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Subject: Re: ??? CSTal Win95 needs only 62 seconds to reject Qxg7 , so what ?

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 09:31:13 08/26/98

Go up one level in this thread


On August 26, 1998 at 06:26:14, Thorsten Czub wrote:

>On August 25, 1998 at 22:44:34, fca wrote:
>
>>>Only materialists do.
>>
>>Agreed.  But many chess programs (being materialists or whatever) *do* take the
>>poisoned pawn, because search is not enough.
>>
>>So, it is fair to ask why does Gandalf not play Qxg7?.
>
>It is no materialist. I you would have seen the game:
>
>ChessTiger 11.2 vs. Gandalf from Paderborn, last round
>
>[Event "7th IPCCC"]
>[Site "Paderborn"]
>[Date "1998.02.15"]
>[Round "7"]
>[White "ChessTiger 11.2"]
>[Black "Gandalf3"]
>[Result "0-1"]
>
>1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 e6 3. d4 Nd7 4. Bg2 f5 5. O-O Bd6 6. b3 Qe7 7. c4 c6
>8. a4 a5 9. e3 Ngf6 10. c5 Bc7 11. Re1 b6 12. cxb6 Bxb6 13. Ba3 c5
>14. Bf1 O-O 15. Nc3 Bb7 16. Rc1 Rac8 17. Bb5 e5 18. Re2 Qe6 19. Nxe5 Nxe5
>20. dxe5 Qxe5 21. Bb2 Qe6 22. Rec2 Ng4 23. Qe2 Qh6 24. h4 Rcd8 25. Nd1 d4
>26. exd4 cxd4 27. Qe7 Be4 28. Re2 Qf6 29. Bc4+ Kh8 30. Qxf6 Rxf6 31. Rd2 Ne5
>32. Be2 Rff8 33. Kh2 Bf3 34. Bb5 Bd5 35. Be2 f4 36. gxf4 Rxf4 37. Kg3 Rdf8
>38. Ba3 d3 39. Bh5 Rf3+ 40. Kh2 R8f5 41. Rc8+ Bg8 42. Be8 Bxf2 43. Bd6 R3f4
>44. Rxd3 Rxh4+ 45. Kg2 Nxd3 46. Nxf2 Nxf2 47. Bd7 Ne4 48. Bxf5 Nxd6
>49. Rxg8+ Kxg8 50. Be6+ 0-1
>
>you would not believe that Gandalf is materialist. I have seen this game
>live, and was able to study the evaluations of gandalf DURING the game/moves.
>I can tell you as a witness that it has constructed this ATTACK by static
>knowledge. The way it made its pieces attack the white king, although the centre
>was blocked, and later opened it... so that the hidden pieces had the diagonals
>and files to kill white, is typically for the FIGHT of a SEARCH versus a
>KNOWLEDGE program.
>
>In the same way Gandalf or CSTal would plan an attack without ANY real chances
>to see in the tree, just because they have static evaluation DOING the plan, in
>the same way one can estimate HOW they would react in the game we discuss about
>(Qxg7??).
>
>I have ordered Gandalf. I hope i will get it soon. You can order it in Steen
>Suurballes company and maybe also later at gambit and other distributors.
>
>>I now rephrase:
>>**Perhaps** (I do not know, I do not have Gandalf) it rejects Qxg7 (correctly
>>so, of course) but **for the wrong reason**... (i.e. on average bad tuning,
>>though in this position correct).
>
>There is no WRONG reason is you reject Qxg7.
>White is a pawn up. CSTal e.g. evaluates Qxg7 in MINUS because black has
>completely development advantages, and all white has it 2 pawns and a queen run
>away from different attacking pieces, and a king that will not survive.
>
>There is no other reason. Program having king-safety terms will not play Qxg7...
>Thats all. IMO this is a very very good game because it polarized and shows in
>example how stupid todays fast and strong chess programs are, BECAUSE they try
>to substitute knowledge with search.
>+


Here I disagree.  I have versions of Crafty that won't touch Qxg7...  the ones
playing in Paris are good examples...  but they don't play that well either,
because they get over-concerned about king safety...

My interest in such positions would be for programs that don't play Qg7 when
the attack on the g-file will work, but which do play it when the attack won't
work.  I'd bet that you can move a piece or two around, so that the g-file ends
up being useless, and these same programs will still avoid taking the pawn.  Now
for the *wrong* reasons...

IE it is possible to be lucky in this position and not take for the wrong
reasons and avoid a problem, but then be unlucky in the next game by not taking
when the pawn is free... or offering the opponent a pawn you don't think he will
take, only to see him snap it up and win...

So it isn't a breakthrough to not take such pawns, *unless* it is not taken for
the right reasons.  Here, I bet that is not the case...  And I'm not saying the
reasons for not taking are all wrong...  but when such "intuition" is embedded
into a program, it often leads to problems...  because for every case it is
wrong, another opponent will push you into such situations and let the error
lead to a loss...

If anyone is interested, we could take the position, and start subtly changing
it and see how the programs fare then...




>
>
>>And the point being:
>>If I modify the position slightly (making it harder for a black bishop to come
>>into play, say) so Qxg7 *is* then a correct move, will Gandalf (andor CSTal)
>>still reject it once they see the WQ being driven away and a black rook
>>controlling the g-file?
>
>Modify a position and i will set it up in CSTal Win95.
>Look, in my tournament programs like zarkov, crafty, cstal, tiger, hiarcs
>
>or more precise :
>
>   1   CSTAL WIN95, (6)               4.0        8   13½  3
> 2-6   CHESS TIGER 11.5, (12)         3.5       10   16   3
>       JUNIOR5 BETA JUN.CTG, (5)      3.5        8½  14   3
>       CRAFTY 15.17, (22)             3.5(1)     8½  13   3
>       CHESS TIGER 11.2, (13)         3.5        7   12½  2
>       MCHESS 7.1, (1)                3.5        7   12   3
> 7-11  HIARCS6, (2)                   3.0(1)     9   14½  2
>       ZARKOV 4.2C, (23)              3.0        8½  13½  3
>       NIMZO98 PADERBORN, (14)        3.0        7   12½  2
>       GENIUS5, (8)                   3.0        7   11   2
>       WCHESS 1.04, (18)              3.0        5½  11   2
>
>play very very strong. If you study these programs, you will see that they all
>found a way to implement knowledge into their programs.
>Some more, some less.
>All these programs are IMO on the right track. They don't trust search alone.
>And they all play nice and good chess, or ?!
>I guess most of them would reject Qxg7.
>OR ?
>
>
>
>>Your views, please?
>>
>>:-)
>>
>>Kind regards
>>
>>fca



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