Connecticut Chess Magazine: TCEC SUPERFINAL 100 game match Stockfish Vs. LCZero

TCEC Superfinal is underway, a 100 game match between Stockfish and LCZero(aka "Leela”). This is the pairing that the fans have been waiting for, it could answer answer some questions because LCZero is the first artificial intelligence program to make it to the finals. You may recall a few years back AlphaZero's non-tournament trouncing of an outdated Stockfish program, on the one hand it was a significant achievement and on the other hand it was a set-up mismatch. The TCEC rules approach make it a more equitable competition between AI and traditional chess programs.

The relevancy question for consumers still persists, only a few can afford the hardware/software combinations that make this level of play possible. Even more confusing at the retail level is that Houdini recently beat Stockfish in a TCEC game/30 tournament. My computer science friends at UMass claim that the shorter time limit match result changes nothing, sometimes the lower rated player wins, they remain convinced that Stockfish remains the strongest program at the game/120+15 time limit of the TCEC Superfinal, or for the unlimited time analysis you might want to do at home. The difference between the analysis of a 3600 rated program and a 3500 rated program is unlikely to be useful over the board. The long variations are more meaningful if you are a correspondence player; in that case you should still get the most powerful combination you can afford and just accept that Moore’s Law means, in a few years, today’s computing purchases will seem like a costly indulgence in antiques.

There is a new TCEC approach to some of the opening selections, throughout the match each program gets to play the same opening, one game as White and one as Black. Previously the opening selections for these contests were dynamic positions of rough equality that had a tendency to develop into actual equality. In this match, the computers are given some starting positions where one side has an apparent opening advantage. The starting point for these two games is really move five, LCZero tried 5.Be2 and Stockfish went with 5.Qe2. This was the first full point of the match, Stockfish managed to hold the bad position and Leela could not.

LCZero(3460)-Stockfish(3588)

TCEC 14 Superfinal

game seven

2/5/19

1.e4 e5

2.f4 exf4

3.Nf3 Nf6

4.e5 Nh5

5.Be2 g5

6.O-O h6

7.c4 d6

10.b3 Nbd7

15...Re8 16.h3 a5 17.d5 Bc5+ 18.Bd4 Qe7 19.Nc3 Qd6 20.Kh1 Bxd4 21.Qxd4 c5 22.Qd2 Re3 23.Rae1 Rbe8 24.Rxe3 fxe3 25.Qe1 Kg7 -0.85 Stockfish

16.Be2 f3

17.gxf3 g3

18.f4 gxh2+

19.Kh1 Ne4

20.Rf3 20. Qd3 Bf5 21. Nd2 Nf2+ 22. Rxf2 Bxd3 23. Bxd3 Rb6 24. Rxh2 Rg6 25. Bxg6 fxg6 26. d5 Kh7 27. Be5 c6 28. dxc6 Qb6 29. Re1 Qxc6+ -1.57 Stockfish

20…Bg4

21.Qc2 Bxf3+
22.Bxf3 Ng3+
23.Kxh2 Rb6
24.Kxg3 Bh4+
24...Rg6+ 25.Kf2 Re8 26.Nd2 Bh4+ 27.Kf1 Qf6 28.f5 Rg3 29.Re1 Rxe1+ 30.Kxe1 Rxf3+ 31.Ke2 Rf2+ 32.Kd1 Bg5 33.Bc3 Bxd2 34.Bxd2 Qxd4 35.Qc3 Qg4+ 36.Kc2 h5 -7.22 Stockfish
25.Kh2 Rg6
26.Nc3 Bg3+
27.Kg2 Bxf4+
28.Kf1 Qh4
29.Qe4 Qh2?! -1.50/25
29...Re6 -1.76/24 30.Qc2 30. Qf5 Rf6 31. Qh5 Qxh5 32. Bxh5 Bc1+ 33. Ke2 Bxb2 34. Rg1+ Kh8 35. Kd3 Bxc3 36. Kxc3 -3.11 Stockfish 30...Rfe8 31.Ne4 Be3 32.Re1 32. Rd1 Rxe4 33. Qg2+ Bg5 34. Bc3 Re3 35. Bd2 Rd3 36. Qg4 Rxd2 37. Qxh4 Rxd1+ 38. Bxd1 Bxh4 -9.34 Stockfish 32...Qf4 32... Rxe4 33. Qg2+ Kh7 34. d5 f6 35. Bc1 Qf4 36. Qg4 Bxc1 37. Rxe4 Rxe4 38. Qxf4 Rxf4 -9.47 Stockfish 33.Ke2 f5 34.d5 fxe4 35.Bh5 Qh2+ 36.Kd1 Qxh5+ 37.Qe2 Qg5 38.Qxe3 Qxe3 39.Rxe3 Rg6 40.Bc3 Rg1+ 41.Be1 h5 42.Rh3 Rg2 43.Rxh5 e3
30.Bg2? -4.39/26
30.Ne2 -1.50/25 30...Bg3 31.Nxg3 Qxg3 32.Rd1 Qg1+ 32...Qh2 33. Qe3 Qxb2 34. Qf2 Qc3 35. d5 Qd3+ 36. Qe2 Qf5 37. Qf2 Qh3+ 38. Bg2 Qd3+ 39. Qe2 Qd4 40. Qe3 Qf6+ 41. Qf2 Qg7 42. Bf3 Kh8 43. Re4 f5 44. Re6 Rxe6 45. dxe6 Qa1+ 46. Qe1 Qxe1+ 47. Kxe1 Re8 48. Bd5 c6 49. Bf3 Rxe6+ -4.02 Stockfish 33.Ke2 Qh2+ 34.Kd3 Qxb2 35.Qe2 Qxe2+ 36.Kxe2 Kg7 37.Kf2 Rd8 38.d5 Ra6 39.Rd2 c5 40.Kg2 Rg6+ 41.Kf2 Kf8 42.Bh5 Re6 43.Kg3 Rf6 44.Rg2 Rdd6
30…Be3
31.Ne2 Rf6+
32.Ke1 Re6
33.Qg4+ Bg5
34.Bf3 Rfe8
35.Kf1 Rf6
36.Qg2 Rxf3+
37.Qxf3 Re3
38.Qf2 Qh3+
39.Qg2 Qxg2+
40.Kxg2 Rxe2+
41.Kf3 Rxb2
42.d5?! -5.30/25
42.Ke4 -4.51/24 42...Rd2 42...Kg7 43. Kd5 Bf4 44. Ke4 Bh2 45. d5 h5 46. c5 Kf6 47. Rc1 Rxa2 48. d6 cxd6 49. c6 d5+ 50. Kxd5 -7.43 Stockfish 43.Rf1 43. Rg1 Rxa2 44. Kd5 Ra6 45. b4 Rd6+ 46. Ke4 Re6+ 47. Kf5 Kf8 48. Rg3 a6 49. Rb3 Ke7 50. b5 Rb6 51. d5 axb5 52. cxb5 Kd7 -7.46 Stockfish 43...Rxa2 44.c5 h5 44... Kg7 45. Kd5 Ra6 46. Rh1 Kg6 47. Kc4 f5 48. d5 f4 49. Rc1 f3 50. Rf1 Rf6 51. d6 cxd6 52. c6 Rf5 53. c7 Rc5+ 54. Kd4 Rxc7 55. Rxf3 h5 56. Kd5 h4 57. Kxd6 Rh7 -7.90 Stockfish
42…Kg7
43.c5 Rd2
44.d6?! -6.39/25
44.Ke4 -5.25/26 44...Kg6 45.Rh1 f5+ 45... Rxa2 46. b4 h5 47. Rd1 h4 48. Rh1 Rd2 49. Ke5 Re2+ 50. Kd4 Rc2 51. Kd3 Rc1 52. Rxc1 Bxc1 -10.25 Stockfish 46.Ke5 Be3 47.Rh3 Bxc5 48.Rg3+ Kf7 49.Kxf5 h5 50.Rc3 Bd6
44…cxd6
45.c6 Rc2 0-1

Alan Lasser

Hello Weston/Wilton parents,

We just started our ten weeks of free DIG Chess classes at the North Branch Bridgeport Public Library and it was a GREAT turnout. This program is funded by the Starbuck Foundation. The next nine Saturdays, Coach Erin will be there teaching from 11am to 1pm. Kelvin Green, a Weston DIG Chess player, was also there teaching.

Please let me or Coach Erin know if your son or daughter would like to go help teach. There are lots of beginners there that need individual attention regarding how the pieces move on the board so any help would be great.

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