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Subject: Re: Mate in 12(!) and the aesthetics of EGTBs

Author: Tony Werten

Date: 01:11:12 08/11/02

Go up one level in this thread


On August 10, 2002 at 21:56:48, John Merlino wrote:

>On August 10, 2002 at 21:53:49, John Merlino wrote:
>
>>Here is a position from a game that Slater and I discussed in a different
>>thread:
>>
>>[D]3R4/8/8/8/2K5/6p1/3p1rk1/8 b - - 0 78
>>
>>In that game, Black was obviously using EGTBs and played 78...d1=Q, leading to
>>an EGTB mate in 22 moves (including the promotion). However, the more natural
>>looking move, Kf1, leads to a mate in 14, as Chessmaster 9000 shows on a
>>PIII-733:
>>
>>Time	Depth	Score	Positions	Moves
>>0:00	1/5	-8.88	14450		78...Kf1 79.Kc3 g2 80.Rd4 g1=Q
>>					81.Rxd2 Rxd2 82.Kxd2
>>0:00	2/6	-9.00	26438		78...Kf1 79.Kc3 g2 80.Rxd2 Rxd2
>>					81.Kxd2 g1=Q 82.Kd3 Qc5 83.Ke4 Ke2
>>0:00	3/7	-9.00	74581		78...Kf1 79.Kc3 g2 80.Rxd2 Rxd2
>>					81.Kxd2 g1=Q 82.Kd3 Qc5 83.Ke4 Ke2
>>0:02	4/8	-11.19	264563		78...Kf1 79.Kc3 Ke1 80.Kc4 g2 81.Re8+
>>					Re2 82.Rg8 d1=Q 83.Kc5 Kf1
>>0:05	5/9	-13.17	520117		78...Kf1 79.Kc3 Ke1 80.Kc4 g2 81.Re8+
>>					Re2 82.Rd8 g1=Q 83.Rxd2 Kxd2 84.Kd5
>>0:15	6/10	-13.30	1610302		78...Kf1 79.Kc3 Ke1 80.Kc4 g2 81.Re8+
>>					Re2 82.Rd8 g1=Q 83.Rd5 Qg4+ 84.Kc5
>>					Qc8+ 85.Kb5 d1=Q 86.Rxd1+ Kxd1
>>0:46	7/11	-13.35	4752680		78...Kf1 79.Kc3 Ke1 80.Kc4 g2 81.Re8+
>>					Re2 82.Rd8 g1=Q 83.Rd5 Qg4+ 84.Kc5
>>					Qc8+ 85.Kb5 Qb7+ 86.Kc5 Qc7+ 87.Kb5
>>					d1=Q 88.Rxd1+ Kxd1
>>3:06	8/12	-15.25	19391217	78...Kf1 79.Kc3 Ke1 80.Kc4 g2 81.Re8+
>>					Kf1 82.Rd8 g1=Q 83.Rd4 Qg8+ 84.Kc5
>>					Qg5+ 85.Kc4 Rf4 86.Kb3 Rxd4
>>9:45	9/13	-Mate14	62576834	78...Kf1 79.Kc3 Ke1 80.Kc4 g2 81.Re8+
>>					Re2 82.Rd8 g1=Q 83.Rd6 Qg8+ 84.Kb4
>>					Qb8+ 85.Kc4 Qc7+ 86.Kb5 Re5+ 87.Kb4
>>					Qc5+ 88.Kb3 Re3+ 89.Rd3 Rxd3+ 90.Kb2
>>					Qc1+ 91.Ka2 Ra3#
>>
>>Note that the first capture is 23 ply away, making it very difficult
>>(impossible?) to find it via tablebases. Can anybody else find the mate faster?
>>
>>So, SPEAKING STRICTLY AESTHETICALLY, what do you think of EGTBs when used in
>>game play? When we decided to implement them for Chessmaster 9000, our Producer
>>(who was a class A player before he gave up taking the game "seriously") stated
>>that he was, aesthetically speaking, strongly against them. He even went so far
>>as to say that it was grossly unfair to use them in matches against humans, for
>>obvious reasons. He also stated that something to the equivalent of "chess
>>engines and opening books are an art form, but endgame databases are just plain
>>boring -- and chess should be artistic and exciting". What say all of you?
>>
>>As for me, adding support for them was very useful in giving the user more ways
>>to improve his/her game, and that meant much more to me (as a game designer)
>>than just waiting for the game to get down to enough pieces for the EGTBs to
>>kick in and quickly decide the game. But, then again, the first time I saw "mate
>>in 35", I thought it was pretty cool.... :-)
>>
>>For reference, the other thread (with an interesting sacrifice) can be seen
>>here:
>>
>>http://www.talkchess.com/forums/1/message.html?244901
>>
>>jm
>
>Correction. As I was typing the above, I was leaving the analysis running, and
>CM9000 just improved to Mate in 12, with the first capture 15 ply away:
>
>23:47	10/14	-Mate12	159363014	78...Kf1 79.Kc3 Ke1 80.Kc4 g2 81.Re8+
>					Re2 82.Rd8 g1=Q 83.Rd6 Qg8+ 84.Kb4
>					Qb8+ 85.Kc5 Qxd6+ 86.Kxd6 d1=Q+
>					87.Kc5 Rc2+ 88.Kb4 Qb1+ 89.Ka4 Ra2#
>
>Makes little to no difference to the discussion, though....

The ugly things that happen with egtb is when the engine jumps out of analyses
after finding a mate. (obviously cm doesn't do that )

I have seen an example were without egtb a mate in 8 would be found but with
egtb a mate in 78 ( or something ).

Starting with mate in 78 and then improving to 8 is ok of course.

Tony

>
>jm



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