8th Freestyle Tournament

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Once again the Earth has accomplished the required distances in its orbit for a Freestyle Tournament to be held. The exact planetary alignment that triggers such an event is still a mystery to the engine chess world. It is however believed to coincide with the release of new software and or hardware.

What is Freestyle Chess (From Norm’s site)

In a normal chess tournament there are very strict rules about what you can do or not do during a game. Certainly enlisting outside help – from a human or a computer – is one of the more serious transgressions. In Freestyle Chess everything is allowed. The players are expected to work in teams or with computers. There are no restrictions. Use Fritz or Deep Shredder, consult openings books or chess Informants, call Anand or Kramnik and ask for help (if you know them well enough)...

I will be playing in the tournament this year and it is my hope that most players will be using Fritz, Deep Shredder and Crafty as their analyses engines. Perhaps they will also allow the Gm or Im on the team to override the peppered engine book. As for me I am bringing in a Medium and conducting séances during play. The departed spirit of Fischer has agreed to play for my team.

One thing is for sure that these Freestyle Tours give the average engine player the opportunity to play in a fair and well run tournament against the worlds top players. I highly recommend that players interested in competition enter this event.

The 8th PAL/CSS Freestyle Tournament has a $16,000 Prize Fund

The Main Tournament will be played between April 11-13 and the Final April 25-27. The entry fee is 25,00 Euro ($38.00 US)

Here is the entry form:

http://www.computerschach.de/online/freestyleregister.htm

You can find many particulars about the tour here at Norms site as well as further contact information.

http://www.enginechess.com/freestylechess.htm

All past Freestyle Tour games can be downloaded here. (It is probably a good idea to review these game to see what may be expected)

http://www.enginechess.com/FreeStyle.cbv

I have a strong feeling that we shall see many surprises this year, not the lest among them being effective performances by un-sponsored teams. As world famous programmers, human grandmasters and state of the art computer hardware clash with players that purchased computers and software from the local department store, anything can and will happen.

Comparative Book Testing

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I have always done a lot of comparative book testing. Playing one book against another with the same engine and settings. Not only has this provided me with a good way to subjectively judge relative strength of a book, it also is an excellent way to expose weakness inherent in one. If a player can get access to the books being used by his opponents this is an very good way to gain a competitive advantage in rated play.

We all come up against what I call the out of the box books. Fritz’s opening book, Rybka’s book and others that are included with the chess engine software. These books are not updated by the software producers and become out of date quickly in online play. They also have a tendency to be statically based books that lend themselves to utilizing the learn function of the GUI.

A good hand made book must be ready for these out of the box books by knowing their weak lines and exploiting them from the start. There is no better way to find the holes in other book than to do this kind of comparative testing.

There is nothing difficult or mystical about this just sit up your machine with a Fritz GUI client to play engine matches with identical engines and settings. The only variant being the book. And let it play 40-50 games. If the book you are improving is designed for blitz play then simulate depths commonly arrived at in online play by the quad core CPUs. Do this by adjusting the time controls of the match. (a dual core CPU may need to play at 15-0 to 20-0 min. to get the right depth in the middle game) The modern Quad-core CPUs can get a depth of 15 to 21 Ply. in this part of the game.

I recommend that much of this kind of testing be done in your books initial development stage. (when you are still adding games to the main database) Take the games that your fledgling book won and add them directly to the books databases, both main and learn. As for the loses set them aside and use them as the first games to be worked on once the book goes into the hand tuning phase.

In a search for unique content for my website and in the vague hope that it may be of some help. I will began posting the results of my current comparative tests. At this time I am working on blitz books for 3-0 times. I keep one of my machines an old Dell 650 Work Station with two Dual Xenon CPUs busy 24-7 doing this kind of book testing.

http://www.frayerchess.com/comparativebooktesting

By looking at the games generated you may be able to discern some holes and or weakness in books that are commonly available for download on the net.

All Things Engine Chess

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In the last few months a new website has made it appearance upon the net. One that’s mission statement and execution is so aligned with my viewpoint of what is best for the advancement of computer chess that I must shout its praises.

Norm Pruitt’s, http://www.enginechess.com

The mission statement of Norm’s site is to attempt to bring the computer chess player the tools needed to be competitive in a computer vs. computer environment. In this he is succeeding superbly, where others have fallen short. His site is clear, easy to navigate and very comprehensive.

Here you will find opening books by some of the top engine players (many found nowhere else). Articles about and interviews with Freestyle players. Links to all the right websites to get the information that is needed to increase your Elo in engine play. A new forum has just been established there and I will be closely monitoring it and adding to the discussions.

If you need to down load EGTB this is the place to go.

Norm is an acknowledged expert on the use of end game table bases and the hardware require to run them as well as a innovative book maker. He has held the top ranking in engine play, both in Blitz and longer time controls many times over the years. He resides in North Carolina with his wife Joyce and Sissy the chess cat.

Book Making Q & A

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I have been receiving a considerable amount of correspondence relating to my book making theories. The overwhelming majority of it positive in nature. Thank you all for your kind words. I have started posting on my website some of the more representative comments and questions. Please do not hesitate to email me with your inquires, I will try to respond to all.

The most ask question is; can I have the Password to download the books for book testers. (the most current updates) The answer unfortunately is no. These are the books that the book testing team that works with me are currently engaged in playing online. It is from these games played under rated conditions that the updates are derived. In order to give the dedicated testing team a competitive advantage I do not release an update to the public until I am sure that it has been superseded by the latest update available to the team.

Never the less I feel that the public updates are very strong and used correctly by the serious player will provide a clear advantage, especially in blitz play.

If you wish to support the efforts of me and the book testing team please click on the Google ads here and on my website and check out the fine products therein. (I get compensated every time someone clicks on an ad) As I have said I find book making requires large quantities of strong and exotic coffee…

Opening Book Development II

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Before I go any farther let me address this issue of stealing lines. (I used this term in the last post) It is a fact that some players out there seem to think that if they personally worked out a line or a refutation of one; that they somehow own this series of moves. I find this thinking hilariously funny. It brings to my mind Bobby Fischer jumping up from the table and saying you can’t play that move it is mine, you stole it from my game in the interzonals last year… I call this concept of stealing lines. Fischer thinking. “Look Bobby, once you play the line in open play it belongs to all of us.” This is how, in esoteric disciplines, we collectively learn and advance human knowledge. It is by the possess of peer review that the lines you submit in open play are accepted or rejected. So there is no real stealing of anything only finding and using good ideas. We are all standing on the shoulders of geniuses to be where we are.

Now that you have made your seed book and played some games with it, you are ready to start its development by adding games. Adding games to a book (both your own and kibitz ones) is much different than hand tuning. I think it would be accurate to say that adding games increases the width of the book where as, tuning deals with depth and direction.

It is always best to add games to the book that are played by the book that you are adding them to. This technique has a tendency to reinforce and expand winning lines. However if you find good opening lines while kibitzing do not hesitate to include them into your book.

Lets look at the method of adding the games. First never add games directly to an existing book. Add the games to the database that the book was made from and then make a fresh book from the updated game bases. Importing games into an existing book is probably the most conmen mistake that is made in book making.

Make sure that if you add a game to the learn game base you also add it the main game base.

I recommend that you add all games that you won in online play to the main game base and a selected few that beat you solidly within the first 50 moves. Be more selective as to the games you add to the learn base. Look carefully at your played games; making sure that advantage in the game came from the opening or early in the middle game. (Never add draws, only wins and losses)

Continue to add the games that you play with the seed book back into the book using this technique. Every day review your games, update the game bases (both main base and learn) and remake the book for the next time at online play. This process will slowly but surly expand the books practical repertoire and adjust it to your particular system engine combination. You will begin to notice games that your engine struggled to win now being won easily and good winning lines that were used against you now being played by your book.

At least 2000 games or so should be added to the seed book before you start the hand tuning process. Once you start hand tuning you can no longer add games as red-green marks would be lost.

As always; I am sure that there are many impotent details I have inadvertently forgot to mention. If you get stuck or have a problem please do not hesitate to ask me specific question via email. kevin@frayerchess.com

Please feel free to try the new hand tuned book I have recently made available. Tour Book 14.0z it has hit 2900 Elo several times in open formula play. (Running on Quad and Octo core CPUs using Rybka 2.3.2a and 6 man EBTBs)

Thank you all for visiting the Google advertising sites on this blog, every time this is done I receive a small monetary compensation.

Opening Book Development I

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All right then, so you want to make a opening book from scratch. A one of a kind book that is your own. A book that in fact can be proprietary. Let me see if I can start you on the right track.
Although there are many ways to go about this let me describe the method that I have found to be the most successful. It Involves a process of development over time.

The first thing you will need is a few comprehensive databases of engine games played under rated conditions and times. (it is generally accepted that we do not use human games in engine books) I recommend using the available game bases from PlayChess server. They can be found in several places on the internet. Try to get the most current ones (all 2007 games and all Jan, 2008) are available. These are quite large databases; but can just be manipulated by the Fritz 9, 10, 11 GUIs.

It will probably be to your advantage to look around on the net for the most current game bases.

I have all PlayChess engine room games from 2006, 2007 and 2008; however at this time I do not have the space on my web site to make them directly available. With out question the most comprehensive engine game bases can be acquired from Richard Stickles. (the playchess engine room Sysop) Richard seem to make the games available for download on an irregular schedule. So the best place to start may be Spaghetti Chess it appears that most of the 2007 games and Jan, 2008 games can be downloaded here… http://www.spaghettichess.com/ Also I like to add the last two PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Tournaments to the mix as new and innovative lines are often introduced here… http://www.freewebs.com/freestyle-chess/downloads.htm

Ok, you now have large game bases of current engine games. Tens of thousands of them. All mixed together; good games, bad games, winning lines and losing ones. After combining all bases into one master base the first thing you will need to do is a bit of filtering.
Bring your master base up on the Fritz GUI and go to filter games. Lets get rid of all games with less than 35 moves. Set filter for 1-35 moves, select all, delete, remove deleted games from base. Do the same with the draws, set filter to bring up all draws then select all, delete, remove deleted games.

Now open up an empty data base and name it New Book Main Base (or something like Blitz Book Games) This will be one of two game bases that you will continue to add games to over a period of time.

Go back to the master game base and this time we will do something radical. We are going to take only the games played by the top rated players. Set filter to 2700 to 3100 Elo and check both and engage. This will return 40,000 to 45,000 games from the highest rated players. (for a smaller, but more directed base try 2750-3100 Elo) Hit select all and copy. Go to your newly created game base and paste these games there.

The next thing you will need is a date base of game to be learned. These games should come from the main game base that you just created. My method for choosing the games to be learned by the book is less than scientific but extremely practical. Pick 4 or 5 of the top players of your choice, maybe.

1. Big Mc
2. Big Rabbit
3, Takker
4. Wallybal

Make an empty game base and name it New book Learn (or Blitz book learn, whatever you decide to name your book) Filter the main book base for Big Mc wins as white; copy and paste to the new learn book base. Do the same for Big Mc wins as black, and so on down the list. What you are doing is taking only these top players winning games and adding the to your book learn file. This will give your fledgling book the playing characteristics of these players. (basically stealing their best lines)

You are now ready to turn these new game bases into what I call a seed book. This book will be the starting point for your personal book to be developed from. In the Fritz GUI open a new empty book and name it. Import all games from the main book base that you have created. (to the maximum depth 100 moves) Now go to Learn from Database and click learn white and black wins (do not choose learn loses) and select your new learn file. (made from the top players wins)
You now have a seed book.

Go on line and play the book using these book settings.

Book settings: (Seed Book)
Use Book: on
Tournament Book: on
Varity of Play: max - (all the way to left)
Influence of learn Value: max + (all the way to right)
Learning Strength: max - (all the way to left)
Minimum games: 0
Up to move: 100

Save all games that you play with the new book as these are the games that, played with your own hardware will be instrumental in its development.

In the next post I will talk about how to add the games you play with the book in a regular way as to improve and expand its capabilities.

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Engine Chess (Book Hand Tuning II)

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Although the opening book only has control of the first 50 moves. (100 half moves) they are most important of the game. There is no reason why (given a bit of practice) that you can not prevent your engine from losing in the first half of the game. No mater what hardware you have it is not difficult to duplicate the depth of the fastest CPUs in offline analyses. (it just takes a bit more time)

When reviewing your games played online give the most attention of course to the games that you lost, but do not forget to look at the draws and wins as well. Many times using infinite analyses it is possible to find a line that breaks the draw. In games that you have won against strong opponents lengthen the book lines. To do this use the manual add move function in the book window of the GUI. This method of adding moves to the book gives the best control but do not forget that it adds all moves as green play moves. So be sure to go back and remove the green of the move in the losing side of the line. (this is done by right clicking on the move and hitting main move a second time)

Spend more time on finding winning lines as white, as black you may have to be satisfied with getting the draw in some lines. Here are the facts about the percentages of White vs. Black wins.

W 50% - B 50% In human club play:
W 52% - B 48% In master play:
W 56% - B 44% In GM play
W 62% - B 38% In engine play

I think this data says something about the relative strength of computers over humans. But my point is that in engine chess, the opening impetus is more pronounced for white. As black you should not expect to come out of opening book with a positional advantage very often. -.30 -.50 going into the middle game as Black will still give you a fighting chance.

Trying to tell someone how to update and tune books is some what a like trying to tell someone how to type on a keyboard. You can tell them where to put the fingers and what some of the edit keys do, but the only way one learns is by doing. Along the way many mistakes will be made. (always keep a archived copy of the books that you are tuning, so if something goes very wrong you can start over) And believe me when I say that the book learning function will not produce the same result as the basic methods that I have talked about, nor will it give the same satisfaction and connection to engine chess.

In the next few days I am going to go over my method of developing original books from databases. But I have a lot of time on my hands and if any one has a specific question about tuning please feel free to send it to me in an email and I will try to answer it. Kevin@frayerchess.com Roll up your sleeves and get into the opening book trenches and remember in engine chess the book is the key…