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Subject: Re: Here's the good position - CM6000 Mac in 70 minutes, plus solution

Author: Vincent Lejeune

Date: 07:25:05 12/21/99

Go up one level in this thread


this is good example of human+computer cooperation in understanding a position :
instead of giving dozens playing lines the human describe the strong moves
(Rd3!: stalemate and Rc8 follow by a fork)



On December 19, 1999 at 15:20:27, Richard A. Fowell (fowell@netcom.com) wrote:

>On December 18, 1999 at 22:16:31, Vincent Lejeune wrote:
>
>>
>>7b/8/kq6/8/8/1N2R3/K2P4/8 w - - 0 1
>>
>>White play and draw !
>>
>>Interresting to test Stalemate/zugzwang and repetition detection of programs
>>
>>(all my surprise effect has desappear now :'(   )
>
>Well, that's a tougher one that the first one, since it is one ply deeper.
>I only tried this one on Chessmaster 6000 Mac on my 180 MHz 604e, since it
>scored the best on the easier problem (tied for first at 15 seconds to score
>the latter position "0").
>
>Chessmaster 6000 Mac got your "good position":
>7b/8/kq6/8/8/1N2R3/K2P4/8 w - -
> in a hair over 70 minutes:
>
>*** Chessmaster 6000 Mac - 180 Mhz 604e ****
>Time    Depth Score  Moves
>--------------------------------------------------------------
>00:36:56  10  -3.63  d2-d4 a6-b5 e3-h3 h8-f6 a2-b2 b5-b4 h3-f3
>00:46:49  11  -3.66  d2-d4 a6-b5 e3-h3 h8-f6 a2-b2 b5-b4 h3-d3
>01:10:13  11   0.00  b3-d4 h8-d4 e3-a3 a6-b5 a3-b3 b5-c4 b3-b6
>01:12:15  12   0.00  b3-d4 h8-d4 e3-a3 a6-b5 a3-b3 b5-c4 b3-b6
>
>Here's the ranking on your earlier problem:
>7b/8/kq6/8/3N4/4R3/K2P4/8 b - -
>
>Chessmaster 6000 - score of "0" at  15 seconds (7 ply)
>Chessmaster 4000 - score of "0" at  15 seconds (7 ply?)
>HIARCS 7.0       - score of "0" at 190 seconds (11 ply)
>MacChess 5.01    - score of 202 at 2 min 44 sec (13 ply) down from 680)
>Screamer B42     - score of -0.6 at 22 min 13 seconds (13 ply)
>                                    (down from -8.22 )
>
>***********************************************************
>**** Warning - solution follows ***************************
>**** (in case you want to find it yourself ) **************
>***********************************************************
>
>
>- 5 -
>
>
>
>- 4 -
>
>
>
>- 3 -
>
>
>
>- 2 -
>
>
>- 1 -
>
>
>- Solution -
>
>The reason that Nb3-d4! draws is that it forces the
>exchange of the Black Queen for the White Rook.
>The move has these features:
>
>1) It unblocks White's rook on the 3rd rank, creating the
>   threat of Ra3+ followed by Rb3, forcing the trade of the
>   Queen for the Rook by skewer or pin.
>
>2) It guards the e6 square, creating the threat of Re6 pinning
>   the Queen to the king and forcing the exchange of the Queen
>   to the King.
>
>Most of Black's moves (e.g., any king move, any bishop move, or any
>move of the Queen on the 6th rank or to the a,b,c files that does not
>put the Queen en prise) are met by one of the above motifs -
>Rook to a3, b3, or e6.
>
>The most obvious Black response - Qxd4, results in either draw by perpetual
>check, as White shuttles the rook amongst a3, b3, c3, or by the stalemate
>sacrifice of Rd3!! if Black moves his King to the d file. Since Rd3 then
>pins Queen to King, and the reponse Qxd3 stalemates White, this scenario
>is covered.
>
>The remaining try for Black is Qd8. The idea is to try to sneak the King
>away from the barrage of Rook checks as the Rook shuttles between
>a3 and b3 without allowing the pin/skewer of the Queen.
>This try fails due to the power of the Knight and its forks
>for most attempted exits. One can draw an iron wall of squares that the
>King dare not step on:
>
>a4 - since the rook will always check at a3 whenever the King moves
>     to a5, the only entry to that square, since:
>b5 - is covered by the Knight, and moving from the King from a5 to
>b4 - is met by Nc6+ forking the Queen, and White actually wins
>c5 - is met by Ne6+ forking the Queen and winning for White
>c6 - is covered by the Knight
>c7 - is met by Ne6+ forking the Queen and Black will be hard pressed to draw
>
>This only leaves c8 as a potential exit. But ...
>
>Kc8 - is met by Rb8+! Kxb8, Nc6+ forking the Queen, and when the board
>     clears, it is a draw, as Black has only a Bishop (insufficient mating
>     material).
>
>In conclusion, the two most interesting lines for:
>7b/8/kq6/8/8/1N2R3/K2P4/8 w - -
>
>are:
>
>1. Nd4 Qxd4 2. Ra3+ Kb5 3. Rb3+ Kc4 4. Rc3+ Kd5  5. Rd3 Qxd3 *
>1. Nd4 Qd8  2. Ra3+ Kb7 3. Rb3+ Kc8 4. Rb8+ Kxb8 5. Nc6+ Kc8 6. Nxd8 Kxd8 *



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