Rybka vs GM Joel Benjamin 2008 Draw Odds Match

[Graham Banks]

Hello:

... is vanished off the internet? This was a 6 game match, but I can't find pgn for all games. Here's the main link that I find:

https://chessok.com/?p=21973

I see that Graham was faster than me but games 2 and 3 are missing... WERE missing! I found a web of Events at Rybka website:

Rybka - for the serious chess player. [ #Computer chess ] [ Events ]

Where 'Rybka vs. GM Joel Benjamin II' match is listed and there are links to Rybka Forum. I was able to find the threads of all the games thanks to the WayBack Machine (once more!):/quote]

Thanks.
I knew they'd be in the Rybka forum, but I wasn't able to access various pages as I would have liked.

[modolief]

Awesome, archive.org for the win!

I was thinking, what a shame that all those old rybka forum posts were lost, but archive.org came to the rescue!

[lkaufman]

Based on the score of the match (7 to 1 by standard scoring, 6 to 2 with the draws counting as wins for Joel), and based on Joel's FIDE rating being around 2600 at the time, and based on White pieces being worth about 35 elo, the performance rating of Rybka in that match was roughly 2600 + 338 + 35 = 2973. The latest available commercial version of Rybka at that time was Rybka 2.3.2a, which happens to be the free version now. That was on eight threads, but much slower than a modern i7, so perhaps if we assume modest improvement in the engine during the interval between 2.3.2a release and the match, it might have been about 2950 FIDE then, perhaps somewhat more than this on a modern 4 core i7 and perhaps about 2900 on a single thread of a modern i7. But FIDE ratings have deflated since then, perhaps about 75 elo I would estimate from the stats I've seen, so maybe it would be about 2825 FIDE at standard TC on one i7 thread. That's probably the most reliable rating we have for a modern engine based on games with human GMs. Note that it's ccrl rapid rating is 2961, but since engines due substantially better vs humans in Rapid than in Classical, those numbers may both be correct; Rybka 2.3.2a on one thread might perform at 2825 Classical but around 2961 Rapid (15' + 10") vs human GMs now.
It is rather amazing to me that Komodo Dragon (with a special net) and latest Stockfish can give knight odds to Rybka 2.3.2a on one thread at blitz (2' +1") and not lose too badly; in 1000 game matches (using Chris W. knight odds opening book for variety), Dragon scored 37% and Stockfish scored 29.25%. I would never have believed when that match was played that anything could ever give Rybka knight odds, even in blitz.

[Fritz 0]

1. e4
This is game 1 of draw odds match. Rybka must win to get a point.
1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Re1 Be6 10. b3 a6 11. Bb2 Re8 12. Bf1 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Qxd5 Bxd5 16. Rad1 Rad8 17. a3 Kf8 18. Bd3 g6 19. Kf1 b5 20. c4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 Bxc4+ 22. bxc4 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rb8 24. Rd2 f6 25. Rc2 Kf7 26. Ke2 g5 27. h3 h5 28. Kd1 g4 29. hxg4 hxg4 30. Nh4 Bd6 31. Nf5 Be5 32. Kc1 Kg6 33. Ne3 Bf4 34. g3 Bxe3+ 35. fxe3 Ne5 36. Bxe5 fxe5 37. Rf2 Rb3 38. Kd2 Rxa3 39. Rf8 a5 40. Ke2 a4 41. Kf2 0-1

Benjamin , Joel
2008 .01.04
Rybka 2.3.2m14
Potomac, MD
1/2-1/2
(4)

1024MB, Shredder11.ctg, RYBKA36 1. e4 0 1... c5 0 2. Nf3 8 2... e6 0 3. c3 31 3... Nf6 0 4. Bd3 39 4... Nc6 0 5. O-O 0 5... d5 115 6. e5 87 6... Nd7 0 7. Bb5 228 7... Qb6 180 8. Qa4 492 8... Be7 209 9. d3 560 9... O-O 393 10. Bc6 147 10... Qc6 0 11. Qc6 374 11... bc6 0 12. c4 110 12... a5 32 13. a4 721 13... Rb8 142 14. Nbd2 62 14... g5 160 15. h3 52 15... h5 132 16. Re1 111 16... Kh7 23 17. g4 847 17... Ba6 0 18. Rb1 365 18... Rh8 135 19. b3 327 19... Kg6 34 20. Bb2 165 20... Bd8 0 21. Bc3 96 21... Rb7 37 22. Bb2 235 22... Kg7 179 23. Ba3 36 23... Bc7 92 24. Kg2 128 24... Rb6 197 25. Kg1 36 25... Rbb8 336 26. Nf1 122 26... Rb7 115 27. N1d2 68 27... Kg6 86 28. Kg2 57 28... Bd8 150 29. Bb2 69 29... Kg7 195 30. Ba3 163 30... Rb6 23 31. Rbc1 97 31... Rb8 132 32. Rb1 66 32... Kg6 88 33. Bb2 50 33... Bc7 100 34. Kg1 78 34... Kg7 133 35. Ba3 62 35... Rhe8 112 36. Bb2 164 36... Bd8 93 37. Ba3 45 37... Kg6 89 38. Kg2 45 38... h4 76 39. Kg1 74 39... Bb6 89 40. Rbc1 48 40... Rb7 40 41. Kg2 81 41... Rd8 87 42. Kg1 48 42... Rg8 86 43. Kg2 58 43... Rh8 27 44. Kg1 61 44... Rhb8 84 45. Kg2 51 45... Re8 32 46. Kg1 28 46... Bc7 83 47. Rb1 224 47... Rc8 82 48. Kg2 26 48... Rd8 54 49. Kg1 71 49... Ra7 80 50. Kg2 27 50... Rg8 51 51. Kg1 20 51... Rb7 78 52. Kg2 34 52... Rh8 43 53. Kg1 10 53... Rbb8 76 54. Kg2 11 54... Rhe8 64 55. Kg1 122 55... Rb7 74 56. Kg2 49 56... Reb8 24 57. Kg1 47 57... Ra8 112 58. Kg2 12 58... Bb6 59 59. Rbc1 42 59... Rc8 71 60. Kg1 44 60... Rbb8 69 61. Kg2 158 61... Nf8 6 62. Rb1 210 62... Kh6 58 63. Bc1 104 63... Bd8 68 64. Nf1 387 64... Ng6 24 65. Be3 133 65... Be7 263 66. N1d2 42 66... Rg8 164 67. Kh2 81 67... d4 49 68. Bg5 28 68... Bg5 0 69. Ng5 7 69... Kg5 8 70. Ne4 19 70... Kh6 21 71. Nc5 34 71... Bc8 0 72. Re4 39 72... Rd8 20 73. f4 84 73... Nf8 33 74. Rf1 150 74... Nh7 14 75. Rf2 61 75... Kg7 68 76. f5 41 76... Ng5 59 77. Ref4 18 77... Rb4 41 78. Rf1 80 78... Kh6 59 79. R1f2 44 79... Rb8 13 80. Rf1 52 80... Rb6 6 81. R1f2 11 81... Rb4 47 82. Rf1 7 82... Rb8 101 83. R1f2 8 83... Kg7 12 84. Rf1 90 84... Rb4 57 85. R1f2 12 85... Rb6 39 86. Rf1 7 86... Kg8 56 87. R1f2 17 87... Rb8 47 88. Rf1 33 88... Re8 55 89. f6 217 89... Rd8 25 90. R1f2 171 90... Kh7 55 91. Rg2 135 91... Kg6 70 92. Rg1 20 92... Rb7 32 93. Rg2 33 93... Rb4 53 94. Rg1 120 94... Rb6 0 95. Rg2 14 95... Bb7 53 96. Rg1 52 96... Kh7 0 97. Rg2 18 97... Rb4 53 98. Rg1 20 98... Ba8 33 99. Rg2 18 99... Kg6 53 100. Rg1 24 100... Rbb8 52 101. Rg2 34 101... Kh6 51 102. Rg1 10 102... Bb7 51 103. Rg2 16 103... Bc8 50 104. Rg1 32 104... Rb6 18 105. Rg2 6 105... Rb4 50 106. Rg1 7 106... Kg6 43 107. Rg2 7 107... Rb6 49 108. Rg1 7 108... Bb7 41 109. Rg2 7 109... Rb4 49 110. Rg1 13 110... Kh6 35 111. Rg2 8 111... Rb6 33 112. Rg1 7 112... Ba8 40 113. Rg2 8 113... Kg6 48 114. Rg1 8 114... Rdb8 47 115. Rb1 47 115... Kh6 0 116. Rb2 25 116... Rb4 23 117. Rb1 21 117... Rd8 48 118. Rg1 19 118... Rbb8 26 119. Rg2 64 119... Kg6 56 120. Rg1 13 120... Rb6 47 121. Rg2 9 121... Rb7 46 122. Rg1 28 122... Rb4 46 123. Rg2 33 123... Rc8 177 124. Rg1 62 124... Rcb8 42 125. Rb1 21 125... R4b6 20 126. Rb2 0 126... Kh6 42 127. Rb1 60 127... Rb4 97 128. Rb2 18 128... Rd8 40 129. Rg2 20 129... Kh7 39 130. Rg1 36 130... Rdb8 152 131. Rb1 15 131... Kg6 524 132. Rb2 13 132... R4b7 65 133. Rb1 19 133... Kh6 45 134. Rb2 20 134... Kh7 44 135. Rb1 18 135... Rb6 22 136. Rb2 14 136... Kg8 23 137. Rb1 24 137... Nh7 0 138. Rb2 200 138... Nf8 20 139. Rb1 46 139... Rb4 24

Rybka won game 5 and leads 3-2

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 Qb6 5. a4 b4 6. c4 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Bg7 9. a5 Qd8 10. Nbd2 d6 11. e4 Nh5 12. Ra2 b3 13. Nxb3 Na6 14. Qb1 f5 15. exf5 O-O 16. Bd3 Nb4 17. Ra4 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 Qe8 19. Ra2 Bxf5 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Nfd2 Qg6 22. Nc1 Rbe8 23. O-O Nxg3 24. hxg3 e6 25. b3 exd5 26. Qd1 d4 27. Nf3 Bg4 28. Rd2 Qh5 29. Rd3 Re7 30. Re1 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qg6 32. Nh2 Re8 33. Qd2 Bf5 34. Nf3 Bxd3 35. Nxd3 Qe6 36. Kf1 Bf6 37. Qd1 Bd8 38. a6 Ba5 39. Ng1 Rb8 40. Nh3 Rb6 41. Kg1 Rxa6 42. Qf3 Bd8 43. Qa8 Qe7 44. f3 Ra3 45. Nhf2 Rxb3 46. Qd5+ Kg7 47. Qf5 a5 0-1

[Event "Draw Odds Match 90m+30s"]
[Site "Potomac"]
[Date "2008.01.05"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Benjamin, Joel"]
[Black "Rybka"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "3100"]
[Annotator "Utzinger,K"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. Nbd2 d6 6. c3 Nd7 7. e4 (7. e3
Qd8 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 b6 11. a4 {
1/2-1/2 Benjamin,J (2575)-Hjartarson,J (2550)/Szirak 1987/CBM 003}) 7... g6 8.
Bd3 Bg7 9. Nc4 O-O 10. O-O e5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. b4 {An often played move in
this position just to prevent Nc5 but it gives Black a target with a7-a5 or
c7-c5 and looks less sound than 12.Qc2 / Ein in dieser Stellung vielfach
gespielter Zug, der dem Schwarzen ein Angriffsziel mit a7-a5 oder c7-c5 gibt
und auch weniger gesund scheint als 12.Dc2} Nb6 13. Na5 (13. Ne3) 13... Qe7 14.
Qe2 (14. Nb3 {would not allow c7-c5 / würde c7-c5 nicht zulassen}) 14... c5 15.
b5 Rd8 16. Bc2 Qc7 {Something must have gone wrong with White's set-up because
Rybka stands better after only 16 moves / Mit dem weissen Aufbau muss etwas in
die Hose gegangen sein, denn Rybka steht nach bereits 16 Zügen besser} 17. Bb3
Bd7 18. a4 a6 19. Qa2 {Attacking f7 twice but the queen is badly placed on a2 /
Doppelangriff auf f7, aber auf a2 steht die Dame nicht gut} Be8 {White is in
serious trouble because his position is paralysed by the pin on the a-file /
Weiss ist in arger Not, denn seine Stellung ist wegen der "Fesslung" in der
a-Linie stark eingeschränkt} 20. Rfb1 (20. bxa6 Rxa6 {
would have put some more resistance / hätte etwas mehr Widerstand geleistet})
20... axb5 21. axb5 Ra7 {Rybka wins a piece / Rybka gewinnt eine Figur} (21...
Ra7 {White resigns in view of / Weiss gibt auf im Hinblick auf} 22. c4 Rda8 23.
Qd2 Nc8 {and nothing can be done against the threat b6 / und gegen die Drohung
b6 ist kein Kraut gewachsen}) 0-1

Game #7 Rybka played a great ending

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 Qb6 5. a4 b4 6. c4 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Bg7 9. a5 Qd8 10. Nbd2 d6 11. e4 Nh5 12. Ra2 b3 13. Nxb3 Na6 14. Qb1 f5 15. exf5 O-O 16. Bd3 Nb4 17. Ra4 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 Qe8 19. Ra2 Bxf5 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Nfd2 Qg6 22. Nc1 Rbe8 23. O-O Nxg3 24. hxg3 e6 25. b3 exd5 26. Qd1 d4 27. Nf3 Bg4 28. Rd2 Qh5 29. Rd3 Re7 30. Re1 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qg6 32. Nh2 Re8 33. Qd2 Bf5 34. Nf3 Bxd3 35. Nxd3 Qe6 36. Kf1 Bf6 37. Qd1 Bd8 38. a6 Ba5 39. Ng1 Rb8 40. Nh3 Rb6 41. Kg1 Rxa6 42. Qf3 Bd8 43. Qa8 Qe7 44. f3 Ra3 45. Nhf2 Rxb3 46. Qd5+ Kg7 47. Qf5 a5 0-1
(48. Qc8 Bc7 49. Kh2 Rb8 50. Qf5 a4 51. Nc1 a3 52. Nfd3 Qf7 53. Qe4 Qxc4 54. Qc6 Qf7 Rybka v2.3.2a (0:09.35)-5.70|d19)
(48. Qd5 a4 49. Qa8 a3 50. Qa4 Rc3 51. Qa6 Qe3 52. Kh2 Be7 53. Qb7 Kf7 54. Qd5+ Qe6 55. Qa8 zappa_mexico (0:05.07)-4.15|d17)
(48. Nd1 Rb1 49. N3f2 Rc1 50. Qd5 a4 51. Qa8 Ra1 52. Kh2 a3 53. Qb8 Ba5 54. Qb3 Be1 Anti-Human 1 (0:06.14)-5.86|d17)
(48. Nd1 Rb1 49. N3f2 Rc1 50. Qd5 a4 51. Qa8 Rxc4 52. Nd3 Qd7 53. Qd5 Rc2 Update Anti-human Rybka (0:08.00)-5.90|d17)
[0-1]

[White "Benjamin"]
[Black "Rybka"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "3100"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 O-O 8.O-O Bg4 9.f3 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 Be6 11.f4 c5 12.Qd2 Re8 13.b3 c4 14.Kh1 Rc8 15.Bb2 Qa5 16.Qd4 Bf8 17.Rae1 a6 18.Bf3 Bh3 19.Bg2 Qh5 20.Qd2 b5 21.a3 d5 22.exd5 Ng4 23.b4 Bxg2+ 24.Qxg2 Ne3 25.Qf3 Nxf1 26.Qxh5 Rxe1 27.Kg2 Rce8 28.Qf3 Ne3+ 29.Kh3 f5 30.d6 Re6 31.Kh4 Rh6+ 32.Kg5 Rxd6 0-1

A superb win by Rybka to take out the match 6-2

Postscript to the match: a few months after losing all three games in this match where Rybka played the Phildor with 3...exd4, which I had prepared for Rybka to use in this match, I was paired against Joel in a tournament, and I had Black. So I played this same Philidor, and after a few more moves Joel agreed to a quick draw with me (this was before I became a GM). But I think it guaranteed him at least a tie for first place, so it wasn't only the opening that was a factor. I think he finished clear first, and I finished third. Now it's pretty clear how to refute this, but in 2008 it wasn't yet so easy to determine what was wrong with it.

I also play the Philidor, athough not the Antoshin variation but the Hanham or whatever it's called (without taking on d4). Can you please explain how the Antoshin is refuted, at least in general terms?

[lkaufman]

1. e4
This is game 1 of draw odds match. Rybka must win to get a point.
1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Re1 Be6 10. b3 a6 11. Bb2 Re8 12. Bf1 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Qxd5 Bxd5 16. Rad1 Rad8 17. a3 Kf8 18. Bd3 g6 19. Kf1 b5 20. c4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 Bxc4+ 22. bxc4 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rb8 24. Rd2 f6 25. Rc2 Kf7 26. Ke2 g5 27. h3 h5 28. Kd1 g4 29. hxg4 hxg4 30. Nh4 Bd6 31. Nf5 Be5 32. Kc1 Kg6 33. Ne3 Bf4 34. g3 Bxe3+ 35. fxe3 Ne5 36. Bxe5 fxe5 37. Rf2 Rb3 38. Kd2 Rxa3 39. Rf8 a5 40. Ke2 a4 41. Kf2 0-1

Benjamin , Joel
2008 .01.04
Rybka 2.3.2m14
Potomac, MD
1/2-1/2
(4)

1024MB, Shredder11.ctg, RYBKA36 1. e4 0 1... c5 0 2. Nf3 8 2... e6 0 3. c3 31 3... Nf6 0 4. Bd3 39 4... Nc6 0 5. O-O 0 5... d5 115 6. e5 87 6... Nd7 0 7. Bb5 228 7... Qb6 180 8. Qa4 492 8... Be7 209 9. d3 560 9... O-O 393 10. Bc6 147 10... Qc6 0 11. Qc6 374 11... bc6 0 12. c4 110 12... a5 32 13. a4 721 13... Rb8 142 14. Nbd2 62 14... g5 160 15. h3 52 15... h5 132 16. Re1 111 16... Kh7 23 17. g4 847 17... Ba6 0 18. Rb1 365 18... Rh8 135 19. b3 327 19... Kg6 34 20. Bb2 165 20... Bd8 0 21. Bc3 96 21... Rb7 37 22. Bb2 235 22... Kg7 179 23. Ba3 36 23... Bc7 92 24. Kg2 128 24... Rb6 197 25. Kg1 36 25... Rbb8 336 26. Nf1 122 26... Rb7 115 27. N1d2 68 27... Kg6 86 28. Kg2 57 28... Bd8 150 29. Bb2 69 29... Kg7 195 30. Ba3 163 30... Rb6 23 31. Rbc1 97 31... Rb8 132 32. Rb1 66 32... Kg6 88 33. Bb2 50 33... Bc7 100 34. Kg1 78 34... Kg7 133 35. Ba3 62 35... Rhe8 112 36. Bb2 164 36... Bd8 93 37. Ba3 45 37... Kg6 89 38. Kg2 45 38... h4 76 39. Kg1 74 39... Bb6 89 40. Rbc1 48 40... Rb7 40 41. Kg2 81 41... Rd8 87 42. Kg1 48 42... Rg8 86 43. Kg2 58 43... Rh8 27 44. Kg1 61 44... Rhb8 84 45. Kg2 51 45... Re8 32 46. Kg1 28 46... Bc7 83 47. Rb1 224 47... Rc8 82 48. Kg2 26 48... Rd8 54 49. Kg1 71 49... Ra7 80 50. Kg2 27 50... Rg8 51 51. Kg1 20 51... Rb7 78 52. Kg2 34 52... Rh8 43 53. Kg1 10 53... Rbb8 76 54. Kg2 11 54... Rhe8 64 55. Kg1 122 55... Rb7 74 56. Kg2 49 56... Reb8 24 57. Kg1 47 57... Ra8 112 58. Kg2 12 58... Bb6 59 59. Rbc1 42 59... Rc8 71 60. Kg1 44 60... Rbb8 69 61. Kg2 158 61... Nf8 6 62. Rb1 210 62... Kh6 58 63. Bc1 104 63... Bd8 68 64. Nf1 387 64... Ng6 24 65. Be3 133 65... Be7 263 66. N1d2 42 66... Rg8 164 67. Kh2 81 67... d4 49 68. Bg5 28 68... Bg5 0 69. Ng5 7 69... Kg5 8 70. Ne4 19 70... Kh6 21 71. Nc5 34 71... Bc8 0 72. Re4 39 72... Rd8 20 73. f4 84 73... Nf8 33 74. Rf1 150 74... Nh7 14 75. Rf2 61 75... Kg7 68 76. f5 41 76... Ng5 59 77. Ref4 18 77... Rb4 41 78. Rf1 80 78... Kh6 59 79. R1f2 44 79... Rb8 13 80. Rf1 52 80... Rb6 6 81. R1f2 11 81... Rb4 47 82. Rf1 7 82... Rb8 101 83. R1f2 8 83... Kg7 12 84. Rf1 90 84... Rb4 57 85. R1f2 12 85... Rb6 39 86. Rf1 7 86... Kg8 56 87. R1f2 17 87... Rb8 47 88. Rf1 33 88... Re8 55 89. f6 217 89... Rd8 25 90. R1f2 171 90... Kh7 55 91. Rg2 135 91... Kg6 70 92. Rg1 20 92... Rb7 32 93. Rg2 33 93... Rb4 53 94. Rg1 120 94... Rb6 0 95. Rg2 14 95... Bb7 53 96. Rg1 52 96... Kh7 0 97. Rg2 18 97... Rb4 53 98. Rg1 20 98... Ba8 33 99. Rg2 18 99... Kg6 53 100. Rg1 24 100... Rbb8 52 101. Rg2 34 101... Kh6 51 102. Rg1 10 102... Bb7 51 103. Rg2 16 103... Bc8 50 104. Rg1 32 104... Rb6 18 105. Rg2 6 105... Rb4 50 106. Rg1 7 106... Kg6 43 107. Rg2 7 107... Rb6 49 108. Rg1 7 108... Bb7 41 109. Rg2 7 109... Rb4 49 110. Rg1 13 110... Kh6 35 111. Rg2 8 111... Rb6 33 112. Rg1 7 112... Ba8 40 113. Rg2 8 113... Kg6 48 114. Rg1 8 114... Rdb8 47 115. Rb1 47 115... Kh6 0 116. Rb2 25 116... Rb4 23 117. Rb1 21 117... Rd8 48 118. Rg1 19 118... Rbb8 26 119. Rg2 64 119... Kg6 56 120. Rg1 13 120... Rb6 47 121. Rg2 9 121... Rb7 46 122. Rg1 28 122... Rb4 46 123. Rg2 33 123... Rc8 177 124. Rg1 62 124... Rcb8 42 125. Rb1 21 125... R4b6 20 126. Rb2 0 126... Kh6 42 127. Rb1 60 127... Rb4 97 128. Rb2 18 128... Rd8 40 129. Rg2 20 129... Kh7 39 130. Rg1 36 130... Rdb8 152 131. Rb1 15 131... Kg6 524 132. Rb2 13 132... R4b7 65 133. Rb1 19 133... Kh6 45 134. Rb2 20 134... Kh7 44 135. Rb1 18 135... Rb6 22 136. Rb2 14 136... Kg8 23 137. Rb1 24 137... Nh7 0 138. Rb2 200 138... Nf8 20 139. Rb1 46 139... Rb4 24

Rybka won game 5 and leads 3-2

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 Qb6 5. a4 b4 6. c4 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Bg7 9. a5 Qd8 10. Nbd2 d6 11. e4 Nh5 12. Ra2 b3 13. Nxb3 Na6 14. Qb1 f5 15. exf5 O-O 16. Bd3 Nb4 17. Ra4 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 Qe8 19. Ra2 Bxf5 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Nfd2 Qg6 22. Nc1 Rbe8 23. O-O Nxg3 24. hxg3 e6 25. b3 exd5 26. Qd1 d4 27. Nf3 Bg4 28. Rd2 Qh5 29. Rd3 Re7 30. Re1 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qg6 32. Nh2 Re8 33. Qd2 Bf5 34. Nf3 Bxd3 35. Nxd3 Qe6 36. Kf1 Bf6 37. Qd1 Bd8 38. a6 Ba5 39. Ng1 Rb8 40. Nh3 Rb6 41. Kg1 Rxa6 42. Qf3 Bd8 43. Qa8 Qe7 44. f3 Ra3 45. Nhf2 Rxb3 46. Qd5+ Kg7 47. Qf5 a5 0-1

[Event "Draw Odds Match 90m+30s"]
[Site "Potomac"]
[Date "2008.01.05"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Benjamin, Joel"]
[Black "Rybka"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "3100"]
[Annotator "Utzinger,K"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. Nbd2 d6 6. c3 Nd7 7. e4 (7. e3
Qd8 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 b6 11. a4 {
1/2-1/2 Benjamin,J (2575)-Hjartarson,J (2550)/Szirak 1987/CBM 003}) 7... g6 8.
Bd3 Bg7 9. Nc4 O-O 10. O-O e5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. b4 {An often played move in
this position just to prevent Nc5 but it gives Black a target with a7-a5 or
c7-c5 and looks less sound than 12.Qc2 / Ein in dieser Stellung vielfach
gespielter Zug, der dem Schwarzen ein Angriffsziel mit a7-a5 oder c7-c5 gibt
und auch weniger gesund scheint als 12.Dc2} Nb6 13. Na5 (13. Ne3) 13... Qe7 14.
Qe2 (14. Nb3 {would not allow c7-c5 / würde c7-c5 nicht zulassen}) 14... c5 15.
b5 Rd8 16. Bc2 Qc7 {Something must have gone wrong with White's set-up because
Rybka stands better after only 16 moves / Mit dem weissen Aufbau muss etwas in
die Hose gegangen sein, denn Rybka steht nach bereits 16 Zügen besser} 17. Bb3
Bd7 18. a4 a6 19. Qa2 {Attacking f7 twice but the queen is badly placed on a2 /
Doppelangriff auf f7, aber auf a2 steht die Dame nicht gut} Be8 {White is in
serious trouble because his position is paralysed by the pin on the a-file /
Weiss ist in arger Not, denn seine Stellung ist wegen der "Fesslung" in der
a-Linie stark eingeschränkt} 20. Rfb1 (20. bxa6 Rxa6 {
would have put some more resistance / hätte etwas mehr Widerstand geleistet})
20... axb5 21. axb5 Ra7 {Rybka wins a piece / Rybka gewinnt eine Figur} (21...
Ra7 {White resigns in view of / Weiss gibt auf im Hinblick auf} 22. c4 Rda8 23.
Qd2 Nc8 {and nothing can be done against the threat b6 / und gegen die Drohung
b6 ist kein Kraut gewachsen}) 0-1

Game #7 Rybka played a great ending

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 Qb6 5. a4 b4 6. c4 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Bg7 9. a5 Qd8 10. Nbd2 d6 11. e4 Nh5 12. Ra2 b3 13. Nxb3 Na6 14. Qb1 f5 15. exf5 O-O 16. Bd3 Nb4 17. Ra4 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 Qe8 19. Ra2 Bxf5 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Nfd2 Qg6 22. Nc1 Rbe8 23. O-O Nxg3 24. hxg3 e6 25. b3 exd5 26. Qd1 d4 27. Nf3 Bg4 28. Rd2 Qh5 29. Rd3 Re7 30. Re1 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qg6 32. Nh2 Re8 33. Qd2 Bf5 34. Nf3 Bxd3 35. Nxd3 Qe6 36. Kf1 Bf6 37. Qd1 Bd8 38. a6 Ba5 39. Ng1 Rb8 40. Nh3 Rb6 41. Kg1 Rxa6 42. Qf3 Bd8 43. Qa8 Qe7 44. f3 Ra3 45. Nhf2 Rxb3 46. Qd5+ Kg7 47. Qf5 a5 0-1
(48. Qc8 Bc7 49. Kh2 Rb8 50. Qf5 a4 51. Nc1 a3 52. Nfd3 Qf7 53. Qe4 Qxc4 54. Qc6 Qf7 Rybka v2.3.2a (0:09.35)-5.70|d19)
(48. Qd5 a4 49. Qa8 a3 50. Qa4 Rc3 51. Qa6 Qe3 52. Kh2 Be7 53. Qb7 Kf7 54. Qd5+ Qe6 55. Qa8 zappa_mexico (0:05.07)-4.15|d17)
(48. Nd1 Rb1 49. N3f2 Rc1 50. Qd5 a4 51. Qa8 Ra1 52. Kh2 a3 53. Qb8 Ba5 54. Qb3 Be1 Anti-Human 1 (0:06.14)-5.86|d17)
(48. Nd1 Rb1 49. N3f2 Rc1 50. Qd5 a4 51. Qa8 Rxc4 52. Nd3 Qd7 53. Qd5 Rc2 Update Anti-human Rybka (0:08.00)-5.90|d17)
[0-1]

[White "Benjamin"]
[Black "Rybka"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "3100"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 O-O 8.O-O Bg4 9.f3 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 Be6 11.f4 c5 12.Qd2 Re8 13.b3 c4 14.Kh1 Rc8 15.Bb2 Qa5 16.Qd4 Bf8 17.Rae1 a6 18.Bf3 Bh3 19.Bg2 Qh5 20.Qd2 b5 21.a3 d5 22.exd5 Ng4 23.b4 Bxg2+ 24.Qxg2 Ne3 25.Qf3 Nxf1 26.Qxh5 Rxe1 27.Kg2 Rce8 28.Qf3 Ne3+ 29.Kh3 f5 30.d6 Re6 31.Kh4 Rh6+ 32.Kg5 Rxd6 0-1

A superb win by Rybka to take out the match 6-2

Postscript to the match: a few months after losing all three games in this match where Rybka played the Phildor with 3...exd4, which I had prepared for Rybka to use in this match, I was paired against Joel in a tournament, and I had Black. So I played this same Philidor, and after a few more moves Joel agreed to a quick draw with me (this was before I became a GM). But I think it guaranteed him at least a tie for first place, so it wasn't only the opening that was a factor. I think he finished clear first, and I finished third. Now it's pretty clear how to refute this, but in 2008 it wasn't yet so easy to determine what was wrong with it.

I also play the Philidor, athough not the Antoshin variation but the Hanham or whatever it's called (without taking on d4). Can you please explain how the Antoshin is refuted, at least in general terms?

The line with Bf4, f3, castling long, and g4 seems to lead to a pretty significant and clear White advantage. Whether it's a forced win with perfect play I wouldn't know, but it clearly leads to two-result endgames where Black can not count on reaching a draw.

[Fritz 0]

1. e4
This is game 1 of draw odds match. Rybka must win to get a point.
1... e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Re1 Be6 10. b3 a6 11. Bb2 Re8 12. Bf1 d5 13. exd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Qxd5 15. Qxd5 Bxd5 16. Rad1 Rad8 17. a3 Kf8 18. Bd3 g6 19. Kf1 b5 20. c4 bxc4 21. Bxc4 Bxc4+ 22. bxc4 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Rb8 24. Rd2 f6 25. Rc2 Kf7 26. Ke2 g5 27. h3 h5 28. Kd1 g4 29. hxg4 hxg4 30. Nh4 Bd6 31. Nf5 Be5 32. Kc1 Kg6 33. Ne3 Bf4 34. g3 Bxe3+ 35. fxe3 Ne5 36. Bxe5 fxe5 37. Rf2 Rb3 38. Kd2 Rxa3 39. Rf8 a5 40. Ke2 a4 41. Kf2 0-1

Benjamin , Joel
2008 .01.04
Rybka 2.3.2m14
Potomac, MD
1/2-1/2
(4)

1024MB, Shredder11.ctg, RYBKA36 1. e4 0 1... c5 0 2. Nf3 8 2... e6 0 3. c3 31 3... Nf6 0 4. Bd3 39 4... Nc6 0 5. O-O 0 5... d5 115 6. e5 87 6... Nd7 0 7. Bb5 228 7... Qb6 180 8. Qa4 492 8... Be7 209 9. d3 560 9... O-O 393 10. Bc6 147 10... Qc6 0 11. Qc6 374 11... bc6 0 12. c4 110 12... a5 32 13. a4 721 13... Rb8 142 14. Nbd2 62 14... g5 160 15. h3 52 15... h5 132 16. Re1 111 16... Kh7 23 17. g4 847 17... Ba6 0 18. Rb1 365 18... Rh8 135 19. b3 327 19... Kg6 34 20. Bb2 165 20... Bd8 0 21. Bc3 96 21... Rb7 37 22. Bb2 235 22... Kg7 179 23. Ba3 36 23... Bc7 92 24. Kg2 128 24... Rb6 197 25. Kg1 36 25... Rbb8 336 26. Nf1 122 26... Rb7 115 27. N1d2 68 27... Kg6 86 28. Kg2 57 28... Bd8 150 29. Bb2 69 29... Kg7 195 30. Ba3 163 30... Rb6 23 31. Rbc1 97 31... Rb8 132 32. Rb1 66 32... Kg6 88 33. Bb2 50 33... Bc7 100 34. Kg1 78 34... Kg7 133 35. Ba3 62 35... Rhe8 112 36. Bb2 164 36... Bd8 93 37. Ba3 45 37... Kg6 89 38. Kg2 45 38... h4 76 39. Kg1 74 39... Bb6 89 40. Rbc1 48 40... Rb7 40 41. Kg2 81 41... Rd8 87 42. Kg1 48 42... Rg8 86 43. Kg2 58 43... Rh8 27 44. Kg1 61 44... Rhb8 84 45. Kg2 51 45... Re8 32 46. Kg1 28 46... Bc7 83 47. Rb1 224 47... Rc8 82 48. Kg2 26 48... Rd8 54 49. Kg1 71 49... Ra7 80 50. Kg2 27 50... Rg8 51 51. Kg1 20 51... Rb7 78 52. Kg2 34 52... Rh8 43 53. Kg1 10 53... Rbb8 76 54. Kg2 11 54... Rhe8 64 55. Kg1 122 55... Rb7 74 56. Kg2 49 56... Reb8 24 57. Kg1 47 57... Ra8 112 58. Kg2 12 58... Bb6 59 59. Rbc1 42 59... Rc8 71 60. Kg1 44 60... Rbb8 69 61. Kg2 158 61... Nf8 6 62. Rb1 210 62... Kh6 58 63. Bc1 104 63... Bd8 68 64. Nf1 387 64... Ng6 24 65. Be3 133 65... Be7 263 66. N1d2 42 66... Rg8 164 67. Kh2 81 67... d4 49 68. Bg5 28 68... Bg5 0 69. Ng5 7 69... Kg5 8 70. Ne4 19 70... Kh6 21 71. Nc5 34 71... Bc8 0 72. Re4 39 72... Rd8 20 73. f4 84 73... Nf8 33 74. Rf1 150 74... Nh7 14 75. Rf2 61 75... Kg7 68 76. f5 41 76... Ng5 59 77. Ref4 18 77... Rb4 41 78. Rf1 80 78... Kh6 59 79. R1f2 44 79... Rb8 13 80. Rf1 52 80... Rb6 6 81. R1f2 11 81... Rb4 47 82. Rf1 7 82... Rb8 101 83. R1f2 8 83... Kg7 12 84. Rf1 90 84... Rb4 57 85. R1f2 12 85... Rb6 39 86. Rf1 7 86... Kg8 56 87. R1f2 17 87... Rb8 47 88. Rf1 33 88... Re8 55 89. f6 217 89... Rd8 25 90. R1f2 171 90... Kh7 55 91. Rg2 135 91... Kg6 70 92. Rg1 20 92... Rb7 32 93. Rg2 33 93... Rb4 53 94. Rg1 120 94... Rb6 0 95. Rg2 14 95... Bb7 53 96. Rg1 52 96... Kh7 0 97. Rg2 18 97... Rb4 53 98. Rg1 20 98... Ba8 33 99. Rg2 18 99... Kg6 53 100. Rg1 24 100... Rbb8 52 101. Rg2 34 101... Kh6 51 102. Rg1 10 102... Bb7 51 103. Rg2 16 103... Bc8 50 104. Rg1 32 104... Rb6 18 105. Rg2 6 105... Rb4 50 106. Rg1 7 106... Kg6 43 107. Rg2 7 107... Rb6 49 108. Rg1 7 108... Bb7 41 109. Rg2 7 109... Rb4 49 110. Rg1 13 110... Kh6 35 111. Rg2 8 111... Rb6 33 112. Rg1 7 112... Ba8 40 113. Rg2 8 113... Kg6 48 114. Rg1 8 114... Rdb8 47 115. Rb1 47 115... Kh6 0 116. Rb2 25 116... Rb4 23 117. Rb1 21 117... Rd8 48 118. Rg1 19 118... Rbb8 26 119. Rg2 64 119... Kg6 56 120. Rg1 13 120... Rb6 47 121. Rg2 9 121... Rb7 46 122. Rg1 28 122... Rb4 46 123. Rg2 33 123... Rc8 177 124. Rg1 62 124... Rcb8 42 125. Rb1 21 125... R4b6 20 126. Rb2 0 126... Kh6 42 127. Rb1 60 127... Rb4 97 128. Rb2 18 128... Rd8 40 129. Rg2 20 129... Kh7 39 130. Rg1 36 130... Rdb8 152 131. Rb1 15 131... Kg6 524 132. Rb2 13 132... R4b7 65 133. Rb1 19 133... Kh6 45 134. Rb2 20 134... Kh7 44 135. Rb1 18 135... Rb6 22 136. Rb2 14 136... Kg8 23 137. Rb1 24 137... Nh7 0 138. Rb2 200 138... Nf8 20 139. Rb1 46 139... Rb4 24

Rybka won game 5 and leads 3-2

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 Qb6 5. a4 b4 6. c4 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Bg7 9. a5 Qd8 10. Nbd2 d6 11. e4 Nh5 12. Ra2 b3 13. Nxb3 Na6 14. Qb1 f5 15. exf5 O-O 16. Bd3 Nb4 17. Ra4 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 Qe8 19. Ra2 Bxf5 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Nfd2 Qg6 22. Nc1 Rbe8 23. O-O Nxg3 24. hxg3 e6 25. b3 exd5 26. Qd1 d4 27. Nf3 Bg4 28. Rd2 Qh5 29. Rd3 Re7 30. Re1 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qg6 32. Nh2 Re8 33. Qd2 Bf5 34. Nf3 Bxd3 35. Nxd3 Qe6 36. Kf1 Bf6 37. Qd1 Bd8 38. a6 Ba5 39. Ng1 Rb8 40. Nh3 Rb6 41. Kg1 Rxa6 42. Qf3 Bd8 43. Qa8 Qe7 44. f3 Ra3 45. Nhf2 Rxb3 46. Qd5+ Kg7 47. Qf5 a5 0-1

[Event "Draw Odds Match 90m+30s"]
[Site "Potomac"]
[Date "2008.01.05"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Benjamin, Joel"]
[Black "Rybka"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "3100"]
[Annotator "Utzinger,K"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. Nbd2 d6 6. c3 Nd7 7. e4 (7. e3
Qd8 8. Be2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 b6 11. a4 {
1/2-1/2 Benjamin,J (2575)-Hjartarson,J (2550)/Szirak 1987/CBM 003}) 7... g6 8.
Bd3 Bg7 9. Nc4 O-O 10. O-O e5 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. b4 {An often played move in
this position just to prevent Nc5 but it gives Black a target with a7-a5 or
c7-c5 and looks less sound than 12.Qc2 / Ein in dieser Stellung vielfach
gespielter Zug, der dem Schwarzen ein Angriffsziel mit a7-a5 oder c7-c5 gibt
und auch weniger gesund scheint als 12.Dc2} Nb6 13. Na5 (13. Ne3) 13... Qe7 14.
Qe2 (14. Nb3 {would not allow c7-c5 / würde c7-c5 nicht zulassen}) 14... c5 15.
b5 Rd8 16. Bc2 Qc7 {Something must have gone wrong with White's set-up because
Rybka stands better after only 16 moves / Mit dem weissen Aufbau muss etwas in
die Hose gegangen sein, denn Rybka steht nach bereits 16 Zügen besser} 17. Bb3
Bd7 18. a4 a6 19. Qa2 {Attacking f7 twice but the queen is badly placed on a2 /
Doppelangriff auf f7, aber auf a2 steht die Dame nicht gut} Be8 {White is in
serious trouble because his position is paralysed by the pin on the a-file /
Weiss ist in arger Not, denn seine Stellung ist wegen der "Fesslung" in der
a-Linie stark eingeschränkt} 20. Rfb1 (20. bxa6 Rxa6 {
would have put some more resistance / hätte etwas mehr Widerstand geleistet})
20... axb5 21. axb5 Ra7 {Rybka wins a piece / Rybka gewinnt eine Figur} (21...
Ra7 {White resigns in view of / Weiss gibt auf im Hinblick auf} 22. c4 Rda8 23.
Qd2 Nc8 {and nothing can be done against the threat b6 / und gegen die Drohung
b6 ist kein Kraut gewachsen}) 0-1

Game #7 Rybka played a great ending

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Bg5 Qb6 5. a4 b4 6. c4 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Bg7 9. a5 Qd8 10. Nbd2 d6 11. e4 Nh5 12. Ra2 b3 13. Nxb3 Na6 14. Qb1 f5 15. exf5 O-O 16. Bd3 Nb4 17. Ra4 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 Qe8 19. Ra2 Bxf5 20. Qe2 Rb8 21. Nfd2 Qg6 22. Nc1 Rbe8 23. O-O Nxg3 24. hxg3 e6 25. b3 exd5 26. Qd1 d4 27. Nf3 Bg4 28. Rd2 Qh5 29. Rd3 Re7 30. Re1 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qg6 32. Nh2 Re8 33. Qd2 Bf5 34. Nf3 Bxd3 35. Nxd3 Qe6 36. Kf1 Bf6 37. Qd1 Bd8 38. a6 Ba5 39. Ng1 Rb8 40. Nh3 Rb6 41. Kg1 Rxa6 42. Qf3 Bd8 43. Qa8 Qe7 44. f3 Ra3 45. Nhf2 Rxb3 46. Qd5+ Kg7 47. Qf5 a5 0-1
(48. Qc8 Bc7 49. Kh2 Rb8 50. Qf5 a4 51. Nc1 a3 52. Nfd3 Qf7 53. Qe4 Qxc4 54. Qc6 Qf7 Rybka v2.3.2a (0:09.35)-5.70|d19)
(48. Qd5 a4 49. Qa8 a3 50. Qa4 Rc3 51. Qa6 Qe3 52. Kh2 Be7 53. Qb7 Kf7 54. Qd5+ Qe6 55. Qa8 zappa_mexico (0:05.07)-4.15|d17)
(48. Nd1 Rb1 49. N3f2 Rc1 50. Qd5 a4 51. Qa8 Ra1 52. Kh2 a3 53. Qb8 Ba5 54. Qb3 Be1 Anti-Human 1 (0:06.14)-5.86|d17)
(48. Nd1 Rb1 49. N3f2 Rc1 50. Qd5 a4 51. Qa8 Rxc4 52. Nd3 Qd7 53. Qd5 Rc2 Update Anti-human Rybka (0:08.00)-5.90|d17)
[0-1]

[White "Benjamin"]
[Black "Rybka"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "3100"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 O-O 8.O-O Bg4 9.f3 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 Be6 11.f4 c5 12.Qd2 Re8 13.b3 c4 14.Kh1 Rc8 15.Bb2 Qa5 16.Qd4 Bf8 17.Rae1 a6 18.Bf3 Bh3 19.Bg2 Qh5 20.Qd2 b5 21.a3 d5 22.exd5 Ng4 23.b4 Bxg2+ 24.Qxg2 Ne3 25.Qf3 Nxf1 26.Qxh5 Rxe1 27.Kg2 Rce8 28.Qf3 Ne3+ 29.Kh3 f5 30.d6 Re6 31.Kh4 Rh6+ 32.Kg5 Rxd6 0-1

A superb win by Rybka to take out the match 6-2

Postscript to the match: a few months after losing all three games in this match where Rybka played the Phildor with 3...exd4, which I had prepared for Rybka to use in this match, I was paired against Joel in a tournament, and I had Black. So I played this same Philidor, and after a few more moves Joel agreed to a quick draw with me (this was before I became a GM). But I think it guaranteed him at least a tie for first place, so it wasn't only the opening that was a factor. I think he finished clear first, and I finished third. Now it's pretty clear how to refute this, but in 2008 it wasn't yet so easy to determine what was wrong with it.

I also play the Philidor, athough not the Antoshin variation but the Hanham or whatever it's called (without taking on d4). Can you please explain how the Antoshin is refuted, at least in general terms?

The line with Bf4, f3, castling long, and g4 seems to lead to a pretty significant and clear White advantage. Whether it's a forced win with perfect play I wouldn't know, but it clearly leads to two-result endgames where Black can not count on reaching a draw.

As I can remember from a long ago, after Bf4 there is a line with early (maybe even immediate) d5 for Black, where he sacrifices the a8 Rook after Nb5 and Nc7, which leads to huge complications. I doubt I have ever checked it with a strong engine, perhaps just with an old version of Fritz with a shallow search. Tomorrow I will look at it with Dragon and Komodo and see what they have to say. And to be clear, such wild lines don't suit to my style at all.