Strongest Sacificial Chess Engine

[TShackel]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask what your opinions are as to what chess engines that are known to sacrifice material (not always otherwise they'd lose, but sometimes), but are highest on the rating lists. I know Junior has been known to sacrifice, but I have Deep Junior Yokohama, and have hardly ever seen it sacirfice, only a pawn very rarely where it can still hod a draw.

Any information of programs that attack, sacrifice, and love initiative, that are the strongest on the rating lists as well would be appreicated.

Thanks.

Tim.

[Vinvin]

1) Gambit tiger 2.0 mode "agressive"
2) Shredder mode "Gambit" or "Kamikaze"

[reflectionofpower]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask what your opinions are as to what chess engines that are known to sacrifice material (not always otherwise they'd lose, but sometimes), but are highest on the rating lists. I know Junior has been known to sacrifice, but I have Deep Junior Yokohama, and have hardly ever seen it sacirfice, only a pawn very rarely where it can still hod a draw.

Any information of programs that attack, sacrifice, and love initiative, that are the strongest on the rating lists as well would be appreicated.

Thanks.

Tim.

I would say Zappa Mexico II (Dissident Aggressor), Deep Junior 2010 (psycho settings) & Chess Tiger 2007 (Gambit Aggressive style)

[carldaman]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask what your opinions are as to what chess engines that are known to sacrifice material (not always otherwise they'd lose, but sometimes), but are highest on the rating lists. I know Junior has been known to sacrifice, but I have Deep Junior Yokohama, and have hardly ever seen it sacirfice, only a pawn very rarely where it can still hod a draw.

Any information of programs that attack, sacrifice, and love initiative, that are the strongest on the rating lists as well would be appreicated.

Thanks.

Tim.

I would say Zappa Mexico II (Dissident Aggressor), Deep Junior 2010 (psycho settings) & Chess Tiger 2007 (Gambit Aggressive style)

Chiron, Junior (older versions), Spark, Thinker, Zappa DA, Fizbo, Rhetoric, Gambit Tiger (in descending order of strength) immediately come to mind.

Regards,
CL

[Vinvin]

May be Spark 1.0 and Bright 0.5 too.

[TShackel]

Chiron, Junior (older versions), Spark, Thinker, Zappa DA, Fizbo, Rhetoric, Gambit Tiger (in descending order of strength) immediately come to mind.

Regards,
CL

Hi Carl. Thanks for your opinion. It's nice there's a computer stronger than junior that imght also like to attack and sacrifice. Could you describe the style of chiron 2.0 a little bit more if you can? Is it worth buying? I checked all the ratinng lists and it's much stronger than junior. If it does sacrifice regularly that's a pretty strong engine while still being an attacker.

Thanks for any more information on chiron you could give me.

Sincerely,

Tim.

[TShackel]

May be Spark 1.0 and Bright 0.5 too.

I've had my eye on spark 1.0. I've heard people in the past talk about it being a good attacker and I've analyzed a bit with it. However, the strength of the engine doesn't make it quite relevant yet. It would be great if improvements on that engine can be made before it becomes relevant keeping its good attacking style.

Sincerely,

Tim.

[carldaman]

Chiron, Junior (older versions), Spark, Thinker, Zappa DA, Fizbo, Rhetoric, Gambit Tiger (in descending order of strength) immediately come to mind.

Regards,
CL

Hi Carl. Thanks for your opinion. It's nice there's a computer stronger than junior that imght also like to attack and sacrifice. Could you describe the style of chiron 2.0 a little bit more if you can? Is it worth buying? I checked all the ratinng lists and it's much stronger than junior. If it does sacrifice regularly that's a pretty strong engine while still being an attacker.

Thanks for any more information on chiron you could give me.

Sincerely,

Tim.

Hi Tim,

Chiron is really an inexpensive engine. It plays very good attacking chess, often involving sacs. I recall I once posted a great win by Chiron over Deep Rybka 4.1, involving a spectacular Bxh7+ sacrifice.

EDIT: I've just noticed Chiron has beaten Houdini today in TCEC, primarily due to superior king safety.

http://tcec.chessdom.com/archive.php

Also see Uri's new post from the Tournament forum:

http://www.talkchess.com/forum/viewtopi ... 19&t=53731

Regards,
CL

[reflectionofpower]

Chiron is really an inexpensive engine. It plays very good attacking chess, often involving sacs. I recall I once posted a great win by Chiron over Deep Rybka 4.1, involving a spectacular Bxh7+ sacrifice.

Regards,
CL

But is a sac by a chess engine really a sacrifice? Do they not calculate every little nuance which makes them so good in defense that a sac will not work?

Can you post this game? I have Chrion 2.0 and I have never seen it as a sacrificial engine. It's very strong all around and wicked fast with the ply butter.

[Stan Arts]

But is a sac by a chess engine really a sacrifice? Do they not calculate every little nuance which makes them so good in defense that a sac will not work?

Yes sometimes or often for some programs it's really a sacrifice.
All depends on evaluation and the program will happily play whatever it's maker deemed important. Correct or not supported by 20 ply and all. Give a knight on f5 or something random two pawns bonus and it will be pretty determined to get one over there even if it goes from 0.00 to 0.02 from the opening saccing 1.98 of whatever (material, play) to get it there. Is that a sacrifice? Think so even though from a computeristic search perspective it was completely correct and saw every little nuance.

In my last program I had a speculative play option which simply blew up most (not all) evaluation parameters and it would play all sorts of openinggambits, sac a minor for some g7 and h7 pawns around the king, sac a quality for that f3/f6 knight, sac pawns for passed pawns, always incorrect and always losing! But always very happy doing so which is what counts.