In response to Uri's thread about positional understanding

[Laskos]

Once again, thank you, Kai. I'll be following this thread for more, of course.

Could you make your database available? I would like to test some engines myself but under different conditions. I usually test engines in QG and similar positions that are in my own repertoire, but I am curious to see what they can achieve in a set of positions of different nature, and I am sure that you have carefully chosen your openings.

Well, the suite is not that high quality, openings are not even very representative. It's a bit a sloppy 1-week job I have done, but I am still not that discontent with this positional opening suite.
Here is beta7 200 opening suite:
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=699 ... 7085783885

I have also tested the late endgame phase.

1/ Hard 6-men wins
Timecontrol : 0.5 s/move.

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Rank Name                          ELO     +/-   Games   Score   Draws
   1 SF_6_men                       92      19    1000     63%     26%
   2 SF                              7      18    1000     51%     30%
   3 Houdini                        -8      18    1000     49%     31%
   4 Shredder                      -18      18    1000     47%     33%
   5 Komodo                        -26      18    1000     46%     34%
   6 Andscacs                      -45      18    1000     44%     34%
Finished match

SF_6men is SF with 6-men Syzygy, a perfect player. All other entries have no TBs enabled. The surprise is the weak performance of Komodo on these hard 6-men wins, and pretty strong performance of Shredder. The correct pentanomial error margins are 2-3 times smaller than the trinomial ones shown in Cutechess.
It's still not that clear if these wins are mostly tactical or positional.

2/ 6-men Fortresses
These are 11 6-men fortresses of Ferdinand Mosca:

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6k1/8/6PP/3B1K2/8/2b5/8/8 b - - 0 1 
8/8/r5kP/6P1/1R3K2/8/8/8 w - - 0 1 
7k/R7/7P/6K1/8/8/2b5/8 w - - 0 1 
8/8/5k2/8/8/4qBB1/6K1/8 w - - 0 1 
8/8/8/3K4/8/4Q3/2p5/1k6 w - - 0 1 
8/8/4nn2/4k3/8/Q4K2/8/8 w - - 0 1 
8/k7/p7/Pr6/K1Q5/8/8/8 w - - 0 1 
k7/p4R2/P7/1K6/8/6b1/8/8 w - - 0 1
6k1/6Pp/7P/8/3BK3/8/8/8 w - - 0 1 
6k1/7p/5K1P/8/8/7P/6P1/8 w - - 0 1 
8/8/8/6k1/2q3p1/4R3/5PK1/8 w - - 0 1

The mistakes here are more positional than tactical, I played games from these openings at 0.5 s/move on 2 threads each engine (for more diversity, only 11 opening positions):

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Rank Name                          ELO     +/-   Games   Score   Draws
   1 SF_6_men                       38      24     100     56%     87%
   2 SF                             24      24     100     54%     87%
   3 Shredder                       10      26     100     52%     85%
   4 Houdini                        -3      28     100     50%     83%
   5 Komodo                        -24      29     100     46%     81%
   6 Andscacs                      -45      29     100     44%     81%
Finished match

SF_6men is the perfect player here. Again, weak performance of Komodo, stronger than expected of Shredder, as before. This hints that both results show simply the late endgame understanding of engines.

[matejst]

I downloaded the database. Thanks.

How much do you think that depth influence the evaluation in the endgame testing (you gave the average depth for the openings)?

[Jouni]

I tried Kai's original 200 position set with 3 top engines. Interestingly ALL get almost same score/time with 1 and 4 cores! So it's really positional test? But I guess SF is simply better than opening theory in same openings. Maybe it's better to PLAY engines from these openings. But I know already which engine wins .

[matejst]

Dear Jouni,

It is indeed a positional test set, imho. But testing automatically, with short times control can distort a bit the results. A human look is also important here. I tested Wasp 2.6 and Komodo 9 in the first 20 positions, and I noticed that Komodo was better -- or Wasp worse -- in dynamic positions, where the engine had to evaluate the quality of a pawn sacrifice, e.g. I am just about the beginning of this comparison, and I am not sure when it will be finished, but the difference in eval seem to be smaller at longer time control, something that should be expected.

The character of the chosen positions is a solid mix of quiet and dynamic, and it can reveal the weaknesses of tested engines. I can see -- but it was clear already -- that Wasp, just like Zarkov -- underestimates tactical threats.

I will continue with iCE, The Baron and SF, and I am very interested to see, in difficult positions, how deep the engines have to go to find one of the solutions.

[Laskos]

Thanks, Kai. Very interesting testing like always.

Could you write what version of Giraffe you used?

Then, there are a few engines I believe play a good positional brand of chess, so if you could test engines like Wasp and iCE, I would be very grateful.

Finally, did you test engines understanding of endings? I noticed that there is a trend of removing endgame knowledge lately, and I would be very interested in your findings.

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iCE 3.0 (internal book enabled, 1 thread)
score=690/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=80.5 time=0.07 nodes=98175]

Komodo 11.2.2 
score=666/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=13.2 time=0.71 nodes=3853146] 

Houdini 6.03 
score=656/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=14.3 time=0.87 nodes=6708492] 

Stockfish 9 
score=641/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=14.0 time=0.74 nodes=4793389] 

Stockfish 8 
score=628/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=13.9 time=0.80 nodes=4802227] 

Andscacs 0.93 
score=598/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=12.2 time=0.69 nodes=3202933] 

Shredder 13 
score=573/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=14.3 time=0.79 nodes=4678511] 

Texel 1.08a8 
score=489/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=10.3 time=0.53 nodes=3053861] 

iCE 3.0 (no internal book, 1 thread)
score=472/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=11.8 time=0.73 nodes=992618] 

Wasp 2.60
score=429/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=8.9 time=0.50 nodes=2259584]

Giraffe 161023 (1 thread)
score=410/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=10.0 time=0.68 nodes=167994] 

RomiChessP3n default (1 thread)
score=392/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=11.7 time=0.88 nodes=4934412]

Interesting results. I might start later today endgame experiments, some of them are straightforward.

I also tested the newest incarnations of top engines, they do seem to improve a bit. I am pretty satisfied with the suite, it will flatten probably at some 850/1000 or so, and the results will become pretty irrelevant, but it's a long way to that. For now, it seems to work, it is a difficult suite for all engines, and it is not hyper-analyzed solely by engines. The standard deviation of the results is 9-10 points, so for now Komodo 11.3.1 seems definitely the best at this opening suite, excluding engines containing an opening book (iCE 3.0).

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iCE 3.0 (internal book enabled, 1 thread)
score=690/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=80.5 time=0.07 nodes=98175]

Komodo 11.3.1
score=674/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=13.3 time=0.83 nodes=3971363]

Komodo 11.2.2 
score=666/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=13.2 time=0.71 nodes=3853146] 

Houdini 6.03 
score=656/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=14.3 time=0.87 nodes=6708492] 

BrainFish 180313
score=650/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=13.3 time=0.76 nodes=3993087]

Stockfish 9 
score=641/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=14.0 time=0.74 nodes=4793389] 

Stockfish 8 
score=628/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=13.9 time=0.80 nodes=4802227] 

Andscacs 0.93 
score=598/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=12.2 time=0.69 nodes=3202933] 

Shredder 13 
score=573/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=14.3 time=0.79 nodes=4678511] 

Texel 1.08a8 
score=489/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=10.3 time=0.53 nodes=3053861] 

iCE 3.0 (no internal book, 1 thread)
score=472/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=11.8 time=0.73 nodes=992618] 

Wasp 2.60
score=429/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=8.9 time=0.50 nodes=2259584]

Giraffe 161023 (1 thread)
score=410/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=10.0 time=0.68 nodes=167994] 

RomiChessP3n default (1 thread)
score=392/1000 [averages on correct positions: depth=11.7 time=0.88 nodes=4934412]