OliThink 5.11.3 vs Crafty 23.8

[OliverBr]

It's the first match since over decade between OliThink and Crafty.
Last time they met, OliThink was utterly outclassed, Crafty was one of the best engines in the world for decades.
Crafty Version 23.8 is the highest version I could compile on MacOSX, so this the is opening of the game. No books. No theory. No pregames.

1.e4 e5, 2.Nf3 Nc6, 3.Bc4 Nf6

So what started to be another boring Italian opening, is being "antibored" by white with
4. Ng5

[d]r1bqkb1r/pppp1ppp/2n2n2/4p1N1/2B1P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq - 5 4

instead of the expected snoring-boring 4. Nc3

Now, black answers even less boring with
4...d5

After
5. exd5 Nxd5

White gambits the d-pawn to
6. d4

[d]r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n5/3np1N1/2BP4/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQK2R b KQkq d3 0 6

Now, where did white get that from? Is that theory? Is that common? We mustn't forget: There are no books involved.

6... exd4, 7.O-O f6

7...f6 looks dangerous. White's answer even more so:

8. Qh5+ g6

[d]r1bqkb1r/ppp4p/2n2pp1/3n2NQ/2Bp4/8/PPP2PPP/RNB2RK1 w kq - 0 9

Now this is what can be called an open position.
A bow to the great chess engines pioneer Dr. Robert Hyatt!



[pgn][Event "Computer Chess Game"]
[Site "OliversMacBook"]
[Date "2025.06.04"]
[Round "-"]
[White "OliThink 5.11.3"]
[Black "Crafty-23.8"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "40/120"]
[Annotator "1. +0.05 1... +0.14"]

1. e4 {+0.05/21} e5 {+0.14/17 5} 2. Nf3 {-0.10/24 4} Nc6 {+0.22/18 5} 3.
Bc4 {+0.09/20 1.8} Nf6 {+0.28/16 2.6} 4. Ng5 {+0.17/20 1.8} d5
{+0.34/17 2.1} 5. exd5 {+0.23/20 0.8} Nxd5 {+0.33/15 1.2} 6. d4
{+0.00/19 1.1} exd4 {+0.24/15 7} 7. O-O {+0.58/23 2.0} f6 {+0.62/16 3} 8.
Qh5+ {+0.62/22 1.8} g6 {+0.47/16 1.7} 9. Qf3 {+0.38/21 1.4} Ne5
{+0.42/16 0.6} 10. Qxd5 {+1.36/22 2.3} Qxd5 11. Bxd5 {+1.29/22 2.6} fxg5
{+1.64/19 1.0} 12. Re1 {+1.25/24 3} Bd6 13. Bxg5 {+1.26/21 2.5} Kd7
{+1.53/16 2.7} 14. Nd2 {+1.65/22 0.5} Ng4 {+1.50/17 5} 15. Nf3
{+1.43/23 1.1} c5 {+1.37/18 3} 16. h3 {+1.54/24 2.2} h6 {+1.50/19 1.0} 17.
Bd2 {+1.65/24 5} Nf6 {+1.53/16 2.2} 18. Bc4 {+1.85/21 0.1} Kc6 {+1.72/17 5}
19. c3 {+1.68/24 0.9} b5 {+1.82/17 2.9} 20. Bf7 {+1.89/22 0.2} Rf8
{+1.92/17 4} 21. Bxg6 {+1.96/20 2.5} dxc3 22. bxc3 {+1.96/21 5} Rg8
{+2.00/17 4} 23. Nh4 {+2.33/20 0.8} h5 {+2.20/16 3} 24. a4 {+2.96/19 3} b4
{+2.61/18 3} 25. cxb4 {+4.17/19 4} cxb4 {+3.12/17 0.5} 26. Rac1+
{+4.48/22 3} Kb7 {+3.00/18 0.3} 27. Bg5 {+4.49/23 2.8} Rxg6 {+3.80/18 3}
28. Nxg6 {+4.30/22 4} Nd5 29. Rcd1 {+4.52/22 4} Kc6 {+4.37/18 4} 30. Ne5+
{+4.59/23 4} Kc5 31. Rc1+ {+4.64/23 3} Nc3 32. Bd2 {+4.68/21 2.8} Kd5 33.
Nf7 {+4.97/23 4} Be6 {+5.06/18 2.8} 34. Ng5 {+5.15/25 4} Bg8 35. Bxc3
{+5.19/24 5} bxc3 {+5.24/18 2.8} 36. Red1+ {+5.35/22 1.2} Ke5 37. Rxc3
{+5.28/23 0.6} Bb4 {+5.29/17 4} 38. Rc6 {+5.67/24 7} Rf8 {+5.06/17 4} 39.
Nf3+ {+5.88/27 7} Rxf3 {+4.95/20 4} 40. gxf3 {+6.28/27 9} a5 41. Rd3
{+6.22/20 0.3} Bh7 {+5.39/21 17} 42. Re3+ {+6.84/24 2.6} Kd4 {+6.12/22 10}
43. h4 {+6.95/28 0.1} Bf5 {+6.42/21 11} 44. Rh6 {+7.77/23 2.3} Bc2
{+7.62/21 2.3} 45. Rxh5 {+8.39/25 0.3} Bd2 {+8.38/21 5} 46. Re2
{+8.99/29 0.8} Kd3 {+8.48/21 1.8} 47. Re4 {+8.52/24 0.6} Bb4 {+9.29/21 5}
48. Rd5+ {+9.10/26 0.2} Kc3 {+5.90/2 0.1} 49. Re3+ {+9.53/24 2.2} Kc4 50.
Rd7 {+9.73/26 3} Bf5 {+10.29/20 7} 51. Rc7+ {+10.10/26 2.3} Kd5
{+10.91/22 1.5} 52. h5 {+10.46/24 1.0} Kd6 {+11.18/21 4} 53. Rf7
{+12.25/24 2.4} Bb1 54. h6 {+13.50/28 5}
{Black resigns} 1-0
[/pgn]

[OliverBr]

Now running Stockfish 15.1 analysis first time.
It's saying the downfall of black started by taking the gambit d-pawn with the e-pawn instead of the Knight Nxd4.
Not taking the bait, e.g. just "Be7" was suggested to be another option for black (e.g. by OliThink, also Bb4+, h6). Other engines promote "Be6". Crafty itself prefers Be7 and Bb4+, too, after depth=11.