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Subject: Re: Junior 4.6 and the null move technique

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 05:29:42 03/17/98

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On March 17, 1998 at 07:44:31, Bernhard Bauer wrote:

>On March 14, 1998 at 15:34:19, Sylvain Renard wrote:
>
>>  During the World Micro Computer Chess Championship in Paris,
>>Amir Ban told us that his program didn't use the null move technique.
>>So I was rather surprised that Junior 4.6 could not find the winning
>>move in this position: White Kh3, Ne7, pawns g3,h4; Black Kf3,
>>Ne5, pawns g6,h5; black to move. 1...Ng4!
>>  This test was first used for computers in 1982 (!) by M. Pierre Nolot
>>(Europe Echecs n°286 Octobre 1982).
>>  Fritz 2, 3 and 4 are also unable to find the solution because there
>>are using the null move technique and there is a zugzwang in the main
>>line.
>>But Frans Morsch worked well and Fritz 5 now plays the good move.
>>  Can Amir Ban explain to  us what is going wrong with Junior and this
>>test? Thank you!
>
>You shouldn't blame the null move technique. It's the impementaton of
>null move!
>Some time ago crafty failed for this problem too. It's no. 11 on Pierre
>Nolot's
>set. This caused some difficulties, as the benchmark was not runnable,
>because
>of a log(sum of times) term.
>However Robert Hyatt has overcome this problem and finds Ng4 in 1 sec on
>my PPro200.
>

While I have solved *some* null-move problems, as Amir said later, the
above
position is *not* a null-move problem.  I, too, have code that says that
a king and single knight can not possibly win.  Because I have never had
a
position where it was possible in a real game.  As A result, I would
call
KN vs anything as no better than 0.00, and possibly lower depending on
what the other side has.

I can't solve the above test position either...  unless I disable the
quick
"instant draw" check in "RepetitionCheck()" where I catch it.  Then I
find
it instantly...



>There are, however, positions where crafty fails due to null move.
>One example:
>End game study of A. Troitzky: 4B3/8/6N1/5p2/1r4p1/6pk/7b/4K2Q w
>
>Here a position where rebel is said to fail:
>Ortueta - Sanz, Madrid 1934
> 8/pR4pk/1b6/2p5/N1p5/8/PP1r2PP/6K1
>Crafty needs only 38 sec to find the solution.
>
>Here a position where rebel fails in mating mode:
>Mate in 3 by Dr. Ado Kraemer
>
>
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    8  |   |   |   |   | B |   | K |   |
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    7  |   |   |   |   |   |   | P |   |
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    6  | *P|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    5  | *K|   | B |   |   | *P|   | *P|
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    4  |   | *P|   | N | *P| P | *B|   |
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    3  | *B|   |   |   | *R|   |   | *Q|
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    2  |   |   |   |   | *P|   |   |   |
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>    1  |   |   |   |   | Q |   |   |   |
>       +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
>         a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h
>
>
>Rebel gives the wrong key move, whereas crafty solves it correct in
>usual playing mode.
>
>Enjoy this problem by solving it yourself,
>or
>use rebel and find out why rebel is wrong!
>
>Here the position in FEN: 4B1K/6P/p/k1B2p1p/1p1NpPb/b3r2q/4p/4Q w
>
>Kind regards
>B. Bauer



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