A new Way to test Engines...............

[Chessqueen]

I believe that if an engine is 75 ratings or above it should NOT use Opening against its opponent engine, just let the stronger engine use its better chess knowledge to to equalize up to the middlegame.

[niel5946]

Handicaps shouldn't be allowed in a tournament that is supposed to be fair.

We want the strongest engines to crush the weaker ones because we're interested in their strength difference, and not good quality chess games.

[Chessqueen]

Handicaps shouldn't be allowed in a tournament that is supposed to be fair.

We want the strongest engines to crush the weaker ones because we're interested in their strength difference, and not good quality chess games.

It is NOT about handicaps it is to find out how much a good Opening books can do for a program like Ethereal with Opening Versus Stockfish 12 with no Openings, I still believe that Stockfish can beat Ethereal after 50 games but NOT by as much as if both are using their own Opening Books Anyway so far after 30 games the score is very close 13 Wins 12 loss and 5 draws in favor of Stockfish

[Chessqueen]

Handicaps shouldn't be allowed in a tournament that is supposed to be fair.

We want the strongest engines to crush the weaker ones because we're interested in their strength difference, and not good quality chess games.

It is NOT about handicaps it is to find out how much a good Opening books can do for a program like Ethereal with Opening Versus Stockfish 12 with no Openings, I still believe that Stockfish can beat Ethereal after 50 games but NOT by as much as if both are using their own Opening Books Anyway so far after 30 games the score is very close 13 Wins 12 loss and 5 draws in favor of Stockfish

Stockfish without Opening Book is not too far away from finding the best moves as you can see here and the game becomes very interesting, I bet you that Komodo Dragon with Opening Book can very easy defeat stockfish without Opening Book

[pgn][Event "Computer chess game"]
[Site "DESKTOP-OFQ3C0P"]
[Date "2021.02.04"]
[Round "36"]
[White "Stockfish_20090216_x64_ssse"]
[Black "Ethereal12.75-x64-popcnt"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[BlackElo "3400"]
[ECO "D36"]
[Opening "QGD"]
[Time "08:23:08"]
[Variation "Exchange, Main Line, 9.Nge2 h6 10.Bh4"]
[WhiteElo "3551"]
[TimeControl "900+5"]
[Termination "normal"]
[PlyCount "384"]
[WhiteType "program"]
[BlackType "program"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 c6 8.
Bd3 O-O 9. Nge2 Nbd7 10. Qc2 Re8 11. O-O Nf8 12. f3 Ne6 13. Kh1 Bd7 14. Bf2
Rc8 15. Bg1 b5 16. a3 a5 17. Qb3 Rb8 18. Rfd1 Qc7 19. Qc2 Rbc8 20. h3 Qb7
21. Qd2 Bf8 22. Bc2 Ra8 23. Nc1 c5 24. dxc5 Nxc5 25. Nxd5 Qxd5 26. Qxd5
Nxd5 27. Rxd5 Be6 28. Rd2 b4 29. axb4 axb4 30. Rxa8 Rxa8 31. Ne2 Bc4 32.
Nd4 b3 33. Bd1 Ra1 34. e4 g6 35. g3 Rb1 36. h4 Kh7 37. Be2 Bxe2 38. Rxe2
Bg7 39. Kh2 Rxg1 40. Nxb3 Rxg3 41. Kxg3 Nxb3 42. f4 Bf8 43. Re3 Nd2 44. Re2
Bb4 45. h5 gxh5 46. Kh4 Kg6 47. Rg2+ Kf6 48. e5+ Kf5 49. Kxh5 Ne4 50. Kxh6
Kxf4 51. Kg7 Kxe5 52. Kxf7 Nd6+ 53. Kg6 Nc8 54. Rg5+ Ke6 55. Kh5 Kf7 56.
Kg4 Be7 57. Ra5 Nd6 58. Kf4 Ke6 59. b3 Bf6 60. Ke3 Bc3 61. Ra4 Bf6 62. Ra8
Bc3 63. Ra4 Bf6 64. Ra8 Bc3 65. Ra2 Kd5 66. Kd3 Bb4 67. Ra4 Bc5 68. Rf4 Kc6
69. Rh4 Bb6 70. Rh2 Kb5 71. Rh5+ Kb4 72. Rh6 Bc7 73. Kc2 Nf5 74. Rh1 Bd8
75. Rh8 Bc7 76. Re8 Nd4+ 77. Kb2 Kc5 78. Re7 Bd6 79. Re4 Kd5 80. Rh4 Bb4
81. Rg4 Nc6 82. Rc4 Be7 83. Kc2 Nd4+ 84. Kc3 Nc6 85. Rf4 Bd6 86. Rh4 Be5+
87. Kd3 Bd4 88. Rh7 Nb4+ 89. Kd2 Bf6 90. Rd7+ Ke4 91. Rc7 Bg5+ 92. Ke2 Kd5
93. Rb7 Kc5 94. Rg7 Bf6 95. Rf7 Nd5 96. Kd3 Nb4+ 97. Ke4 Bc3 98. Rf5+ Kc6
99. Rg5 Kb6 100. Rh5 Ka6 101. Rh2 Kb5 102. Rh5+ Ka6 103. Rh1 Kb7 104. Rc1
Bf6 105. Rc4 Na6 106. Kd5 Nc7+ 107. Kc5 Bb2 108. b4 Bf6 109. Kd6 Nb5+ 110.
Kc5 Nc3 111. Rg4 Nd1 112. Re4 Nc3 113. Re1 Na4+ 114. Kb5 Nb6 115. Re6 Bd8
116. Rh6 Na8 117. Rh8 Bc7 118. Kc5 Nb6 119. Rh6 Bd8 120. Rh3 Nd7+ 121. Kd6
Nf6 122. Ke6 Ne4 123. Rd3 Bc7 124. Rd4 Nc3 125. Rc4 Nd1 126. Rc1 Ne3 127.
b5 Bh2 128. Rh1 Bc7 129. Rh3 Ng2 130. Kf5 Kb6 131. Rc3 Bd8 132. Rb3 Be7
133. Ke4 Bc5 134. Kf3 Nh4+ 135. Ke2 Nf5 136. Kd3 Nh6 137. Ke2 Nf7 138. Kd3
Be7 139. Ke4 Nd6+ 140. Kd5 Nb7 141. Rh3 Na5 142. Rh8 Kxb5 143. Rc8 Bf6 144.
Rc7 Kb4 145. Rh7 Bd8 146. Rh1 Bf6 147. Rb1+ Ka4 148. Rc1 Nb3 149. Rc8 Nd2
150. Ke6 Bg5 151. Rg8 Be3 152. Kd5 Bb6 153. Rc8 Kb4 154. Rc1 Nb3 155. Rc4+
Kb5 156. Rc2 Bd4 157. Ra2 Kb4 158. Rh2 Bb6 159. Rb2 Ka3 160. Rc2 Na5 161.
Rc1 Bd8 162. Rc8 Bh4 163. Ke6 Kb4 164. Rh8 Bf2 165. Rh2 Bg3 166. Rg2 Be1
167. Kd5 Kb5 168. Rc2 Bb4 169. Rc7 Bf8 170. Rc3 Bb4 171. Rc1 Ka6 172. Rc7
Kb5 173. Rc2 Ka6 174. Rc8 Kb6 175. Rc2 Be7 176. Rc1 Kb5 177. Rc8 Ba3 178.
Rc7 Bb2 179. Rc8 Ka4 180. Ra8 Bg7 181. Re8 Ba1 182. Rb8 Bc3 183. Ra8 Bg7
184. Ke4 Bc3 185. Ra7 Kb5 186. Kd3 Bb4 187. Ra8 Nc6 188. Ra1 Bf8 189. Ke4
Nb4 190. Rd1 Be7 191. Kf3 Ka6 192. Rb1 Bh4 {50 moves rule} 1/2-1/2[/pgn]

[abgursu]

Handicaps shouldn't be allowed in a tournament that is supposed to be fair.

We want the strongest engines to crush the weaker ones because we're interested in their strength difference, and not good quality chess games.

Well, we are actually. At least I am. If you are interested in Computer Chess Games you have to (yes, have to) get use to that there is long term wins with good quality. There is not much "thunderfast tactics" happening in these games. We want a strategy war, not a crushing with a terrible mistake.

[niel5946]

Handicaps shouldn't be allowed in a tournament that is supposed to be fair.

We want the strongest engines to crush the weaker ones because we're interested in their strength difference, and not good quality chess games.

It is NOT about handicaps it is to find out how much a good Opening books can do for a program like Ethereal with Opening Versus Stockfish 12 with no Openings, I still believe that Stockfish can beat Ethereal after 50 games but NOT by as much as if both are using their own Opening Books Anyway so far after 30 games the score is very close 13 Wins 12 loss and 5 draws in favor of Stockfish

I think that I might have misunderstood your statement. My mistake. I automatically thought you were referencing CCRL tests where I can't see any purpose in handicapping the strongest engines.
So to answer what you actually meant: That seems like an interesting idea, but as others have mentioned, the strongest engines already play nearly exactly as a book would, so I don't know how much their lack of one would influence the games' outcomes or quality.

Despite of that, it would probably be a really good way to test weaker engines' middlegame and endgame skills if they were assured to at least get a somewhat equal position after the opening.