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Subject: Re: Nice end-game problem; here is another phenomenon, who can explain?

Author: Bernhard Bauer

Date: 04:03:42 04/27/99

Go up one level in this thread


On April 27, 1999 at 05:03:34, blass uri wrote:

>
>On April 27, 1999 at 04:09:08, Harald Faber wrote:
>
>>On April 26, 1999 at 23:48:50, Igor Syry wrote:
>>
>>>Hoped you enjoyed the problem...
>>>Igor
>>
>>Yes, I did. I also enjoyed this problem:
>>
>>qnb5/1p1kBK2/pPp5/P1p5/2P5/8/8/8 b - - 0 0
>>
>>White to move and win. It SHOULD be an easy one, only move#2 and the motive must
>>be found.
>>What amazes me is that Crafty and Fritz5.32 with their deepest search depth
>>don't find the final winning move in move#19 pv. They have only a draw eval
>

It's white to move, so the FEN should be
qnb5/1p1kBK2/pPp5/P1p5/2P5/8/8/8 w

>It is not surprising because it is a null move problem.

Indeed. But you can easyly configure crafty *not* to do a null move search.
Then crafty will solve the above position in a second.
Here some output from crafty:

              time surplus   0.00  time limit 60:00 (60:00)
              depth   time  score   variation (1)
starting thread 1
                1     0.11 -12.06   1. Bxc5
                1->   0.12 -12.06   1. Bxc5
                2     0.12 -12.00   1. Bxc5 Kd8
                2->   0.14 -12.00   1. Bxc5 Kd8
                3     0.14 -11.83   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Kg8
                3     0.15     ++   1. Bf8!!
                3     0.15   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                3->   0.15   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                4     0.17   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                4->   0.17   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                5     0.17   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                5     0.19     ++   1. Bg5!!
                5     0.19   1.57   1. Bg5 Kd6 2. Bf4+ Kd7 3. Bc7 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kxc7 5. a8=Q
                5     0.20     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                5     0.20   6.18   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. a8=Q
                5->   0.22   6.18   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. a8=Q
                6     0.22     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                6     0.23   8.33   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 b6 5. axb8=Q bxa5
                6->   0.25   8.33   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 b6 5. axb8=Q bxa5
                7     0.26     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                7     0.28   9.47   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q
                7->   0.33   9.47   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q
                8     0.37   9.63   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
                8->   0.47   9.63   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
                9     0.48     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                9     0.69  Mat07   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
                                    7. Qc7#
                9->   0.90  Mat07   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
                                    7. Qc7#
              time=0.90  cpu=2049%  mat=-14  n=168812  fh=99%  nps=185507
              ext-> checks=9535 recaps=512 pawns=3374 1rep=1090 thrt:0
              predicted=0  nodes=168812  evals=564
              endgame tablebase-> probes done=0  successful=0
              SMP->  split=447  stop=17  data=6/64  cpu=18.65  elap=0.91

mate in 7 moves.

This version of crafty may not play very good because null move helps a lot.
But you may configure crafty in a way that it will normally use the null move
search, but not when there is low material on the board. Such a version gives:

starting thread 1
                1     0.10 -12.06   1. Bxc5
                1->   0.11 -12.06   1. Bxc5
                2     0.11 -12.00   1. Bxc5 Kd8
                2->   0.11 -12.00   1. Bxc5 Kd8
                3     0.13 -11.83   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Kg8
                3     0.13     ++   1. Bf8!!
                3     0.13   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                3->   0.13   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                4     0.14   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                4->   0.14   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                5     0.16   0.00   1. Bf8 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7
                5     0.16     ++   1. Bg5!!
                5     0.16   1.57   1. Bg5 Kd6 2. Bf4+ Kd7 3. Bc7 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kxc7 5. a8=Q
                5     0.17     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                5     0.17   6.18   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. a8=Q
                5->   0.19   6.18   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. a8=Q
                6     0.19     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                6     0.21   8.33   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 b6 5. axb8=Q bxa5
                6->   0.22   8.33   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 b6 5. axb8=Q bxa5
                7     0.24     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                7     0.28   9.47   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q
                7->   0.33   9.47   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q
                8     0.44   9.63   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
                8->   0.55   9.63   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
                9     0.55     ++   1. Bxc5!!
                9->   0.94  10.02   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
               10     1.38     --   1. Bxc5
               10     1.41     ++   1. Bxc5!!
               10->   2.10  10.01   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q Kd8
               11     2.11     ++   1. Bxc5!!
               11     3.44  Mat07   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q b6 7.
                                    Qc7#
               11->   4.63  Mat07   1. Bxc5 Kd8 2. Be7+ Kd7 3. c5 Qa7 4.
                                    bxa7 Kc7 5. Bd6+ Kd7 6. axb8=Q b6 7.
                                    Qc7#
              time=4.63  cpu=415%  mat=-14  n=1208305  fh=99%  nps=261537
              ext-> checks=62247 recaps=4809 pawns=14553 1rep=4646 thrt:171
              predicted=0  nodes=1208305  evals=5100
              endgame tablebase-> probes done=0  successful=0
              SMP->  split=999  stop=32  data=7/64  cpu=19.19  elap=4.62

mate in 7 moves.

All computation done on a 2XPPro 232 MHz.
>
>If black has the right not to play then white cannot threat the black king at
>d7(the pawns cannot move and the bishop cannot see d7)
>
>
>I suggest that you use better programs like Genius3 for analyzing studies.
>
>Junior is also better in this position but it has practical problems in other
>studies
>(for example when there is under promotion)
>
>Uri

So no need to take Genius, ...
Crafty is very nice and powerfull.
Kudo's to Bob.

Kind regards
Bernhard



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