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Subject: Re: Two WAC positions

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 11:43:45 10/21/03

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On October 21, 2003 at 11:53:02, Tord Romstad wrote:

>I don't run my engine through WAC very often, but before releasing a new
>version (which I will do within a couple of days) I run the whole suite as
>a sanity test.  This time, the following position made me worried:
>
>[D]8/8/2Kp4/3P1B2/2P2k2/5p2/8/8 w - - bm Bc8; id "WAC146";
>
>Previously, my program had no problems with this position.  The new
>version, which is the first one to include tablebase support, prefers
>Bd3 instead of Bc8.  At ply 21, the score is +12 for white.  When I
>disable tablebases, the program plays Bc8.
>
>Does Bd3 also win, or should I look for yet another bug?

Bd3 is a second solution.  It has been in my version of the test since
I first found this myself, years ago.


>
>One of the hardest positions in WAC for my engine is number 163:
>
>[D]5rk1/2p4p/2p4r/3P4/4p1b1/1Q2NqPp/PP3P1K/R4R2 b - - bm Qg2+; id "WAC163";
>
>On a Pentium IV 2.4 GHz, I need 11 plies and 1m53s to find the winning move.
>The problem is to find the line 1... Qg2+ 2. Nxg2 hxg2+ 3. Kxg2 Bf3+ 4. Qxf3
>exf3+ 5. Kg1 Rf5! followed by Rfh5.  Without nullmove pruning, this position
>is solved within a few seconds.
>
>This is rather annoying, as I have lost more games than I would like on
>the ICC because of missing similar tactics.  Are there any inexpensive
>tricks to help me solve this kind of positions more quickly?


I pick this up at depth=9, time = 2 seconds (using one cpu on my dual 2.8
xeon box).  All I can guess is that I do extensions a bit differently,
somehow, or the adaptive null-move R=3~2 idea helps a bit.


>
>Tord



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