check extension

[lucasart]

Demolito extends checks, whose SEE >= 0.

In practice, I've never seen search explosions as a result, but I wonder…

Is it possible to have long sequences of checks, which involve no position repetition, and no SEE losing moves?

[Joost Buijs]

In endgames with only queens and just a few pawns it happens often that a king is chased over the entire board without getting a repetition, there are probably more situations where this can happen.

[lucasart]

In endgames with only queens and just a few pawns it happens often that a king is chased over the entire board without getting a repetition, there are probably more situations where this can happen.

Consecutive checks? I'm talking about check at every single ply (both sides), not 1 check per move.

[Eelco de Groot]

No that does not happen of course. If the king is to move or the check has to be countered in some other way and there are no (other) extensions on that ply, searchdepth will eventually go down even if there are still more checks from the other side. Only for the side giving checks (that don't repeat the position) the searchdepth does not go down.

[lucasart]

No that does not happen of course. If the king is to move or the check has to be countered in some other way and there are no (other) extensions on that ply, searchdepth will eventually go down once there are no more checks. But as long as there are checks that don't repeat the position searchdepth stays constant.

Yes, but how long? So far the longest sequence I can find is just 2 consecutive checks.

[Maarten Claessens]

See https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/records/re ... f%20checks

[Eelco de Groot]

Hi Lucas,

Sorry the answer I gave at first was wrong, had to edit.

Here I think I found an example of what Joost was saying, perpetual check by the queen, second diagram https://www.chessstrategyonline.com/con ... n-endgames (White has to allow a repeat of the position though, even if does not want that so not the best example. If the King has more squares available (or checking side does not want the draw) the checking sequences I think can get longer)

[Joost Buijs]

In endgames with only queens and just a few pawns it happens often that a king is chased over the entire board without getting a repetition, there are probably more situations where this can happen.

Consecutive checks? I'm talking about check at every single ply (both sides), not 1 check per move.

I didn't understood that you meant checks at every ply (evasion gives check), in that case it doesn't seem likely, maybe it can happen over a few plies, but nothing more.

[hgm]

This is a pretty long sequence:
[pgn][Event "Edited game"] [Site "ONTWIKKELLAPTOP"] [Date "2018.12.03"] [Round "-"] [White "-"] [Black "-"] [Result "*"] [FEN "4n2q/Qp4r1/8/4k3/1N6/N1K5/5n2/3R4 w - - 0 1"] [SetUp "1"] 1. Qb8+ Rc7+ 2. Nc4+ Kf4+ 3. Rd4+ Ne4+ * [/pgn]
I am not sure if the requirement that SEE>=0 is realistic in such a sequence: the checks are also evasions, and pruning check evasions seems risky. Without this requirement you could probably make much loger sequences.

[petero2]

Demolito extends checks, whose SEE >= 0.

In practice, I've never seen search explosions as a result, but I wonder…

Is it possible to have long sequences of checks, which involve no position repetition, and no SEE losing moves?

If the checks can also be captures, it is possible to construct a position with a quite long such sequence of checks. In normal positions, I don't think this will ever be a problem though.
[d]7q/q2q2qp/1q6/2q1q3/k2q3K/N1Q1Q3/1QPQ1Q2/Q2Q2Q1 w - - 0 1