Komodo - is it worth it.

[Modern Times]

Komodo - is it worth buying. That is the question.

Clearly a lot of people do. If you need a basket of engines for serious analysis purposes this would surely be one of them. Each individual has to decide if it is of value to them or not.

[Gejsi Marku]

I play ICCF and I still use Komodo 11 in tandem with Stockfish and Leela. It depends on you.
The more chess knowledge you have personally the less relevant is the need for a software update. Unless we are speaking of 150+ elo difference.
I find Komodo very useful in certain situations. I love the fact it is not a Stockfish like engine.

If you have money to spare why not?

[Ovyron]

Yeah, elo of the engine is irrelevant, but if there's positions where it can still provide the best analysis. Yes, there are, but the question is different for someone that already has Komodo from one that doesn't. It would help if positions were posted where latest Komodo is better than other engines, and the free version of Komodo doesn't find it either, showcasing why Komodo is a must-have.

[Nordlandia]

Komodo is worth buying i'd say. Not only that, support goes to a good cause. Further development, et cetera

There is some positions where Komodo play better chess than stockfish. For instance positional fragments involving material imbalances.

Before Leela entered the scene, Komodo was capable to outplay Stockfish in many position where SF thinked it standed better. Now Leela is a more
beefy opponent as leela play arguable better positionaly than stockfish.

[Paloma]

I decided to test the latest version of the chess engine Komodo a little - with the question whether it is worth buying this engine.

How can you test Komodo without having bought it ?

[Ovyron]

Before Leela entered the scene, Komodo was capable to outplay Stockfish in many position where SF thinked it standed better. Now Leela is a more
beefy opponent as leela play arguable better positionaly than stockfish.

Note Komodo's value decreased after the appearance of Leela because Leela is free. If Ethereal also passes Komodo then it'll be an ever harder sell.

[mar]

Komodo - is it worth buying. That is the question.

so far your tests show that Komodo is the "best engine money can buy" (to paraphrase Houdart's quote)

btw you still haven't answered Paloma's question; unless you're an official tester (in which case you wouldn't ask) or have actually bought it ((in which case you wouldn't ask); because otherwise that would make you a thief

[Master Om]

I find Komodo very useful in certain situations. I love the fact it is not a Stockfish like engine.

Can u show me some situations where Komodo does and SF doesnot ?

I am ICCF player and I haven't found any yet.

[Dann Corbit]

Occasionally, Komodo beats SF. In such a case, SF probably made better decisions.
I guess the real question here is do we want commercial chess engines?
Houdini has given it up.
Komodo is the last really strong commercial engine left in the fight.

The cost of a commercial chess engine is generally less than $100.
We spend thousands on hardware and nary a whimper is raised.
But pocket change for a chess program raises a formal hue and cry.
The irony being that many thousands of hours go into making a really strong chess engine.
If we were to pay someone to write one for us, it would cost a million dollars.

Personally, I want to support the commercial engines.
But it is a choice we all must choose for ourselves.

[Ovyron]

Can u show me some situations where Komodo does and SF doesnot ?

I am ICCF player and I haven't found any yet.

If I posted examples you'd probably take a look at them and say that it's not clear if, or why is Komodo's line better, because this is in quiet positions where there's nothing to do, so there's many potential lines, so picking one is a matter of taste, and then Komodo has better taste.

In my game against Ozymandias I used Komodo as my main engine, and it general it provided better moves than Stockfish, but I couldn't have done better anyway, so it wasn't significant.