Author: Eduard Nemeth
Date: 13:51:38 04/24/02
[Event "Internet challenge [Frederic]"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2002.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ilya Smirin"]
[Black "Hiarcs 8"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[ECO "A30"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. d4
cxd4 7. Nxd4 Ndb4 8. Nxc6 Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Nxc6 {Evan: Eureka,
open game!! Mig: Not a bad idea against a comp. Get the
queens off the board and you almost never get mated!}
10. Nc3 Bd7 {Mig: Symmetrical pawn structure, equal
material... Are they just going to agree to the draw now?
:-)} 11. Be3 e5 {Mig: White has chances to do something
with his minimally better development, but I'm not sure he
will. A weak pawn on c6 is one thing, but giving the
computer the advantage of the bishop pair would not be
good. The bishop pair in an open position is wort} 12. Rc1
Rd8 {Mig: Since computers can't plan as such, they often
wander into trouble when they can't find a clearly superior
line of analysis. But this position may be too simple for
that to happen. Time: 54:1.01} 13. Ke1 {Ardee: The most
boring game of the series by far. Mig: Other ways computers
can lose these positions include getting overextended
pawns. For example, f5-e4 or something, then the pawns
could be lost in an endgame. And we all know how HUMANs can
lose these} Be7 14. f4 {Mig: f3 would just lock up the g2
bishop, but the white king needs to make way for the h1
rook. So f4, which also challenges black in the center.
Time: 53:55} exf4 15. gxf4 {Twinzen: Why not Bxf4? Mig:
It's not so much why not Bxf4, but why. It wouldn't do much
at all, and would leave an isolated e2 pawn.} O-O 16. Nd5
{Mecking: Mecking says Bd6 also.} Bd6 17. Kf2 {Mig: Note
that gxf4 created a potential passed e-pawn. Far, far away,
but it's an imbalance that a human understands, while the
comp can't imagine that e2 pawn becoming a queen on move
48.} Be6 18. Rhd1 {Mig: White would like to 'encourage'
black to give up the bishop pair. Then the black a and b
pawns will be hard to defend in the long run.} Rd7 {Time:
45:50. Ardee: Nc3 followed by Rg1 for White? Mig: HIARCS
tries to set up some tactical tricks on the d-file. I like
the plan. White must either double on the d-file himself or
leave it to black. b4 looks risky for a human!} 19. Nc3
{Mig: Protecting d1 with the knight, but losingtime. Any
advantage white had is gone now.} Rfd8 {GM Mecking: I agree
with you Mit. Black is ok in this position.} 20. a3 Ne7
{Mig: White still has queenside pressure with his bishops
and isn't panicking here. But black is headed for f5. Bxa7
Bxf4 doesn't look like much fun for white, but at least the
pressure on the d-file would be broken and Smirin could
probably draw that endi} (20... Ne7 21. Rxd6 {Mig: That's
an interesting exchange sac, but I think it's a bit early
to panic. The two bishops would provide some compensation,
but white has a few 'normal' tries first.}) 21. Be4 Nf5
22. Bxf5 Bxf5 {Mig: It was either give up the bishops or
give up a pawn. Time: 32:45} 23. Rd4 a6 {Mig: Now White has
the goal of winning a bishop for his knight, even if it
costs a pawn. If he can get rid of the black dark-squared
bishop then he will have very good drawing chances thanks
to the opposite colored bishops. We'll see if HIARCS knows
to av} 24. Na4 {Mig: Hmm, what about Bxa3?} Be7 {Mig:
avoids back-rank mate tricks.} (24... Bxa3 25. Rxd7 Bxd7
26. bxa3 Bxa4 {is quite playable. Hard to win, however.})
25. Rxd7 Bxd7 26. Nc3 {Mig: HIARCS didn't take the bait! I
asked earlierif it would understand the opposite colored
bishops drawing potential. It just might!} Bh4+ {Mig:
Always attacking chances with the bishops on theopen board.
And excellent endgame winning chances because pawns on both
sides of the board.} 27. Kg1 {Time: 25:42} f5 {Mig: Black
has two pawn islands versus white's three, Black has the
two bishops in an open positions with pawns on both sides
of the board. That's two small advantages that are pretty
big when combined.} 28. Rd1 Bc6 29. Rxd8+ Bxd8 {Mig: The
remaining question is if HIARCS has the technique to win
this without a Smirin blunder. Human praxis says black
should keep the rooks on the board and make sure the white
knight has no advanced posts.} 30. Bd4 Kf7 31. e3 {I
thought black had a serious advantage a few moves ago, but
it's going to be harder to win this in my opinion. TheVish:
h6 and g5, Black should be much better. Time: 23:40} h6
32. Ne2 {Mig: Black has to find an entry point for his king
and then give up one of the bishops at the key moment to
penetrate. It will be interesting to see if HIARCS can do
something so far-sighted. So far black is 'planning' well.
Kingside pawn-push coming.} g5 {TheVish: fxg5 is forced,
otherwise g4 must be seriously good for black.} 33. Kf2 Bc7
{TheVish: Why not g4? Why would a computer not play g4,
Fred?} 34. Bc3 {Time: 19:39} Be4 35. Kg3 {Mig: Another
chance to play ..g4. I don't see how black can hope to win
without playing that eventually.} g4 36. Bd4 {Mig: Smirin
is saying, "Nyah nyah, stupid computer can't figure out a
winning plan if I play prophylaxis."} Kg6 {Time: 19:35}
37. Kf2 {TheVish: ...h5} h5 {Sith: Oh the Humanity!!}
38. Bc3 {TheVish: Smirin wants to just wait eternally after
h4} Bd8 {Mig: So here we arrive at one of the
traditionallly weakest areas in computer play. Endgame
planning. If the computer can't find a solid eval gain down
one line it will just maintain the status quo.} 39. Bd4
{TheVish: Bd4 and Nc3 is a fortress. Maybe black can play
h4-h3, force the knight to g3 and then take the king to d3}
a5 40. Bc3 a4 {Shay says Simirn is gazing at the monitor.
Mig: At least black can never lose with the white king
stuck defending the kingside. Otherwise I'd be worried
black might lose with all these pawn pushes..} 41. Nd4
{TheVish: Bh4+!} Bh4+ 42. Kg1 {Time: 16:30} Be7 {TheVish:
This could go on for ever!} 43. Kf2 Bd5 44. Kg3 h4+ 45. Kf2
Be4 46. Kg1 g3 {Time: 14:19. TheVish: It's still a long way
to resign.} 47. h3 {TheVish: Black has to play Bc5, then
White can play Bb4, followed by Ne2-c3 and it's a fortress.
Bc5 Bb4 is a draw} Bc5 {time: 11:28} 48. Bb4 {Mig: Smirin
has avoided the blockade before. He seems to be daring the
computer to find a win. Of course if the pieces come off
the pawn endgame is completely lost for white.} Bxb4
49. axb4 {TheVish: if Bd3 then Nf3, otherwise Ne2-c3 and
Black's king can never enter} Kf7 {Mig: This is why I
always say comp evals in endgames are worthless. They
should be binary. WIN or DRAW. None of this -2.39 junk in
an endgame. TheVish: It's over!} 50. Nb5 {TheVish: well, ok
all roads lead to c3} Ke6 51. Nc3 {TheVish: phew! Mig:
That's what always drove me nuts commentating when people
in the audience are saying, "but ChessSpank 9001 says it's
+2.31!" in an endgame that was a book draw.} Bc2 52. Kg2
{Time: 11:25} Kd6 53. Kg1 Kc6 54. Kg2 {Mig: Hmm, a
variation of the dreaded Kh1-Kg1 attack: The Kg1-Kg2
Attack!} b5 55. Kg1 Bd3 56. Kg2 {Time: 11:22} Be4+ 57. Kg1
Bc2 58. Kg2 Bd3 59. Kg1 {Mig: Hmm, this position looks like
lunch to me.} Be4 60. Kf1 {DRAW AGREED} 1/2-1/2
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