Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: A couple positions from today's ICC tourney games

Author: Howard Exner

Date: 03:25:48 02/02/00

Go up one level in this thread


On February 01, 2000 at 17:26:40, Jeremiah Penery wrote:

>On February 01, 2000 at 05:55:07, Howard Exner wrote:
>
>>On February 01, 2000 at 02:39:46, Jeremiah Penery wrote:
>>
>>>Thanks for all your analysis!  I think I see now that white was lost anyway,
>>>though I'm not 100% convinced yet (only 99% :).  In any case, it would be really
>>>difficult for either side (white to hold the draw, if it existed, and for black
>>>to find the win, if white did optimal play).
>>
>>These positions are always lots of fun to hash out with other chess players.
>
>Yes!  I agree. :)
>
>>Eventually we seem to get to the truth of a position with the help of our
>>computer programs ( at least in my case).
>
>I couldn't do it without the computer, for sure.  I make simple tactical errors,
>that the computer can correct for me, while I can try to decide on the strategy.
>
>>We sort of go into correspondence
>>analysis mode (using a computer to boot) while the chess program is bound to the
>>limits of the time control it played under. So I agree that this and other
>>positions are difficult for machines when faced with optimal play. Would they
>>play h4 here and follow up correctly? Would they play the Rg4+ move and
>>the Ke5 response!(that you found) from that other interesting thread?
>
>Before very recently, I never truly appreciated the difficulty in such analysis.
> I had done some much simpler analyses, but I never had anyone to help me find
>the truth of a position.  Of course, I always made mistakes.  Before, when I saw
>that, say, a GM's analysis had an error, I was really amazed that they could
>miss such a thing.  Now, I realize just how difficult it is to make sure all the
>moves in the analysis is optimal, and that alternate lines are provided.  In
>some positions, it is really difficult to do.
>
>Thanks for helping me find the truth in this position. :)
>
>>Mind you many of todays programs are playing very nice endgame moves when
>>compared to say 3-5 years ago.
>
>True, but it still seems to be one of the major weak points of computers.  There
>are still too many pieces for them to be able to use TBs, and they just have no
>plan on what they need to do.  In the middlegame this seems to work Ok, but in
>the endgame they need a plan, or else they too often simply shuffle pieces.

This idea of needing a plan is indeed a stumbling block in endgames. It's
tied in with pattern recognition. Here's an example:





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.