GM Kaufman v.Novag Constellation 3.6 QR Odds (Moves 1-40)

[Don]

I put this position in a version of komodo with contempt and komodo seeks a draw if I use the default value (taking Larry's side of the game.)

But when I set the draw score to -50, Komodo goes positive after 20 ply or so. Just slightly at first, but after 28 ply Komodo thinks Larry is doing well with a score of 39 centipawns.

I find it rather interesting that Komodo tries harder to find a good move when you tell it that draws are worth -50.

Hmmm
Drawn with no contempt factor and basically still drawn after 14 moves with contempt

Yup sounds dead drawn to me

50 move rule regards
Steve

A score of 39 indicates that white has a distinct advantage - not a dead draw.

[Don]

Here's a suggestion:

You are posting the PGN every 10 moves if I recall? How about starting a new thread at that point? It gets _very_ hard to find the next move in all the posts in this thread.

Perfectly OK with me
Personally i use FLAT view
this lets me see every post in the thread in chronological order since i last logged on .. no matter what particular post is being replied too
so its quite easy to see the next move after scrolling through the recent posts
however i imagine others are having the same problem so at move 41 i will start PART TWO of this now World Famous Encounter

Historical Regards
Steve

Please keep it in a single thread - it's not logical to spread this out over multiple threads. To me this is like keeping everything on your hard disk in the root directory.

The advantages of keeping the same discussion in the same thread are enormous compared to the alternative of making a new thread for each post or every few posts.

[Steve B]

Here's a suggestion:

You are posting the PGN every 10 moves if I recall? How about starting a new thread at that point? It gets _very_ hard to find the next move in all the posts in this thread.

Perfectly OK with me
Personally i use FLAT view
this lets me see every post in the thread in chronological order since i last logged on .. no matter what particular post is being replied too
so its quite easy to see the next move after scrolling through the recent posts
however i imagine others are having the same problem so at move 41 i will start PART TWO of this now World Famous Encounter

Historical Regards
Steve

Please keep it in a single thread - it's not logical to spread this out over multiple threads. To me this is like keeping everything on your hard disk in the root directory.

The advantages of keeping the same discussion in the same thread are enormous compared to the alternative of making a new thread for each post or every few posts.

im open to whatever is best for the members to follow the game
BTW...nice photo of you in Selective Search 149(Aug-Sep 2010)
you dont look like your Avatar at all

Steve

[Terry McCracken]

I play 36.Bh4. So I'll have queen vs. two rooks, and a bishop vs. a whole lot of pawns. Now I understand why Connie played ...Qg6?? As I suspected, she found a delaying move (...Rf5) which means that the mistake required a six ply search to detect, and I believe Connie usually does no more than 5 ply in 3 minutes. So no big mystery here. It just shows that computers sometimes require more ply to see things than would be the case for humans. We see that after we pin the queen it doesn't matter how many delaying moves like checks the other side has (unless they lead to something concrete). So sometimes "obvious" tactics take the engines several ply to see.

At the start of the game, I had to decide whether to play on Connie's primitive eval or on her short search. I judged that her short search was by far the bigger weakness and so chose an open game rather than an anti-computer strategy. If I were playing some deep searching program with minimal eval (for example Crafty at lowest level which Bob calls 1800 or so) at rook odds I would play closed openings. It looks now like I made the right call.

Larry

Connie ..never one to pass up on gobbling pawns and checking the K .. kills two birds with one stone and plays..

36..Rxf2+

[d] 6k1/p1pr1p1p/1p4q1/3n4/2Bp2RB/6Q1/P4r1K/8 w - - 0 37

Having Her Cake And Eating It Too Regards
Steve

I play 36.Bh4. So I'll have queen vs. two rooks, and a bishop vs. a whole lot of pawns. Now I understand why Connie played ...Qg6?? As I suspected, she found a delaying move (...Rf5) which means that the mistake required a six ply search to detect, and I believe Connie usually does no more than 5 ply in 3 minutes. So no big mystery here. It just shows that computers sometimes require more ply to see things than would be the case for humans. We see that after we pin the queen it doesn't matter how many delaying moves like checks the other side has (unless they lead to something concrete). So sometimes "obvious" tactics take the engines several ply to see.

At the start of the game, I had to decide whether to play on Connie's primitive eval or on her short search. I judged that her short search was by far the bigger weakness and so chose an open game rather than an anti-computer strategy. If I were playing some deep searching program with minimal eval (for example Crafty at lowest level which Bob calls 1800 or so) at rook odds I would play closed openings. It looks now like I made the right call.

Larry

Connie ..never one to pass up on gobbling pawns and checking the K .. kills two birds with one stone and plays..

36..Rxf2+

[d] 6k1/p1pr1p1p/1p4q1/3n4/2Bp2RB/6Q1/P4r1K/8 w - - 0 37

Having Her Cake And Eating It Too Regards
Steve

Perhaps not the best approach by the Connie, the position appears closer to a draw and no doubt it will choose moves less then optimum and will likely slowly be ground down like coffee in a grinder.

37. Kg1...Rc2 (maybe) 38. Rxg6+..hg 39. Qe5..Rc1+ 40. Kg2..Rxc4 41. Qe8+..Kg7 42. Qxd7 with a small advantage to White which will grow.

Or 37. Kg1..Rf5 38. Bd3!..Nf4! 39. Qf3..Rdd5 40. Bxf5..Rxf5 41. Rxg6+..hg
42. Qa8+..Kg7 43. Qxa7..Ne2+ 44. Kg2..Nf4+= But I don't think it will happen this way. The Connie will likely take a different route.

Larry's chances for winning have risen again.

[Don]

im open to whatever is best for the members to follow the game
BTW...nice photo of you in Selective Search 149(Aug-Sep 2010)
you dont look like your Avatar at all

Steve

They probably photoshopped me in the magazine to make me look better and hide my big ears and missing front tooth, etc.

Is that magazine on line or do you have to have a subscription?

[Steve B]

im open to whatever is best for the members to follow the game
BTW...nice photo of you in Selective Search 149(Aug-Sep 2010)
you dont look like your Avatar at all

Steve

They probably photoshopped me in the magazine to make me look better and hide my big ears and missing front tooth, etc.

Is that magazine on line or do you have to have a subscription?

Subscription only
supposedly the photo was taken while you attended the recent ICT 2010 Tournament In Leiden . but i am not certain about that
it shows you wearing a plaid striped shirt and smiling(so we can see all of those missing front teeth)

Subscriptions for SS are here:
http://www.elhchess.demon.co.uk/sscontnt.htm

Steve

[bob]

Here's a suggestion:

You are posting the PGN every 10 moves if I recall? How about starting a new thread at that point? It gets _very_ hard to find the next move in all the posts in this thread.

Perfectly OK with me
Personally i use FLAT view
this lets me see every post in the thread in chronological order since i last logged on .. no matter what particular post is being replied too
so its quite easy to see the next move after scrolling through the recent posts
however i imagine others are having the same problem so at move 41 i will start PART TWO of this now World Famous Encounter

Historical Regards
Steve

Please keep it in a single thread - it's not logical to spread this out over multiple threads. To me this is like keeping everything on your hard disk in the root directory.

The advantages of keeping the same discussion in the same thread are enormous compared to the alternative of making a new thread for each post or every few posts.

The _current_ approach is more like a single root directory with all files in it. It becomes quite difficult to find the next move. Unless you want to use flat view (which I despise since it makes you skip thru every post in order, and which shows things in a way that is counter-intuitive). I grew up with usenet news and trn or xrn which show the classic threaded view so you can see what follows what in a structured way.

[lkaufman]

Connie ..never one to pass up on gobbling pawns and checking the K .. kills two birds with one stone and plays..

36..Rxf2+

[d] 6k1/p1pr1p1p/1p4q1/3n4/2Bp2RB/6Q1/P4r1K/8 w - - 0 37

Having Her Cake And Eating It Too Regards
Steve

I play 37.Kg1, since it attacks the rook and I can see no point in putting the king on h1 or h3. Currently I'm in second place after six rounds of the US Open, and I won the game/15' championship and the Fischerandom tourney, so maybe this game with Connie has been good practice!

[Graham Banks]

Currently I'm in second place after six rounds of the US Open, and I won the game/15' championship and the Fischerandom tourney, so maybe this game with Connie has been good practice!

Best wishes for the remainder of the US Open.

[Steve B]

Currently I'm in second place after six rounds of the US Open, and I won the game/15' championship and the Fischerandom tourney, so maybe this game with Connie has been good practice!

Congrats!
i mentioned your success at the Open to Connie and your crediting her for your performance
she mumbled something about sharing the prize money...so i told her to relax and shut her down for a few hours
Sheesh Regards
Steve