TalkChess.com

Version 10 of the Strategic Test Suite series is now available for download.

* Consists of carefully selected 100 test positions on "Simplification"

* All of the questions in this test suite are selected by me and thoroughly verified by Dann Corbit through analysis with the help of top engines for hours. I initially selected about 190 problems and sent them to Dann, of which 100 has passed criteria. Dann then made the final selection.

Key Ideas:

1) Simplification: A strategy of exchanging pieces of equal value. Simplification can be used defensively to reduce the size of an attacking force. It can also be used by a player with an advantage to amplify that advantage or reduce the opponent's counterplay. Simplification is also used as an attempt to obtain a draw, or as an attempt to gain an advantage by players who are strong in endgame play with simplified positions.

2) Tests your engine's knowledge on initiatives, good trades, value of pieces, understanding of the position material-wise and positional-wise, and an ability to distinguish between good, average and bad pieces.

Download it! here:
http://sites.google.com/site/strategict ... lification

Thanks to David Dahlem, Pedro Castro, Howard Exner and others who reported bugs and tested out this version.

Test Suite release time: 13th of March, 2010
Swaminathan and Dann Corbit

This one is bit easier, on par with Undermining/Re-capturing.

Feel Free to report the results from your engine/Favorite engine.

Recommended Test time:

First engine I've tested:

Daydreamer 1.6.1 - 10 seconds per position.
69/100.

Simplification is obviously hit or miss. Therefore, "solve it in one or two seconds" or "not solve it at all"

Please, when you give time for the engine, give the CPU and speed too ...

Thanks,
Vincent

swami wrote:First engine I've tested:

Daydreamer 1.6.1 - 10 seconds per position.
69/100.

Simplification is obviously hit or miss. Therefore, "solve it in one or two seconds" or "not solve it at all"

Ok - I will test few engines with this.

It's the usual:
Core2quad Q6600, 32 bits, 2 GB RAM.
Arena GUI.

Vinvin wrote:Please, when you give time for the engine, give the CPU and speed too ...

Thanks,
Vincent

swami wrote:First engine I've tested:

Daydreamer 1.6.1 - 10 seconds per position.
69/100.

Simplification is obviously hit or miss. Therefore, "solve it in one or two seconds" or "not solve it at all"

Stockfish 1.6.3
82


Scorpio 2.5
75
Critter 0.52b
75
Counter 1.2
73
Crafty 23.2
71


Arasan 11.7
69
Ratattechess 1.0
68
Pawny 0.17
62
BSC 3.7f
62
Dirty Jan 29 2010
60
Gchess4
60


Sungorus 1.3
59
Magnum Chess 2.0
58

swami wrote:Ok - I will test few engines with this.

It's the usual:
Core2quad Q6600, 32 bits, 2 GB RAM.
Arena GUI.

Vinvin wrote:Please, when you give time for the engine, give the CPU and speed too ...

Thanks,
Vincent

swami wrote:First engine I've tested:

Daydreamer 1.6.1 - 10 seconds per position.
69/100.

Simplification is obviously hit or miss. Therefore, "solve it in one or two seconds" or "not solve it at all"

Is Dann Corbit through analysis made only with Rybka? Or are Naum, Stockfish or Crafty used maybe?!

Jouni

Jouni wrote:Is Dann Corbit through analysis made only with Rybka? Or are Naum, Stockfish or Crafty used maybe?!

Jouni

I'm not sure, I can only state that I think he used top engines for these tests. Could be any from various engines: Rybka, Stockfish, Ivanhoe, Zappa mexico, Naum etc to see if they arrive at the same answer after about 5 hours of test each. He can offer more info on this.

Jouni wrote:Is Dann Corbit through analysis made only with Rybka? Or are Naum, Stockfish or Crafty used maybe?!

Jouni

I use Rybka, Naum and Stockfish (along with *cough* JohnDig).

swami wrote:

Jouni wrote:Is Dann Corbit through analysis made only with Rybka? Or are Naum, Stockfish or Crafty used maybe?!

Jouni

I'm not sure, I can only state that I think he used top engines for these tests. Could be any from various engines: Rybka, Stockfish, Ivanhoe, Zappa mexico, Naum etc to see if they arrive at the same answer after about 5 hours of test each. He can offer more info on this.

I should clarify that it is not 5 hours per each engine, but five engines at one hour.

I was using more engines than I am using now. I have shifted strategy to use fewer engines, but to also run Stockfish and Rybka using Multi-pv to collect as many useful alternatives as possible.