a computer" logic.
>>>>>
>>>>>>He isn't lost, but he is far from equal and is at best fighting for a draw.
>>>>>
>>>>>>But in an open position.
>>>>>>And he just has no chance in that kind of position.
>>>>>
>>>>>He was under presure, yes. That is a far cry from "has no chance".
>>>>>
>>>>>>But I would take white anywhere along the way in that game, as a human playing
>>>>>>another human.  And by the way, any move after the "knight to the rim" move
>>>>>>finds white better IMHO.
>>>>>
>>>>>Your opinion is wrong, unless perhaps you mean that white had a very slight
>>>>>advantage. That is the norm in chess, by the way.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>Adams played 23...Rc7 while 23...cxd4 looks like it holds everything nicely
>>>>>>>together.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Doesn't quite hold everything nicely together.  The comps were at about +1 here
>>>>>>already, went to +1.5 on the Rc7 move.
>>>>>
>>>>>Maybe Craqfty sees +1, but the top programs don't see anything near +1 until
>>>>>_after_ Rc7. Before Rc7 black was fine.
>>>>>
>>>>>>But then the next few moves were mostly
>>>>>>bad by black, turning this into a debacle.  But if there were not so many open
>>>>>>files, open diagonals, etc, black wouldn't have had to be worrying about tactics
>>>>>>all over the board.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> One line could be 23...cxd4 24.Qxc8 Qf6 25.Qc4 Qxe5 26.Qa5 and black
>>>>>>>looks OK to me.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>But white looks better to me there.  Maybe not "winning better" but
>>>>>>"significantly better".
>>>>>
>>>>>Try "very slightly better". Adams played well until Rc7. Hydra is very strong
>>>>>and kept putting the presure on and finally Adams made a mistake.
>>>>>
>>>>>-Robin
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Again, let me remind you that I qualified my response to "knowing this is a
>>>>computer vs human, black is exposing himself to difficulty."
>>>
>>>That is _not_ what you said. If that _had_ been what you said I would have
>>>agreed. But your original statements were stronger. Here are some actual quotes:
>>>
>>>Hyatt:"black making an error here, an error there"
>>>
>>>In chess terms he made his error on move 23, not "an error here, an error there"
>>>before move 23. In anti-computer terms, by your logic he should never should
>>>agreed to the match, since 1...e5 is the defense he knows best and no matter
>>>what he does he will be playing into Hydra's strength (either the "open game" or
>>>else openings Adams doesn't know as well as Hydra).
>>>
>>>Hyatt:"he just has no chance in that kind of position"
>>>
>>>This is silly. Of course he has a chance. The odds are against him, yes. The
>>>odds are against him when he has black no matter _what_ opening he plays. But
>>>Adams on a good day will find a way to hold 1...e5 against Hydra, even if/when
>>>Hydra opens things up.
>>>
>>>Hyatt:"Doesn't quite hold everything nicely together. The comps were at about +1
>>>here already, went to +1.5 on the Rc7 move."
>>>
>>>No. Maybe Crafty said +1, but the _top_ programs say ~=.
>>>
>>>Hyatt:"If your strength is in the same area as your opponent, but his strength
>>>in that area is much greater, only an idiot would stick with that plan"
>>>
>>>You're calling Adams an idiot? This is the kind of statement I find really
>>>offensive. What arrogance!!
>>>
>>>>I'd be fairly happy with either side against an equal human opponent.  But
>>>>against a computer, I want things blocked, not open.  e4 e5 is the wrong way to
>>>>block things up.  There are multiple options after e4 that avoid many of the
>>>>wide-open king-pawn type positions...
>>>>
>>>>He's done the same thing again today.  f4 was the move I would play as white,
>>>>_unless_ I was playing a computer.  Before I would play f4, I would have to be
>>>>_certain_ that I can win from that point.  I would not want to leave the
>>>>computer playing on both sides of the board, with a pair of bishops, pair of
>>>>rooks and a queen still on the board.
>>>
>>>Then how come he got a draw today?
>>>
>>>>So again, my comments were based not on pure chess, but on the opponent for
>>>>Adams...
>>>
>>>I believe Adams knows better than anyone else on the planet in what openings he
>>>does best against computers. I think it is highly arrogant when people suggest
>>>otherwise. The fact that Adams is a 1...e5 player does not help him, I agree;
>>>but if he starts switching openings he will also have trouble, since now he will
>>>be playing a computer that knows the opening better than he does.
>>
>>Wrong
>>A computer generally has no idea how to play certain openings. Hydra is clueless
>>either.
>>It is known that Hydra uses a relatively small book. It would be not a big
>>problem to get it out of book early similiar to the Kasparov- Deep Junior match.
>>
>>I have beaten Shredder 9.02 running on a Dual Opteron with Black in 30 moves at
>>the CSS freestyle online tourney.
>>The opening was 1.e4 h6?
>>Do you think I play 1...h6 against humans in OTB games?
>>
>>I don´t suggest Adams should play it, although it probably isn´t worse than 1.e4
>>e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 :)
>>
>>Michael
>>
>>
>
>Kasparov was also playing rather open chess in the matches with Junior and
>Fritz.

He tried to play semi-open positions. Positions with a fixed pawn structure.

>
>I remember game 4 with Fritz. The commentators were really worried that Kasparov
>had played into an open position - the horror. Of course the game was easily
>drawn.

You can never completely avoid open positions. That´s not the point.
You simply should avoid them whenever possible to increase your chances.


>A lot of people here get hung up on this anti-comp stuff. The problem is you can
>take yourself out of your normal game and really look like an idiot playing that
>way. (See Kasparov-Deep Blue 2 for some examples.) Chess is going to have some
>tactics.
>Also keep in mind that many weaker players are happy to lose game after game
>playing passively before finally drawing. Adams wouldn't be so happy with that.

I don´t suggest to play passively at all, just to play solid.
Certainly you have to go for counterplay if it is necessary.

>
>Basically there is a tricky balancing point. Yes, machines are better in open
>positions. The question is, do you drop your main defense to 1. e4 because of
>this? Adams thought not - and believe me, it's not because he doesn't know
>anything about chess software :)

Adams is clearly the worst "Anti-Computer" player amongst the top GMs I have
seen so far.

Michael

>
>Vas
>
>>
>>
>> _Either_ way
>>>is an up-hill battle. Adams might try 1...c6, since he has played that on
>>>occaision, but anything else is highly unlikely and computers can put some real
>>>presure on in the Caro too.
>>>
>>>-Robin



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