March 8, 2015

  • on cold days i stay inside and crush the chess program

    My opponent is the program Chess Titans by Oberon Games.  Yes, it has some flaws, at least three glaring flaws of strategy.  It has a weird predilection for early rook pawn moves, it miscalculates the results of en passant captures, and it is terrible at playing simple king and pawn endgames.

    But I'll try to give an example where none of these things happen, so the game can be as interesting as possible.  I had the white pieces:

    03/04/2015, Black: Chess Titans

       1.  e2-e4     e7-e5
       2. Ng1-f3    Nb8-c6
       3. Bf1-b5     a7-a6
       4. Bb5-a4     b7-b5
       5. Ba4-b3    Bc8-b7
       6.  d2-d3    Ng8-f6
       7.   O-O     Bf8-d6

    HC31_07

    Black's clumsy defense of the e-pawn, played for the purpose of trading white's light-square bishop, is probably the beginning of its downfall.  The game might have been level after 7 ... Bf8-e7.

       8.  a2-a3      O-O
       9. Nb1-c3    Nc6-d4
      10. Bb3-a2    Nd4xf3+
      11. Qd1xf3     c7-c5
      12. Bc1-g5     h7-h6`

    HC31_12

    The problem with this move is that it limits black's own mobility further.

      13. Bg5xf6    Qd8xf6
      14. Qf3xf6     g7xf6
      15. Nc3-d5    Bb7xd5
      16. Ba2xd5    Ra8-b8
      17. Ra1-e1    Rf8-e8
      18. Re1-e3    Bd6-f8
      19.  f2-f4    Bf8-g7
      20. Re3-g3    Re8-e7

    HC31_20

    White finds a way to exploit the limited mobility.

      21.  f4xe5     f6xe5
      22. Rf1-f6

    HC31_22

    There are ugly threats to the kingside, namely Rf6-g6 and Rf6xh6, which force black to abandon the a-pawn.

      22. ...       Kg8-h8
      23. Rf6xa6     c5-c4
      24. Rg3-f3     c4xd3
      25. Rf3xd3    Kh8-g8
      26. Rd3-b3

    HC31_26

    Notice how quickly the kingside attack is converted into a queenside attack.  The word for this is mobility.

      26. ...       Re7-e8
      27. Ra6-a7    Bg7-f8

    HC31_27

    It will cost black a second pawn to untangle its forces.

      28. Ra7xd7    Bf8-c5+
      29. Kg1-f1    Re8-e7
      30. Rd7xe7    Bc5xe7
      31.  a3-a4    Rb8-c8
      32.  a4xb5    Rc8xc2

    HC31_32

    White has acquired a fast moving passed pawn ...

      33.  b5-b6    Be7-c5
      34.  b6-b7

    HC31_34

    ... which soon gets to the finish line,

      34. ...       Rc2-c1+
      35. Kf1-e2    Bc5-a7

    HC31_35

    costing black a piece.

      36.  b7-b8=Q+ Ba7xb8
      37. Rb3xb8+   Kg8-h7
      38. Rb8-b7    Rc1-c2+
      39. Ke2-f3    Kh7-g6
      40. Bd5xf7+   Kg6-f6
      41. Bf7-d5    Rc2-c1
      42. Kf3-g3    Rc1-e1
      43.  b2-b4    Re1-a1
      44.  h2-h3    Ra1-a4
      45.  b4-b5

    HC31_45

    there goes another pesky passed pawn,

      45.  ...      Ra4-a5
      46.  b5-b6    Ra5-a3+ .
      47. Kg3-h2    Ra3-a4
      48. Rb7-a7    Ra4-b4
      49.  b6-b7    Kf6-g5

    HC31_49

    this time it costs black a rook.

      50. Ra7-a8    Rb4xb7
      51. Bd5xb7     h6-h5
      52.  g2-g3     h5-h4
      53. Ra8-g8+

    HC31_53

    The game is finished of course, but this sad program never resigns.  It needs to be (yawn) checkmated.

      53.  ...    Kg5-f6
      54. g3xh4   Kf6-e7
      55. h4-h5   Ke7-f7
      56. Bb7-d5+ Kf7-e7
      57. h5-h6   Ke7-d6
      58. h6-h7   Kd6-e7
      59. h7-h8=Q Ke7-d7
      60. Rg8-c8  Kd7-d6
      61. Qh8-d8+ checkmate

    HC31_Fin

     

    oh hey tomorrow it's going to be 46 degrees woot

     

     

Comments (4)

  • it was 70 here yesterday...then Monday came along =/

  • And that's why I live in a warm climate; I never mastered chess.

    • "The player's greatest art consists in exploring the possibilities of bringing the game to a position in which the normal relative values cease to exist."

      Who said that?

      I've played enough chess to know what Mikhail Botvinnik was getting at, and you (sigh) never will.

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment