Hi Larry,
first of all:
It's important that the engine developments are different. To have 20 TOP engines which tactical strengths are very boring.
Doch / Komodo are all the time a special development. OK, same strength in the early endgame the Rybka / IPP family have but with very interesting other positional ideas. Most in pawn structurs I think ... with my chess knowledge.
Passive:
- hold in the early middlegame bishops / knights in the own arrays.
- try to hold the position closed after the opening moves.
- pawn attacks are very rarly, more important is a good pawn structur, started with the first own calculated moves.
- try to switched very fast knights, bishops, rocks ... try to reach fast the early endgame.
Interesting are the pawn structur in the early endgame. Must thinking on the fantastic book by GM Jörg Hickl (die Macht der Bauern). The pawns structur is the secret in Komodo's development and I am sure you and Don gave this topic many many time. Perhaps I am wrong, I am sure I am right.
Komodo is great ... yes Thomas wrote it before ... a little Karpov in his best times. We can compare it with ChessGenius too
I think in games with longer time controls Komodo can get with more aggressiveness a jumping from 30-40 ELO. For blitz the playing style is optimal (better results in eng-eng matches), not for longer time controls.
OK, the Komodo team try to simulate the good and old
human style. I think the programming must be very complicated?
I am sure ...
If Komodo will play 100 games vs. a super GM the engine will get a weaker result as a tactical strong program, like Spark or Stockfish, Junior or Hiarcs.
Thats what I mean ...
I am sure that Rybka 4.1 got a bit from the Exp settings an user find out. Is playing more aggressive and comes with the same statistics the strong exp settings have.
Result = 20 ELO more!
The complete IPP family is playing passiv chess. A version from Ahmed comes from time to time with nice tactical moves in middlegame.
2.5 - 3.5% fast won games under 55 moves up to mate for IPP family. On of my statistics ... in my bad English very complicate to wrote about others. Komodo / Doch comes around with 1%. Spark with 5,5%, an aggressive Stockfish 2.1.1 setting with 6,5%. Junior 5% ... and so one.
More important in computer chess is the early endgame because with a good early endgame the ELO can jump very high. I know that, easy to see in bigger databases from chess engines.
What I have to say ...
With a bit more aggressivenss Komodo will not lost his positional chess knowledge (have a good basis here) and the ELO can jump higher. More risky are needed!
The playing style is to positional, means to extrem positional.
My opinion but on the other hand ... its nice that we have such an engine! Perhaps it would be better to try to make the positional style stronger and not to try to give Komodo more tactic strengths. I don't know ... honest, I don't know. I need an engine for positonal analyzes and used Komodo a long time in closed early endgame positions.
I like more the aggressive engines.
But ...
Looking in games Stockfish - Komodo is great. More interesting as to look in games Stockfish - Spark (2x tactic) or in Komodo - Sjeng (2x positional).
Best
Frank