The table is getting clearer with half of the division complete. AllieStein and KomodoMCTS are leading, they are the only engines that are consistently winning games while almost not losing. AllieStein is close to completing the journey from division 4 to the premier division in one season, I haven't seen it make serious blunders in this division. Jonny and Chiron are at the bottom with the opposite picture. Chiron crashed once against AllieStein, it has been reduced to 32 threads and is stable since then. Laser is the only other engine with a positive score, it has one win and 13 draws. I thought Andscacs should perform better, it was in the premier division for a few seasons. The engines still have to play 14 games each, so anything can happen and we may see surprises yet.
A few interesting games
KomodoMCTS - Xiphos: KomodoMCTS had an early eval advantage and a passer in the center. The engines exchanged most pieces and opened the position with only RBB vs RR remaining on move 39. The white bishops were strong and KomodoMCTS won the endgame.
Fizbo - Jonny: Fizbo attacked the king side and sacrificed material to expose the black king. Jonny survived the attack but evals were high, eventually Fizbo won two pawns and reduced to a winning BN vs BN endgame.
Xiphos - Fizbo: Xiphos had an advantage from the start, Fizbo's pieces were pushed back. Xiphos opened the king side and evals jumped up quickly. Fizbo countered and exposed the white king. Xiphos was a piece up, it reduced to a QN vs Q endgame and the game was adjudicated a few moves later.
Andscacs - KomodoMCTS: KomodoMCTS took over after Andscacs traded Q for RR on move 19. The game reached a RRB vs QN position on move 32. KomodoMCTS slowly improved its position and Andscacs was busy defending its pieces. The breakthrough came when KomodoMCTS pushed its king side pawns and opened files near the white king. The added mate threat allowed KomodoMCTS to create a passer on the queen side and later win a piece. The game ended in a tablebase R vs Q win.
Fizbo - Andscacs: Andscacs concentrated forces on the king side and Fizbo used this to attack on the queen side. Fizbo opened files for its major pieces and Andscacs was caught without sufficient defenders. Andscacs gave two pieces and tried to counter with an attack on the white king, Fizbo exchanged down to a winning tablebase position.
Andscacs - Chiron: Evals were close to 0 in the first 30 moves. The engines opened the queen side and Chiron created a passer, Andscacs pressed on the king side. Chiron was not careful enough and it lost a rook for a knight to defend its king side. Andscacs reduced to a RR vs RN position, removed the black passer and went a pawn up. The game was adjudicated after Andscacs pushed a pawn in the center with support of its king.
AllieStein - Xiphos: AllieStein had a eval advantage from the start, the engines followed a Benoni defense line with a BN vs R imbalance. By move 32 only RB vs R remained, black 3 pawns up. AllieStein stopped the black pawns and created a queen side passer, enough for a win.
KomodoMCTS - Laser: KomodoMCTS was up a knight for a pawn and evals were over 2 for a while, but Laser compensated with a passer on the 2nd rank and KomodoMCTS settled for a perpetual check draw.
Chiron - AllieStein: Chiron crashed without making a move, it was reduced to 32 threads.
Xiphos - KomodoMCTS: Most pawns remained on the board and after several exchanges the engines started to shuffle from move 38. Xiphos opened the queen side and took conrol of a file 40 moves later, KomodoMCTS had a passer as compensation and the engines continued to shuffle. Xiphos captured the black passer and attacked the back ranks, it was able to reduce to a RB vs RN position, a pawn up with an advanced passer in the center. KomodoMCTS could not protect its pawns and the game was adjudicated with white 3 pawns up. This opening had two white wins.
Chiron - Jonny: Chiron gave a pawn but had an eval advantage after the start. Chiron pushed pawns on the king side and evals jumped over 2, both kings became exposed but the black king was under attack. Jonny gave the pawn back and exchanged queens, Chiron went up a pawn and had two passers facing the black king. Jonny couldn't hold and the game was adjudicated with Chiron a piece up.
Fizbo - Xiphos: Xiphos chose a line with a Q vs RN imbalance, Fizbo's eval was over 1. Fizbo had a passer on the queen side and a pawn on h6, threatening the black king on the dark squares. Xiphos gave a rook for the passer and the white DS bishop.Fizbo opened the king side and the black king walked to the center, surrounded by pieces. Fizbo reduced to a QB vs RBB position and created a queen side passer, the game was adjudicated when the passer reached the 6th rank. Two white wins in this opening.
KomodoMCTS - Andscacs: See featured game below. KomodoMCTS won this opening from both sides.
Andscacs - Fizbo: Evals started to increase after move 25, Andscacs' rooks controlled the central files and its LS bishop had a open diagonal near the black king. Andscacs used the threat on the king side to capture three pawns on the queen side, and that was enough for a win. Two white wins in this opening.
Jonny - Laser: Jonny gave a knight for pawns early in the game, it was 4 pawns up and evals were low. After 40 moves evals turned negative and slowly increased. The engines reduced to a R vs RB position, Laser started capturing the white pawns while keeping one black pawn safe. Jonny was down to 2 pawns, Laser separated the white king from the pawns and the game was adjudicated.
Chiron - Andscacs: Evals were low and negative, slowly increasing. The engines were active on the queen side, on move 34 each engines had one pawn left there. Chiron pushed its pawn to the 7th rank before Andscacs captured it, and the game reached a NN vs BN position with Andscacs a pawn up on move 51. The engines exchanged a pair of knights and the black king came forward. Andscacs captured a second pawn and that was good for a win. Andscacs won this opening from both sides.
AllieStein - Fizbo: Fizbo played the opening badly, it lost a knight for a pawn a few moves after book and AllieStein's eval jumped over 4. Fizbo captured a pawn and the engines exchanged down to a QRN vs QR position on move 29. AllieStein took a long time to convert the win, the game was adjudicated on move 101.
KomodoMCTS - Chiron: KomodoMCTS gave a pawn and attacked through the center. The engines exchanged most pieces and reached an opposite color bishop ending with KomodoMCTS a pawn up. The engines shuffled for alomst 100 moves and then Chiron blundered and lost the game, though the winning line was not clear to me when the game was adjudicated.
Xiphos - Jonny: a 15-move miniature that ended in a repetition draw.
AllieStein - Chiron: The engines castled in opposite directions and AllieStein pushed pawns on the king side. It gave a pawn but its eval was over 2 after the king side opened and a white pawn reached h6. Material was equal but AllieStein's king was safer and its pawn structure was better. AllieStein went a pawn up and created passers on the queen side, it again took its time but the win was certain. The game was adjudicated in a winning rook ending. AllieStein won this opening from both sides, though the first win was a Chiron crash.
Featured game: KomodoMCTS - Andscacs
Division 1, game 36
Link to game on TCEC
Evals were low for the first 35 moves. Andscacs pushed its king side pawns forward, leaving its king exposed. Yet KomodoMCTS concentrated on the center and queen side and did not try to attack the black king.
KomodoMCTS pushed the c pawn and attacked the center, its eval jumped over 1. Andscacs took the pawn and this was probably a mistake. This allowed KomodoMCTS to open the center and clear the long diagonal of pawns, evals jumped high very quickly. KomodoMCTS put a queen and a bishop on the long diagonal, with a direct line to the black king and with only pieces in the way.
Andscacs couldn't handle all the threats and its defense crumbled. It started losing material, giving a queen for a rook.
Andscacs' position was hopeless, the game was adjudicated.
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