Komodo Chess Engine leads Chess Computers' Championship TCEC
Komodo Leads Stage 4 of the Strongest Computer Chess Championship
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
The Komodo Chess Engine leads Stage 4 of the strongest computer chess championship TCEC. Komodo has collected 3,5/5, half a point ahead of Houdini and Stockfish. With two victories, three draws, and zero losses, Komodo continues its fantastic performance confirming his victory from Stage 2 of TCEC, and the dominance on the board at Stage 3.
This is just round 5 of 18, so anything can happen to the end. Stage 1 winner Boquet is sharing 4th-5th position with the updated Naum. They have 2,0/5, half a point more than the 6th placed Gull.
Stockfish and Bouquet played the amazing 227 moves thriller, you can replay the game with Chess King.
Stage 4 consists of the 6 engines that qualified from Stage 3 – Komodo, Bouquet, Houdini, Stockfish, Gull, and Naum 4.6. The competition is a hexa round robin and the top 2 engines will qualify to play the Superfinal. (Report via www.chessdom.com)
Standings
Engine ELO Points
1 Komodo 3106 3.5
2 Houdini 3097 3
3 Stockfish 3090 3
4 Bouquet 3058 2
5 Naum 2987 2
6 Gull R 3055 1.5
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Labels: bouquet, computer chess, Houdini, komodo, stockfish
UK Trailer of Chess Movie 'Computer Chess' is Out
Computer Chess Championships 2013: 3086-Rated Komodo Leads Stage 2
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
The 3086 elo rated engine Komodo is sole leader of Stage 2 the strongest computer event TCEC. Komodo has collected 11,5/16, a full point more than Stockfish and Gull. They are followed by Rybka and Hiarcs at 10,0/16 and Houdini and Critter at 9,5/16.
The ongoing TCEC Stage 2 consists of 19 rounds and the top 10 engines move on to the next stage. Stage 3 will start immediately after. It consists of the 10 engines that qualified from Stage 2. The format for Stage 3 is a double round robin and the openings are chosen randomly per pair so that each engine will play both sides of the same opening against each other. The top 6 will move on to Stage 4 while the rest is out of TCEC for the current Season. 90 games are played in Stage 3.
So far close to mathematical qualification for Stage 3 have achieved nine engines – Komodo, Stockfish, Gull, Hiarcs, Houdini, Rybka, Critter, Bouquet, and Naum. One place is to be decided and it looks like a fierce fight between Jonny, Shredder, Junior, and Spike. Watch the live games here / Visit the official website
Standings after R16
Engine ELO Points
1 Komodo 3086 11.5
2 Gull 3063 10.5
3 Stockfish 3098 10.5
4 Rybka 3092 10
5 Hiarcs 2979 10
6 Houdini 3146 9.5
7 Critter 1.6a 3072 9.5
8 Bouquet 1.8a 3069 9
9 Naum 2978 9
10 Jonny 2789 7.5
11 Spike 2921 7
12 Shredder 2942 7
13 Junior 2913 7
14 Equinox 3051 6
15 Spark 2889 5.5
16 Onno 2834 4
17 Tornado 2830 4
18 Toga 2857 3
19 Exchess 2702 3
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Labels: computer chess, critter, gull, hiarcs, Houdini, komodo, stockfish, tcec, tybka
Computer Chess Team Interviewed at Google HQ
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
Google hosted a few of the people involved with the film Computer Chess for a screening and an “At Google” Q&A recently, which the company has now made available for viewing.
Participating in a post-screening Q&A were writer, director and editor Andrew Bujalski, producer Houston King, and actor Wiley Wiggins (Mitch Kramer from Dazed and Confused). Here is the video:
Labels: andew bujalski, Chess video, computer chess, confused, dazed, google, houston king, mitch kramer, wiley wiggins
'Computer Chess' Movie Trailer
'Computer Chess' Movie Wins Sloan Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2013
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Sundance Institute Programmers try to teach computers to play chess in Andrew Bujaski's "Computer Chess." The movie, playing in the Next program at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, won Sundance's Alfred P. Sloan Prize.
A recent Chess Blog post told you about the movie 'Computer Chess' that was making waves at the Sundance Film Festival 2013. Now, we have more news: Andrew Bujalski's "Computer Chess," a black-and-white "existential comedy" about the guys who programmed the first chess-playing computer, has won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Institute announced Thursday.
The prize, presented by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, goes to a film that explores science or technology as a theme or depicts a scientist, engineer or mathematician as a major character.
The Sloan Prize has something most other awards at Sundance don't have: Cash. The winner gets $20,000.
"Computer Chess" is playing in the Next program at Sundance.
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Labels: andrew bujalski, computer chess, Sundance Film Festival
Computer Chess Championship: 2900 Club Engines Dominate
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The computer chess championship season has started with a bang, according to an interesting Chessdom chess article. All of the first five games finished with decisive results. 2900+ englines gave no chance to their opponents, scoring full points with black or white.
Quazar 0.4 by Dmitry Morozov, with strength increased approximately 300 ELO point relative to 0.3 version, defeated DanaSah 5.0 by Pedro Castro.
The Baron 3.34b with FRC version released and changes in evaluation LMR introduced, could not hold the power of Protector version 1.5b2, an improved variant of Protector 1.4 that won TCEC division D in 2011.
In the drama of the day RedQueen 1.13 was holding the much stronger Hannibal 1.3 to an equal position, but it strangely lost on time. Martin Thoersen commented for Chessdom, “The error was strictly a programming error which did not occur in the TCEC testing (blitz). As per the TCEC rules the result will stand, like in a human tournament where a player is flagged.” Thus, Hannibal was awarded the full point, but both engines performances will be of great interest during the next rounds.
In the other matches Spike 1.4 , the first Computer World Champion in Chess960 back in 2005, won with white against Rodent 0.17, while Junior dominated Nebula 2.0b.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Labels: computer chess
'Computer Chess' Movie Impresses at Sundance Film Fest 2013
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Screencrave.com has a very nice review of a chess film that is creating waves at the Sundance Film Festival 2013. Their reviewer has given the film 'Computer Chess' an 8/10 which is great for any chess film being showcased alongside films from several genres.
Christie Ko writes, "This film by writer/director Andrew Bujalski took me by surprise. I was expecting a relatively straight-forward reflection on a fictional, but realistic, 1980s computer science competition to develop a chess program that can beat a chess master. I was shocked and delighted to discover that Computer Chess is much more like a mockumentary, in the tradition of Best in Show, with a strange, sci-fi element reminiscent of Primer. This film is intelligent to its core, testing its limitations with brave camera work and a Lynch-worthy meta-narrative."
The Players:Writer/Director: Andrew Bujalski
Cinematographer: Matthias Grunsky
Production Designer: Michael Bricker
Starring: Patrick Riester, Myles Paige, James Curry, Robin Schwartz, Gerald Peary, Wiley Wiggins
Synopsis:The 1980 computer chess competition brings together the best and brightest computer programmers to pit their programs against each other in the hopes of developing a program capable of beating a human chess master. The eccentric competitors find themselves in awkward conversations and social situations that reveal their underlying similarities, as well as their essential differences of opinion about chess and life. Overlaid with an examination of technological innovation in the modern world, Bujalski’s film is funny, poignant, and forward-thinking.
Ko writes: This film is MY kind of weird. Its mixture of straight-faced humor and surrealist mini-vignettes manages to be both believable and fantastical. One thing that makes that possible is the look of the film, which takes a little getting used to. Shot using early PortoPak video techniques in [mostly] black and white and with an impeccably detail-oriented production, the work has a striking retro look that had me thinking it was found footage for the first five minutes. The combination of the aesthetic, the time period in which it is set, and the strangeness of the events manages a kind of equilibrium that wouldn’t have been possible had it been shot in high-def... Overall: This has been the best surprise I’ve had at Sundance so far; I walked in, was confused for a few minutes about what I was seeing, and then was positively swept away by the comedy and the strangeness that had me grinning from ear to ear, all the way through to the twisted ending."
As for us, we love chess movies. You watched Brooklyn Castle right? Check out all Chess Blog posts on Brooklyn Castle here.
Labels: chess film, chess movie, computer chess
Another Chess Film Wins Film Award!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone, The Tribeca Film Institute has listed Austin filmmaker Andrew Bujalski's 'Computer Chess' as one of three awardees of its Sloan Filmmaker Fund. TFI, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, grants funds to narrative film projects that "dramatize science and technology themes in film or that portray scientists, engineers, or mathematicians in prominent character roles."
Bujalski's 80s-themed movie centers on a chess tournament featuring chess players and computer programmers. Of his movie about man-versus-machine, Bujalski says on the United States Artists website, "I'm trying to make a very odd movie indeed, about computer chess programmers circa 1980, and perhaps deep down it's my attempt to vicariously peek into the fantasy braniac life I ought to have pursued as a kid. It happens to be a fascinating era for the field."In addition to the monetary prize, Bujalski ("Mutual Appreciation," "Beeswax") and other grant recipients receive year-round mentoring from science experts and members of the film industry.Bujalski raised more than $50,000 for his film via the United States Artists website and received a grant from the Texas Filmmaker Production Fund.
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Labels: andrew bujalski, chess film, computer chess, tribeca film institute
Computer chess pioneer wins 'Asian Nobel Prize'
Chess blog for latest news and trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011Hi everyone,
What a fantastic photo this is from www.chessbase.com!The Trinity of Brain Power - World class economist and chess grandmaster Ken Rogoff, GM, World Problem Solving Chess Champion and author John Nunn, and computer chess pioneer Ken Thompson, winner of Japan Prize 2011.
The news is that computer chess pioneer Ken Thompson has won the most prestigious award in Japan - Japan Prize - often referred to as the 'Asian Nobel Prize'. It is given for outstanding achievements in science and technology, and is worth $600,000. Ken Thompson has won it along with Dennis Ritchie. The two American scientists had created the Unix operating system and the computer language C 40 years ago!In 1979 Ken and a colleague at the Bell Laboratories decided to build a special purpose machine to play chess, using many hundreds of chips, worth about 20,000 dollars. Thompson, 67, is a “distinguished engineer” for Google, and Ritchie, 69, retired in 2007 from Lucent Technologies (now Alcatel Lucent), a successor to AT&T Technologies.Don't forget to read the full report at www.chessbase.com and at the Gambit Blog.From Alexandra Kosteniuk'swww.chessblog.comAlso see her personal blog atwww.chessqueen.com Labels: chess blog, computer chess, Ken Thompson
Houdini elbows past Rybka to win computer chess challenge
Chess blog for latest news and trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everybody,Have you ever sat across an opponent before a chess game and wondered what machine he used at home to prepare against you? When someone mentions chips you think not of coffee and tea-time but a computer chess program?Speak to any chess player and they would name top chess players like Vishy Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Vassily Ivanchuk, Rybka and Houdini in the same breath. Human or machine? It's the strong chess that counts in the end. No wonder then, we kept track of the recent-ly concluded Thoresen Computer Engines Competition. Houdini, a free program, managed to elbow past Rybka - the winner of four computer world chess championships.The competition was a double round-robin, and it used the Bilbao Scoring System in which each win counts as 3 points and each draw as 1. Houdini finished with 24 points and Rybka with 23.Stockfish, another free program, finished third, with 20 points, while Ivanhoe and Critter, yet another free program, tied for fourth and fifth, with 17 points each, though Ivanhoe was fourth on a tie-breaker. Rounding out the field were Shredder and Naum, which each scored 12 points, and Hiarcs, which ended with 11.What makes the contest even more interesting for us flesh-and-blood chess players is that the chips-and-circuits players had different playing styles as well - depending upon how they have been designed and programmed. Definitely these 'guys' are better than humans but not perfect at chess. Chess has not been 'solved' yet. What a relief and we feel smug about it somewhat. You can find some interesting articles and comments at this link of the website that organized the tournament.Labels: chess blog, computer chess, Houdini, Rybka
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The Komodo chess engine continues to lead the Superfinal of the world’s strongest computer chess championship TCEC. It has a 2 point advantage after round 41, seven rounds before the end. Komodo was off to an exciting start, but Stockfish quickly caught up. The balance of powers maintained until game 25, when Komodo got three consecutive wins. Until game 34 it maintained a four points lead, but them Stockfish started waking up. With two heavy blows in games 40 and 41, the distance was reduced to just two points, seven rounds before the end.
