Author: Ossie Weiner
Date: 03:25:55 03/17/98
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The Fritz 5 scandal
International competition manipulated by a Hamburg company?
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1. Manipulation - the formula for success?
Once upon a time chess players used to meet in tournament halls
and
played championships in order to determine the best of the best.
Sportive
competitions were going on with fair and equal chances to everybody.
Later
chess - like many other sports - became big business and more and more
organisations turned up in order to grab a piece of the cake. World
champions gained their title without playing a match, there was even a
famous champion who founded his own organisation and re-definded new
rules.
Also computer-chess has become a field of serious business, and
so
it's not surprising that the spirit of sportmanship and fairness is
declining. That's why the world needs CLEARLY DEFINED RULES, and of
course
organisations to watch over them.
A typical "formula for success" can be described as follows:
MANIPULATIVE METHODS ---> leading to --->
UNJUSTIFIED ADVANTAGES ---> leading to --->
UNDESERVED SUCCESS
* Manipulative methods, e.g. exerting pressure on a
non-commercial
organisation like the SSDF in order to change the rules in the favour of
one specific company.
* Unjustified advantages, e.g. by using of a very special,
top-secret, publically not available autoplayer system, such receiving
some
valuable "gifts": a huge amount of extra RAM, add-on powerbooks and end
game databases, access to opponent's data, ...
* Undeserved success, like an inflated rating, which seems - not
surprising after all this extra privileges - almost 100 Elo points
higher
than in handtested games.
There are only two ways to face such (political?) situations:
* One can either start using the same methods,
OR
* all parties together can try to stop this nonsense and return
to
the previous status.
2. How the Fritz 5 scandal started
For many years the SSDF rating list has been a trusted source of
information for computer chess enthusiasts. It used to be the basic
principle of this non-commercial organisation that chess computers and
chess programs were tested only in exactly the same form which was also
available to the public. This straightforward principle made the SSDF
ratings valuable for all interested parties.
For the first time now the SSDF has allowed a company called ChessBase
GmbH
to supply a special hardware/software configuration which is NOT
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. That means SPECIAL PRIVILEGES have been given to
ChessBase in comparison to other chess software suppliers.
a. Unlike all other chess programs Fritz 5 has been tested with a
special Powerbook loaded onto the hard disk for speed increase.
These Powerbooks are normally NOT supplied with Fritz 5.
b. Fritz 5 has been tested with endgame databases. This has not
been
the case with other programs such as MChess Pro 7.1 and Shredder
2.0.
c. The exe-file used in these tests is different from the
commercial
Fritz 5 exe-file. For example unlike the commercial Fritz 5 it's
refusing to play with less than 64 MB RAM or without special
opening books.
d. Fritz 5 is not being tested with a standard auto232 interface,
but
with a very special SECRET CONFIGURATION supplied by ChessBase.
e. This setup opens the door to various manipulations such a
special
tuning to different opponents. It also requires a min. RAM size of
64
MB, a UNIQUE PRIVILEGE nobody else has demanded or been granted
up
to know.
f. In some games even as much as 128 MB of RAM has been granted to
Fritz 5, to give it an even bigger advantage.
g. Independent experts have calculated only the HANDTESTED games of
Fritz 5 where the achieved rating is VERY MUCH LOWER. Evidence for
manipulations?
The principles of fairness have been violated in the latest SSDF rating
list from 22.02.1998. It's obvious that strong commercial pressure has
been
exerted on the SSDF, which resulted in Fritz 5 receiving all these
UNJUSTIFIED ADVANTAGES.
The result may look impressive, however this was a "Formula 1 Fritz"
fighting against standard "out-of-the-box" chess programs, far away from
a fair and equal competition.
3. Formula 1 against street cars
It has been stated repeatedly that the Fritz 5 version playing on the
Swedish rating list is NOT IDENTICAL with the commercial Fritz 5. A
commercial Fritz 5 ("out of the box") doesn't refuse to play without
Powerbooks or with less than 64 MB RAM. This means that ChessBase is
receiving all kind of PRIVILEGES which have never been given to other
software suppliers. The SSDF list has the aim to compare the strongest
chess engines, not the best Powerbooks.
Why is ChessBase refusing to let Fritz 5 play on standard 32 MB machines
like all the others? Why are they insisting to play ONLY with their
add-on
Powerbook?
It's pretty clear that ChessBase intends to get a BIG ADVANTAGE out of
this
configuration. Why else should they insist on it?
4. Manipulation by autoplayers
The autoplaying drivers of all chess programs - with the exception of
Fritz
5 - are commercially available to everybody. Every chess friend in the
world can play autoplayer games with these programs and make up his own
opinion. The same possibility is not open to the chess public when it
comes
to Fritz 5 because ChessBase is keeping everything TOP SECRET.
In fact it's possible to do a lot of VERY TRICKY things with such kind
of
autoplayer, as Ed Schroeder pointed out recently.
Now there is even EVIDENCE that the CB-autoplayer has access to
opponents'
computers and can even overrule certain files (e.g. saving games doesn't
work anymore). Can significant influences (book learning, auto-learning,
time controls, ...) be 100% excluded?
Why shouldn't ChessBase be using the most sophisticated methods they are
able to? Why not, as long as it's technically possible and being
tolerated
by some friendly people ...?
5. Powerbooks and killer books
Everybody knows that ChessBase has plenty of autoplayers and has
probably
thousands of test games against all competitors on record. So nobody can
believe that this research may not have been used to compile their
Powerbook.
If ChessBase wouldn't be strongly convinced that the add-on Powerbook
helps
Fritz 5 to achieve more Elo points in Sweden, why would they have FORCED
the SSDF to include it?
On 07.03.1998, 15:02h Matthias Wuellenweber wrote:
<< A small anecdote about own experiences with Auto232 and book
learning:
To prepare for Paris, around 400 games against Genius5 at 15' were
played
with the aim to get an idea about systems which the program played well
or
not. It was notable that Fritz scored about 80% with Black in the
Caro-Kann
and 60% with the Dragon (while getting maybe 30% with the French). With
White 70% in the Four-Knights-Game. So those openings where chosen. The
rest is history. >>
A very interesting comment, indeed! We learn that ChessBase heavily
booked
up against ChessGenius 5 (as well as Rebel 9 and others), however these
competitors didn't play at the world championship 1997 in Paris. The
anti-Genius and anti-Rebel openings didn't work out at all, finally
Fritz 5
ended up with a 16th place desaster.
What does that show? With super-dooper Powerbooks one can statistically
achieve phantastic results against particular opponents, but at the same
time totally fail against others.
Without any doubt it's a HUGE ADVANTAGE for ChessBase to have the
opportunity autoplaying against all competitors, whereas they "protect"
themselves by keeping their autoplayer secret. No "equal weapons", as Ed
Schroeder pointed out so precisely.
6. New evidence for unbalanced competition
Prof. Irazoqui has played about 50 games on P200 MMX machines with Fritz
5
against strong opponents like Nimzo 98, MChess 7.1, Hiarcs 6 and Rebel
9.
His results are showimg Fritz 5 slightly UNDER 50% which would
correspond
to an Elo rating of around 2520. He has given Fritz 5 all kinds of
advantages (64 - 100 MB RAM, Powerbooks, ...), and still there's no
proof
that it plays any better than its competitors.
In Sweden Fritz 5 came on top of the list using the "mysterious"
ChessBase
autoplayer.
How is Fritz 5 doing in MANUALLY played games? Does it make a
difference?
THE ANSWER IS YES! THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE!
If we look carefully at Eric Hallsworth's statement (see attached
e-mail)
we can see that Fritz 5 is only on top of the "Selective Search" list,
because he's MERGING his own results with Irazoqui's results and the
SSDF
results. However, if we just take the 134 games played manually by Eric
and
the readers of "Selective Search" magazine we get a completely different
picture.
FRITZ 5 IS ONLY NUMBER 4 on the Hallsworth list !!
Conclusion:
It can't be denied that there is a difference of ca. 80 - 100 Elo points
(!!) between autoplaying and manual results. How fortunate for our
Hamburg
friends, that the SSDF is using the special ChessBase autoplayer .....
7. ChessGenius 4 - a cheap excuse for ChessBase?
From the side of ChessBase-supporters the 1995 program ChessGenius 4 has
repeatedly been used as an alibi for their manipulative proceedings. A
lot
of incorrect statements concerning this point have been published,
mostly
caused by lack of information.
NOTHING OF THIS IS TRUE !!
a. ChessGenius 4 (DOS) has been available since 1997 inside the
ChessGenius
Gold Collection.
b. HCC has never given any ChessGenius versions to the SSDF.
c. In 1995 the SSDF asked Richard Lang for help, because at that time
there
was no autoplayer for Windows programs available. Richard has not
approached the SSDF, they approached him.
d. On request of the SSDF Richard sent a DOS version to Sweden with
identical engine and identical opening book like the Windows version.
The
SSDF had the opportunity to compare both versions and make their own
decision.
e. According to our own testings the speed difference between the DOS
and
the Windows version is below 2 %, which is totally irrelevant.
f. Richard never asked for special privileges like extra RAM or use of
an
extra Powerbook. Unlike ChessBase he didn't try to change the rules in
his
favour!
g. One year lated Richard went from floppy disks to CD-ROMs and
published
both the Windows and the DOS versions of ChessGenius 5 together. This
worked strongly AGAINST him because it enabled all competitors to play
autoplayer games against ChessGenius 5 and tune their programs
accordingly.
h. As a matter of fact Richard didn't gain any advantage, just the
opposite. As ChessGenius 5 doesn't contain any booklearning feature, it
lost many points against others on the SSDF list.
So the excuse isn't valid:
It was ChessBase who made up a special top-secret autoplayer version for
the SSDF which (unlike the commercial version) refuses to play with less
than 64 MB RAM and without a special Powerbook.
Richard just wanted to be polite and help the SSDF, not to gain any
advantage. Richard did not use manipulative methods - that's the big
difference!
8. The SSDF - an organisation in trouble?
Once again I want to point out that I have very high respect for the
immense work of the voluntary members of the SSDF. They have done an
unbelievable amount of work and achieved something important for the
entire
chess world. Certainly the SSDF cannot be blamed for the current
development. They just wanted to be friendly to ChessBase and accepted
their SPECIAL REQUESTS (in German: EXTRAWURST).
That was a serious mistake which needs to be corrected, the sooner the
better. If not, we will see lots of "Formula 1 programs" in the near
future. That's in nobody's interest - probably not even in the interest
of
ChessBase.
If an autoplayer isn't commercially available it should be simply banned
from testing. Otherwise the SSDF rating list will soon become worthless,
as
"out-of-the-box" programs won't be rated anymore.
9. The elegant solution: The UNIVERSAL AUTOPLAYER!
As Ed Schroeder and some others pointed out we are facing a critical
situation. Some programmers have already made clear that they will not
publish a new program version including an autoplayer interface. Some
are
considering to make a special version for the SSDF, some even consider
not
to join the SSDF ratings at all in the future. This is a very bad
situation
for computer-chess. So what can be done?
We are suggesting an original solution. The current problem is that
ChessBase is refusing to make their autoplayer system publicly
available.
Of course they have good reasons to do so. But every hobby programmer
in
the world has the possibilty to write a piece of software which allows
to
connect Fritz 5 to existing auto232-autoplayers.
Herewith we are announcing the
UNIVERSAL AUTOPLAYER COMPETITION.
We are offering a REWARD of
DM 3.000,-- (US $ 1.600,--)
for the first person who makes a universal autoplayer available which
allows all top programs like Fritz 5, Nimzo 98, Hiarcs 6, Rebel 9,
Shredder
2, ChessGenius 5, to play against each other.
We will give this autoplayer to all interested parties, like Ed
Schroeder,
Chrilly Donninger, Mark Uniacke, Richard Lang, Stefan Meyer-Kahlen, etc.
We
will give this autoplayer to Enrique Irazoqui, Eric Hallsworth, Komputer
Korner, Peter Schreiner, and whoever likes to have it.
We will give this universal autoplayer FREE to the entire world because
we
intend to publish it on our home page.
Once this universal autoplayer is available every chess friend in the
world
can make his own tests with or without Fritz 5 and make up his own
opinions.
The suspicions will have and end, we will finally know the TRUE FACTS!
If it can be shown that Fritz 5 is the top chess program with REGULAR
methods (without special autoplayer, without special Powerbooks, without
more RAM than the competition), then I will be the first one to
congratulate. Frans Morsch and Matthias Feist are wonderful persons and
they deserve to be on the number one spot very well.
* Nobody objects to correctly achieved results in fair
competition.
* Everybody objects to unjustified advantages.
* That's why we are forced to discuss the Fritz 5 scandal.
* As soon as the facts are on the table, the scandal will
be history.
* As simple as that.
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