Engine or Human ?

[carldaman]

[pgn]
[Event "game"]
[Date "2018.??.??"]
[White "White"]
[Black "Black"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D38"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. cxd5 exd5 8.
e3 O-O 9. Be2 c6 10. O-O Bf5 11. Rc1 Nd7 12. a3 Bd6 13. b4 Rae8 14. Qb3 g5 15.
b5 Kg7 16. bxc6 bxc6 17. Qa4 g4 18. Nd2 h5 19. g3 Bb8 20. Rfe1 h4 21. Bf1 hxg3
22. hxg3 Rh8 23. Bg2 Bd3 24. e4 Rh6 25. exd5 Reh8 26. Nce4 Rh1+ 27. Bxh1 Qh6
28. f3 Qh2# 0-1
[/pgn]

Please determine the 'nature' of the two contestants, whether human or engine, for both sides. Try to answer based on your own analysis, without engine assistance.

Cheers,
CL

[CMCanavessi]

I'm gonna say White=Human Black=Engine, based on the opening moves and not much more. I have no idea what I'm talking about though.

[Graham Banks]

White=Human Black=Engine, athough it could well be an engine v engine game.

[Ovyron]

I voted Human-Human, black's attack didn't seem Engine-like, but an engine as white wouldn't have allowed it.

[JJJ]

human vs human

[yanquis1972]

white = fritz
black = human

...or vice versa, but that's my guess since black's moves made more sense to me.

(i did use an engine, spoiler rest of post):

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2018.02.02"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Tactical Analysis 2.10 (1s, CFish 9)"]
[PlyCount "56"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. cxd5 exd5 8.
e3 O-O 9. Be2 {D38: Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defence (4 Nf3 Bb4)} c6
10. O-O Bf5 {LiveBook: 5 Games} 11. Rc1 {The position is equal.} Nd7 12. a3 (
12. Qb3 Bxc3 13. Rxc3 Rab8 14. Ne1 Rfe8 15. Nd3 Be4 16. Qd1 Qg5 17. Bf3 Bxd3
18. Qxd3 {1/2-1/2 (29) Michalik,P (2575)-Movsesian,S (2653) Prague 2016}) 12...
Bd6 13. b4 $146 {-1.12/17} (13. Bd3 $11 {-0.27/22}) ({Predecessor:} 13. Re1
Rfe8 14. Nd2 Re6 15. Bf3 Rae8 16. Nb3 Nf8 17. Ne2 R6e7 {0-1 (29) Alekseev,V
(2405)-Kritz,L (2476) Senden 2002}) 13... Rae8 {-0.24/20} (13... a5 $17 {
-1.12/17} 14. Bd3 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 axb4 16. axb4 Bxb4) 14. Qb3 {-0.85/16} (14. Bd3
$11 {-0.24/20 keeps the balance.}) 14... g5 {-0.14/18} (14... b5 $17 {-0.85/16}
) 15. b5 Kg7 16. bxc6 bxc6 17. Qa4 g4 18. Nd2 h5 ({Don't play} 18... Qh4 $6 19.
g3 $14) 19. g3 Bb8 20. Rfe1 {-2.36/17} (20. Nd1 $17 {-0.93/20 was necessary.})
20... h4 $19 21. Bf1 hxg3 22. hxg3 Rh8 23. Bg2 Bd3 {-1.01/21} (23... Qh6 $19 {
-2.21/18 is more deadly. White must now prevent ...Qh2+.} 24. Nf1 Nb6) 24. e4 {
-2.44/19} (24. Qd1 $17 {-1.01/21} Qg6 25. e4) 24... Rh6 $2 $40 {0.09/23 Black
mounts an attack.} ({Black should play} 24... Qh6 $19 {-2.44/19} 25. Nf1 dxe4)
25. exd5 $2 {-3.26/16} (25. Re3 $1 $11 {0.09/23 and White is okay.} Nb6 26.
Nxd5 Qxf2+ 27. Kxf2 Nxa4 28. Rxd3 cxd5 29. e5) 25... Reh8 26. Nce4 $2 {-#3/20
[#]} (26. Qxc6 $19 {-3.09/20} Qf5 27. d6) 26... Rh1+ $1 27. Bxh1 Qh6 28. f3
Qh2# {Precision: White = 13%, Black = 47%.} 0-1

[Dann Corbit]

White clearly human.
Black I am not sure.

Is this some kind of Turning test?

[elpapa]

I voted Human-Human, black's attack didn't seem Engine-like, but an engine as white wouldn't have allowed it.

This.

I voted human-human as well.

[carldaman]

[pgn]
[Event "game"]
[Date "2018.??.??"]
[White "Human IM"]
[Black "Strong Engine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D38"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2018.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. cxd5 exd5 8.
e3 O-O 9. Be2 c6 10. O-O Bf5 11. Rc1 Nd7 12. a3 Bd6 13. b4 Rae8 14. Qb3 g5 15.
b5 Kg7 16. bxc6 bxc6 17. Qa4 g4 18. Nd2 h5 19. g3 Bb8 20. Rfe1 h4 21. Bf1 hxg3
22. hxg3 Rh8 23. Bg2 Bd3 24. e4 Rh6 25. exd5 Reh8 26. Nce4 Rh1+ 27. Bxh1 Qh6
28. f3 Qh2# 0-1
[/pgn]

Please determine the 'nature' of the two contestants, whether human or engine, for both sides. Try to answer based on your own analysis, without engine assistance.

Cheers,
CL

Congratulations to those astute posters/voters who figured out White had to be a human because of how he allowed the checkmate combination, and to those sharp ones who also 'guessed' that Black was an engine. I could have chosen a game that did not end in a 'telltale' checkmate, but I liked this one a lot. Still, it is interesting that 50%+ of voters mistook Black to be a human.

Ten or more years ago, I would have picked White to be the engine, and Black as a very strong human, because of White's aimless slow play on the Q-side, while getting killed on the opposite side.

As it turns out, White really was a human IM and he must not have seen the engine's huge attack coming almost out of nowhere. The pawn storm and final tactical blows were conducted in an impressive, 'textbook' manner with the engine understanding king safety far better that the strong human.

I've used many instructive games like this for my chess lessons, where the human master is convincingly outplayed and crushed by the strong engine (guess which one ). It appears to me as if we're on the eve of another romantic era of chess, but driven by computer entities this time around.

[D]4rrk1/pp1n1pp1/2pb1q1p/3p1b2/1P1P4/PQN1PN2/4BPPP/2R2RK1 b - - 0 14

The above key position is from the game and features non-interlocking pawn chains, that nonetheless split the board in two, pointing towards the White King and giving Black a huge attacking potential that is actually realized with great speed and efficiency. The next move is 14...g5 which launches Black's all-out assault. It could be a useful test position.

Thanks to all who participated and voted.
CL

[Ovyron]

the strong engine (guess which one )

No idea, the whole attack seemed very human-like and I'd want to put my hands on her, though I probably already did...