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Subject: Re: Test Position Revisited -- Quote from original book

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 08:04:50 06/05/02

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On June 05, 2002 at 10:56:08, Uri Blass wrote:

>On June 04, 2002 at 13:12:40, J. Wesley Cleveland wrote:
>
>>On June 03, 2002 at 22:50:10, John Merlino wrote:
>>
>>>On June 03, 2002 at 22:39:35, John Merlino wrote:
>>>
>>>>On June 03, 2002 at 19:06:31, Dieter Buerssner wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On June 02, 2002 at 22:32:25, Dana Turnmire wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
>>>>>>--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
>>>>>>--  --  --  --  --  --  BK  --
>>>>>>--  --  BP  --  BP  --  --  --
>>>>>>--  --  WP  --  WP  --  WK  --
>>>>>>--  --  --  WN  --  --  --  --
>>>>>>--  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
>>>>>>BB  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Here is the test position found in "The Mammouth Book of Chess."
>>>>>>
>>>>>>1Nxc5?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>This obvious, materialistic move throws away the win.  White's c-pawn cannot be
>>>>>>advanced to the queening square without the help of the king, but this allows
>>>>>>Black to counter by attacking the e-pawn.  White should not take the c-pawn, but
>>>>>>instead make progress on the kingside by manoeuvring his knight.
>>>>>
>>>>>Can you please show a (sample) winning line. My program went also for Nxc5 for 4
>>>>>hours (on rather slow hardware). I tried to understand the pos myself. All I
>>>>>came up with - I cannot find improvement for white after this move, and I think,
>>>>>it is draw. However, I have no better idea, that secures the win.
>>>>>
>>>>>Regards,
>>>>>Dieter
>>>>
>>>>We just happened to have that book laying around, and since I hadn't done ENOUGH
>>>>typing today, I figured I'd quote the entire passage from "The Mammoth Book of
>>>>Chess", pg. 386, under the section entitled "Computer Chess".
>>>>
>>>>------------
>>>>From Pachman-Hromadka, Prague Ch, 1944
>>>>
>>>>  Nxc5? This obvious, materialistic move throws away the win! "White's c-pawn
>>>>cannot be advanced to the queening square without the help of the king, but this
>>>>allows Black to counter by attacking the e-pawn" - Pachman
>>>>  Supposing it were instead Black to move, the following variation is
>>>>enlightening:
>>>>1...Bd4 2.Ne1 Bf2 3.Nf3 Kf6 (or 3...Bd4 4.Nh4+ Kf6 5.Nf5) 4.Kh5 Bg3 5.Nh4! Bf2
>>>>6.Nf5 Bg1 7.Nh6 Bd4 8.Ng4+ Ke6 9.Ng6
>>>
>>>The last move here should be 9.Kg6, of course.... Sorry about that....
>>>
>>>>
>>>[D]8/8/4k1K1/2p1p3/2PbP1N1/8/8/8 w - -
>>>>
>>>>  White will now play Nf6-h7-g5+, etc., and win easily. However, if there were
>>>>no black pawn on c5, then Black would have sufficient counterplay to hold the
>>>>draw, since his king could use the c5-square to attack White's pawns.
>>>>  Thus, in our start position, White should not take the c-pawn, but instead
>>>>make progress on the kingside by manoeuvring his knight.
>>>>------------
>>>>
>>>>So, the question is, is that correct? Anybody care to throw some serious CPU
>>>>cycles at it?
>>>>
>>>>jm
>>
>>I let crafty run overnight and got nothing.
>
>Did you tell it not to use null move pruning or does it automatically avoid null
>move pruning in KBPP vs KNPP when the pawns are blocked?
>
>I did not analyze the position but it is clear that if white can win it without
>capturing the pawn it is only by a lot of zunzwangs.
>
>Uri

Not sure about it but from computer point of view there are going to be a lot of
moves that seems not to have a threat so it is probably better not to use the
null move algorithm for solving of that position.

Uri



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