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Subject: Re: couple of endgame positions

Author: Steve Timson

Date: 22:03:02 01/01/01

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>The other position is from a game against another program (ChesterX on
>ICC):
>
>[D] 2n5/8/1p6/pK5p/2N2k1P/8/PP6/8 w - h6
>
>Here Chester played a4, but the sac Nxb6 seems to be winning. It is not
>easy to find. Crafty fails high at ply 17, after almost 5 minutes of search
>(on a PIII/733):
>
>               17     4:53     ++   48. Nxb6!!
>               17     5:20   1.49   48. Nxb6 Nxb6 49. Kxb6 a4 50. Kb5 Kg3
>                                    51. Kxa4 Kxh4 52. b4 Kg4 53. b5 h4
>                                    54. Kb4 h3 55. b6 h2 56. b7 h1=Q 57.
>                                    b8=Q Qd5
>         (2)   17->   5:24   1.49   48. Nxb6 Nxb6 49. Kxb6 a4 50. Kb5 Kg3
>                                    51. Kxa4 Kxh4 52. b4 Kg4 53. b5 h4
>                                    54. Kb4 h3 55. b6 h2 56. b7 h1=Q 57.
>                                    b8=Q Qd5
>               18     6:34   1.55   48. Nxb6 Nxb6 49. Kxb6 Kg3 50. Kxa5
>                                    Kxh4 51. b4 Kg4 52. b5 h4 53. b6 h3
>                                    54. b7 h2 55. b8=Q h1=Q 56. Qc8+ Kf4
>                                    57. Qc7+ Kf5 58. Qc5+ Ke6 59. Kb5
>               18->   9:01   1.55   48. Nxb6 Nxb6 49. Kxb6 Kg3 50. Kxa5
>                                    Kxh4 51. b4 Kg4 52. b5 h4 53. b6 h3
>                                    54. b7 h2 55. b8=Q h1=Q 56. Qc8+ Kf4
>                                    57. Qc7+ Kf5 58. Qc5+ Ke6 59. Kb5
>               19    11:39   1.55   48. Nxb6 Nxb6 49. Kxb6 Kg3 50. Kxa5
>                                    Kxh4 51. b4 Kg4 52. b5 h4 53. b6 h3
>                                    54. b7 h2 55. b8=Q h1=Q 56. a4 Qc6
>                                    57. Qb5 Qc7+ 58. Kb4 Kf3
>
>I'd be interested in any analysis or comments on these positions from other
>players or programs.
>
>--Jon

Chester actually switches back and forth between Nxb6 and a4 off and on.  Here
is what Chester thinks about the position:

  5.44s   11      798445  +1.22  a4 Kg4 Nxb6 Nxb6 Kxb6 Kxh4 Kxa5 Kg5 b4 Kf5 Kb5
  9.56s   11     1557836  +1.47  Nxb6 Nd6+ Kxa5 Kg4 Kb4 Kxh4 Kc5 Ne4+ Kd4 Ng5
Nd5 Nf3+ Ke4 Kg4
 19.83s   12     3420369  +1.04  Nxb6 Nxb6 Kxb6 a4 Kb5 Kg4 Kxa4 Kxh4 b4 Kg5 b5
h4
 24.28s   12     4204443  +1.41  a4 Kg4 Kc6 Ne7+ Kxb6 Kxh4 Kxa5 Kg5 b4 h4 Kb5 h3
a5
 40.81s   13     7051588  +1.42  a4 Kg4 Nxb6 Nxb6 Kxb6 Kxh4 Kxa5 Kg5 b4 Kf6 Kb5
Ke5 a5
 60.20s   13    10611289  +1.56  Nxb6 Nd6+ Kxa5 Nf5 b4 Nxh4 b5 Nf5 Nc4 Nd4 b6
Nc6+ Kb5 Nd4+ Kc5 Ke4
144.29s   14    25560357  +1.11  a4 Kg4 Kc6 Ne7+ Kxb6 Kxh4 Nxa5 Kg5 Kc5 h4 Nc4
h3 Nd2 Kf5 b4
270.51s   15    47645722  +0.98  a4 Kg4 Nxb6 Nxb6 Kxb6 Kxh4 Kxa5 Kg5 b4 h4 b5 h3
b6 h2 b7 h1=Q b8=Q

Things start slowing down a lot right there.

This is short of where Crafty makes its discovery of course.

So, if I play a4 and then search Chester gives:

 28.07s   13     4787825  -1.11  Kg4 Kc6 Ne7+ Kxb6 Kxh4 Nxa5 Kg5 Nc4 h4 Kc5 h3
Nd2 Kf5 b4
 68.22s   14    11865384  -0.98  Kg4 Nxb6 Nxb6 Kxb6 Kxh4 Kxa5 Kg4 b4 h4 b5 h3 b6
h2 b7 ...
148.80s   15    26159174  -0.98  Kg4 Nxb6 Nxb6 Kxb6 Kxh4 Kxa5 Kg4 b4 h4 b5 h3 b6
h2 b7 ...
438.53s   16    77706614  -0.82  Kg4 Nxb6 Na7+ Kxa5 Kxh4 Ka6 Kg3 Kxa7 h4 Nc4 h3
Ne3 Kf2 Ng4+ Kg3 a5 Kxg4 a6

While if I play Nxb6:

 49.54s   14     9073476  -0.98  Nxb6 Kxb6 Kg4 Kxa5 Kxh4 b4 Kg5 b5 h4 b6 h3 b7
h2 ...
 64.64s   15    11979587  -0.87  Nxb6 Kxb6 a4 Kb5 Kg4 Kxa4 Kxh4 b4 Kg5 b5 h4 b6
h3 b7 h2 Kb4 h1=Q b8=Q
 94.69s   16    17796917  -0.87  Nxb6 Kxb6 a4 Kb5 Kg4 Kxa4 Kxh4 b4 Kg5 b5 h4 b6
h3 b7 h2 ...
175.15s   17    33233917  -0.87  Nxb6 Kxb6 a4 Kb5 Kg4 Kxa4 Kxh4 b4 Kg5 b5 h4 b6
h3 b7 h2 Kb4 h1=Q b8=Q

So basically Chester really can't make up its mind... :)  It certainly sees them
as roughly equivalent, at least to depths it can see in a reasonable time
period, though I'd definitely believe Crafty over Chester.

 - Steve



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