Author: Bruce Moreland
Date: 09:43:26 10/26/98
Here is the tail end of a game played between my program (Ferret) on a 533 mhz
Alpha and Crafty on a dual 450 mhz Pentium II, at time control of 5 0, on ICC.
My program got smoked in a K+P ending it traded into (apparently) voluntarily.
One of the things you hear about if you talk to old-timers in this field is that
the square of the pawn is a totally important evaluation term. I'm not sure who
said it, but someone said that it's worth 100 Elo points. This was a long time
ago, back when programs would get killed in endings routinely, but I get the
idea that this wisdom hasn't been re-evaluated much since then. It is my
opinion that square of the pawn is worth almost nothing in practical play, since
the number of K+P endings that actually occur, with play still in them, seems to
be approximately zero.
This ending may prove to be a counter-example. I currently don't have this
knowledge in my program. I'm going to stick it back in and see if it
understands this ending better.
I would be interested in knowing if anyone has any thoughts about this subject
in general or this ending in particular.
[White "Ferret"]
[Black "Box"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C75"]
[WhiteElo "2986"]
[BlackElo "2969"]
[Opening "Ruy Lopez: modern Steinitz defense"]
[NIC "RL.11"]
[Time "19:46:56"]
[TimeControl "300+0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/6pp/4pk2/4p3/2PqP3/3Q2P1/4KP2/8 w - - 18 62"]
62. Qxd4 exd4 63. f4 e5 64. c5 exf4 65. gxf4 h5 66. e5+ Ke6 67. Kd3 h4 68. c6
g6 69. c7 Kd7 70. Kxd4 h3 71. Ke3 h2 {White resigns} 0-1
--------------------------------
a b c d e f g h
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 | |///| |///| |///| |///| 8
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |///| |///| |///| |/p/| p | 7
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 | |///| |///| p |/k/| |///| 6
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |///| |///| |/p/| |///| | 5
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | |///| P |/q/| P |///| |///| 4
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |///| |///| Q |///| |/P/| | 3
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | |///| |///| K |/P/| |///| 2
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 |///| |///| |///| |///| | 1
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
a b c d e f g h
8/6pp/4pk2/4p3/2PqP3/3Q2P1/4KP2/8 w - - 18 62
White to move and lose. My program played 62. Qxd4, with a score of about +1,
although the move apparently loses by force. I would be interested to know if
other programs avoid 62. Qxd4. If white can safely avoid this move it should be
better, I think.
--------------------------------
a b c d e f g h
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 | |///| |///| |///| |///| 8
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |///| |///| |///| |/p/| p | 7
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 | |///| |///| p |/k/| |///| 6
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |///| |///| |///| |///| | 5
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | |///| P |/p/| P |///| |///| 4
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |///| |///| |///| |/P/| | 3
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | |///| |///| K |/P/| |///| 2
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 |///| |///| |///| |///| | 1
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
a b c d e f g h
8/6pp/4pk2/8/2PpP3/6P1/4KP2/8 w - - 0 63
White to move. Here is the positions with the queens off, if this helps anyone.
I think white is lost already here.
--------------------------------
a b c d e f g h
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
8 | |///| |///| |///| |///| 8
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
7 |///| |///| |///| |/p/| | 7
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
6 | |///| |///| |/k/| |///| 6
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
5 |///| |/P/| |///| |///| p | 5
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
4 | |///| |/p/| P |/P/| |///| 4
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
3 |///| |///| |///| |///| | 3
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
2 | |///| |///| K |///| |///| 2
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
1 |///| |///| |///| |///| | 1
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
a b c d e f g h
8/6p1/5k2/2P4p/3pPP2/8/4K3/8 w - - 0 66
White to move is completely lost. Mine figures this out after a while, but it
takes too long, in my opinion (over a minute on a P6/200 to really start to
crater). I'd be interested in knowing if anyone knows they are dead quickly.
Thanks,
bruce
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