Larry Kaufman

[kasinp]

I used to LOVE the old Computer Chess Reports that Larry put together. That was back before the internet and it was the only way I could ever hear about current computer chess. I used to devour books on the subject and read the extremely rare chess life article, but it was the Computer Chess Reports that I looked forward to the most when it would come in the mail. I still have most if not all of them on pdf that I will read through now and then.

My sentiments exactly! The CCR was the best source of objective information on computer chess. Larry's passion was infectious!
In case someone would like to revisit, I discovered this link a while ago and still occasionally go there when nostalgia strikes:

http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/html/com ... ports.html

Peter

[Andrew]

Huge thanks for that post Peter! I also remember years ago at Uni they had in the library a backrun of issues
of the Journal of The ACM. These had a number of articles on the world computer chess championships. Are these
available online anywhere?

Andrew

[Chessqueen]

I used to LOVE the old Computer Chess Reports that Larry put together. That was back before the internet and it was the only way I could ever hear about current computer chess. I used to devour books on the subject and read the extremely rare chess life article, but it was the Computer Chess Reports that I looked forward to the most when it would come in the mail. I still have most if not all of them on pdf that I will read through now and then.

My sentiments exactly! The CCR was the best source of objective information on computer chess. Larry's passion was infectious!
In case someone would like to revisit, I discovered this link a while ago and still occasionally go there when nostalgia strikes:

http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/html/com ... ports.html

Peter

I still have the 1986 Autumn Winter edition, that I found in one of my chess Boxes. Larry has always been a great chess enthusiasts, and without Larry computer chess would not have advanced as fast as it did

[mehmet123]

Great source for computer chess world.
http://www.chesscomputeruk.com/html/com ... ports.html

It is a pity that this magazine has never been published after 1995, because the real big developments took place after this year.

[IanO]

I am also extremely grateful for all of Larry Kaufman's contributions to computer chess. His treatise on Handicap Shogi is also one of the only sources of deep shogi knowledge available to western students of shogi.

In fact, wasn't Larry the one who urged the NNUE cross-pollination between computer shogi and computer chess after it was mentioned here on the forums?

[Laskos]

I am also extremely grateful for all of Larry Kaufman's contributions to computer chess. His treatise on Handicap Shogi is also one of the only sources of deep shogi knowledge available to western students of shogi.

In fact, wasn't Larry the one who urged the NNUE cross-pollination between computer shogi and computer chess after it was mentioned here on the forums?

Yes, at the beginning of January
http://talkchess.com/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72754

[Mark]

I used to LOVE the old Computer Chess Reports that Larry put together. That was back before the internet and it was the only way I could ever hear about current computer chess. I used to devour books on the subject and read the extremely rare chess life article, but it was the Computer Chess Reports that I looked forward to the most when it would come in the mail. I still have most if not all of them on pdf that I will read through now and then.

Exactly how I felt! I still have all of the original CCR’s.

[mehmet123]

Good interview with Larry Kaufman.


In this youtube channel there are many other good interviews with strong chess players and important persons in chess world.

[Chessqueen]

[quote=mehmet123 post_id=856146 time=1597435532 user_id=12277]
One of the Larry's great chess game against the World 28th ranked player (J. Ehlvest) at that time.

Larry, this is a great game, you mentioned two weeks ago that you will play 1 one or 2 two games at 10' +5", like I should at least be playing vs. level 21 (8 ply). Can you play those two game and post them tomorrow?

Since that game was suspect, I played another one as Black, same conditions, and this time won quite easily:
[pgn][Event "Skill 20 vs 10min+5sec"]
[Site "Bethesda"]
[Date "2020.07.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Komodo 14 64-bit bmi2"]
[Black "Kaufman, Larry"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[Annotator "Kaufman,Larry"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[TimeControl "600+5"]

{512MB, Hiarcs14ziBook.ctg, alienware laptop} 1. e4 {0.01/1 0} c6 {6} 2. d4 {
0.01/1 0} d5 {3} 3. f3 {0.01/1 0} e6 {3} 4. Nc3 {0.01/1 0} Bb4 {5} 5. Bf4 {
0.01/1 0} Nf6 {28} 6. Qd3 {0.01/1 0} O-O {18} 7. O-O-O {0.52/7 0} b6 {21} 8. e5
{0.23/7 0} Nfd7 {20} 9. Qe3 {0.29/7 0} Ba6 {24} 10. Bxa6 {0.17/7 0} Nxa6 {3}
11. Nge2 {0.33/7 0} Be7 {11} 12. a3 {0.51/7 0} Nc7 {13} 13. Kb1 {0.28/7 0} c5 {
5} 14. g4 {0.31/7 0} c4 {45} 15. h4 {0.64/7 0} b5 {3} 16. h5 {0.62/7 0} a5 {19}
17. h6 {-0.15/7 0} g6 {4} 18. a4 {-0.15/7 0} b4 {12} 19. Nb5 {-0.33/7 0} Nxb5 {
3} 20. axb5 {-0.71/7 0} a4 {18} 21. c3 {-1.02/7 0} b3 {16} 22. g5 {-2.14/7 0}
Qa5 {22} 23. Kc1 {-2.12/7 0} a3 {3} 24. bxa3 {-2.17/7 0} Qxa3+ {83} 25. Kd2 {
-1.84/7 0} Rfb8 {17} 26. Ke1 {-2.19/7 0} Rxb5 {8} 27. Kf2 {-1.89/7 0} b2 {4}
28. Qd2 {-1.59/7 0} Qb3 {77} 29. Be3 {-1.46/7 0} Ra3 {19} 30. Rb1 {-1.51/7 0}
Nb6 {18} 31. Qd1 {-2.06/7 0} Na4 {37} 32. Qxb3 {-1.91/7 0} Rbxb3 {5} 33. Bd2 {
-1.85/7 0} Bd8 {22} 34. Ke1 {-2.56/7 0} Ba5 {15} 35. Kd1 {-2.95/7 0} Bxc3 {68}
36. Bxc3 {-2.47/7 0} Rxc3 {17} 37. Nxc3 {-2.35/7 0} Nxc3+ {2} 38. Kc2 {-2.06/7
0} Nxb1 {3} 39. Rxb1 {-1.78/7 0} c3 {10} 40. Rd1 {-4.95/7 0} Kf8 {8} 41. Rh1 {
-4.81/7 0} Ke7 {4} 42. Rb1 {-5.13/7 0} Kd7 {4} 43. f4 {-2.88/7 0} Kc6 {4} 44.
f5 {-4.40/7 0} exf5 {4} 45. Kd3 {-5.86/7 0} Kd7 {16} 46. Kc2 {-5.57/7 0} Ke6 {6
} 47. Kd3 {-7.66/7 0} f4 {4} 48. Kc2 {-6.20/7 0} Kf5 {5} 49. Re1 {-9.69/7 0}
Ra1 {24} 50. Kxc3 {-10.18/7 0} Rxe1 {6} 51. Kxb2 {-12.00/7 0} Re4 {8} 52. Kc3 {
-11.66/7 0} f3 {2} 53. Kd3 {-13.14/7 0} f2 {2} 54. Kc2 {-20.05/7 0} Rxd4 {4}
55. e6 {-17.74/7 0} fxe6 {3} 56. Kc3 {-22.61/7 0} e5 {2} 57. Kb3 {-23.37/7 0}
Rc4 {3} 58. Ka3 {-#5/7 1} f1=Q {6} 59. Kb2 {-#3/7 0} Qc1+ {4} 60. Ka2 {-#2/7 0}
Ra4+ {9} 61. Kb3 {-#3/5 0} Qc4+ {3} 62. Kb2 {-#2/5 0} Ra2+ {2} 63. Kb1 {-#1/5 0
} Qc2# {3} 0-1

It seems my estimated ratings for the levels in our Komodo readme text are too high. Maybe it's partly just a matter of getting used to playing against the computer. Based on 5' + 2" games, most fairly strong GMs struggled with what is now level 22 (9 ply), and only Hikaru beat level 23 (10 ply) I believe, and yet at 10' +5", roughly double the time limit, it looks like I should at least be playing vs. level 21 (8 ply), and I'm at least 3 classes below Hikaru in fast chess.[/pgn]

[MikeB]

Larry is a very important person in Computer Chess World. Everyone interested in computer chess knows that he's the author of Komodo engine.

I keep learning new interesting things about him.
"On January 21-23, 1967, MacHack VI played in the Massachusetts Amateur Championship in Boston. It was the first time an electronic computer played chess against human beings under regular tournament conditions. Technical advice in the programming was given by Larry Kaufman (1966 American Open winner), "
https://www.chess.com/article/view/machack-attack

He has been active in chess computer at least 53 years. Really impressive.

And another thing. He is one of the 10 strongest shogi players in the world and he is the strongest American shogi player. Incredible success for a 72-year-old person.
http://www.shogi.net/fesa/index.php?mid=5

Thanks for the kind words. I must correct that I'm far from the top 10 shogi players in the world, the FESA list is only of players who have competed in the West, so at best you might say top 10 non-Japanese (or perhaps non-Asian) shogi players. In chess competition, although I've never been a top player (best was world #102 per Chessmetrics), my span of successes might be at or near a record; I took second place in the 1961 Maryland Junior championship, and tied for second place a couple weeks ago in the 2020 U.S. Senior Championship of (state) champions tournament (online due to pandemic). I suppose someone must have a sixty year span, but who?

it's not too often that one gets to hear their eulogy before they kick the bucket... ;>)

all praise well deserved - here's to many, many more years setting world longevity records and the like ... all the best Larry!