Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: Is your engine too materialistic?

Author: John Merlino

Date: 16:02:05 07/12/03

Go up one level in this thread


On July 12, 2003 at 18:57:18, John Merlino wrote:

>In a recent game that I played on ICC with CM9000 (default personality) against
>Tinker (a very good amateur program that plays with a nice style), Tinker played
>several moves that would lead me to believe that it is too materialistic in its
>evaluation. Here are a few positions to test if your engine might have the same
>problems.
>
>In this first position, Tinker is up two pawns and is probably winning:
>
>[D]r1b1k2r/p1p2ppp/2p5/4P3/2P2qn1/3B4/1B2Q1PP/R3K2R b KQkq - 0 15
>
>However, it plays 15...Nxh2? Before this move, CM thought it was down about 1.0;
>after it thought it was up about 0.4.
>
>A few moves later and now Tinker is up FOUR pawns (although the knight on h2
>will soon be lost), although CM's eval only favored Black by about 1.0.
>
>[D]r3k2r/p1p2ppp/2p1b3/8/2P4q/3B2P1/1B2Q2n/R2K3R b kq - 0 18
>
>Tinker now plays 18...Qxg3?, and the eval jumps up to about 0.5 in White's
>favor.
>
>Finally, this position. Material is "even", but White has a clear advantage.
>CM9000 scored this position about 1.7 in White's favor.
>
>[D]r3k1r1/5p1p/2p1b3/8/q1P5/p1BB1Q2/8/R1K4R b q - 0 27
>
>Tinker plays 27...Bxc4? which loses outright. After this move, CM gives an eval
>of 6.5 for White.
>
>How do your engines do at avoiding these moves?
>
>Finally, just for fun, here's a position from a few moves later:
>
>[D]r1k3r1/5p1p/2p2Q2/8/2q5/p1B5/8/R1K1R3 w - - 0 31
>
>In this position, on my P4-2.4, Chessmaster announces Mate in 14 in 0:15, and
>upgrades it to Mate in 13 after 0:23.
>
>jm

I guess I should have given a little more information. First of all, this was a
3/0 game.

Secondly, here are the moves that CM suggests for each position after a 5-second
search (reasonable regarding the time control):

1) 15...Rb8 with an eval of -1.07 for Black.
2) 18...Qg5 with an eval of 0.25 for White.
3) 27...a2 with an eval of 1.19 for White.

jm



This page took 0 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.