Uri Blass wrote:I can add that I was surprised to see it because I expected stockfish not to see it because of null move pruning and I know that stockfish cannot solve some very simple problems that all engines can solve because of null move pruning.
For example the following problem when stockfish suggests Ka2 and may be the only top engine in the world that cannot see that Kc1 is winning in a reasonable time.
[d]8/7p/5P1k/1p5P/8/P1p1p1p1/2P1P1P1/1K2b3 w - - 7 6
The difference is that in the original
diagram there are only three pieces that can move, and you can add that kings and knights have limited range, that further limits it. There are many different paths to the same goal and they are all the same because the other pieces -in this case the pawns- do not add to the solution, don't move. So really a lot transposes. (And you only need a few entries in the pawn hash for the pawn formation.)
That everything transposes is also a problem, you get horizon effects because the knight does not know where to go if all the squares around him get the same high value. (I think it's something like this: if the knight or king can't make progress, -horizon effect- they may lose the information that got these squares to such high scores. In a next iteration they don't find the path, or take a longer than necessary path so the horizon shifts. Like those early computer chess games where every move seemed to win so the program never actually forced mate. I forgot what program.)
Like here where Ancalagon even loses the solution:
[pgn]
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.09.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3k4/8/7p/2p1p1pP/1pPpPpP1/1P1P1P2/N7/2K5 w - -"]
1. Kd2 Kd7 2. Nc1 Kc6 3. Ne2 Kd7 4. Ng1 Ke7 5. Nh3 Ke6
6. Nf2 Kd6 7. Nd1 Kd7 8. Nb2 Kc6 9. Na4 Kd6 10. Nb6 Ke6
11. Kc2 Ke7 12. Nd5+ Kf7 13. Nc7 Ke7 14. Nb5 Kd7 15. Kb2 *
[/pgn]
(After manually feeding Teemu's moves)
[d]8/4k3/7p/1Np1p1pP/1pPpPpP1/1P1P1P2/2K5/8 b - -
-----
48 16:02 +41.33 14...Ke6 15.Kd1 Kd7 16.Kc1 Ke7 17.Na3 Ke8 18.Nc2 Ke7 19.Kb1 Kd7 20.Kb2 Kc8 21.Ka2 Kb8 22.Ka1 Kc7 23.Ne1 Kb6 24.Ka2 Kb7 25.Kb2 Ka8 26.Kc2 Kb8 27.Kd2 Kb7 (24.522.120.493) 25471
48 16:02 +41.33 14...Kd7 15.Kc1 Kc6 16.Kb1 Kd7 17.Na3 Kc8 18.Nc2 Kd7 19.Ne1 Ke7 20.Kc1 Kd7 21.Kd2 Ke8 22.Ke2 Kf7 23.Ng2 Ke7 24.Kf1 Kd6 25.Kg1 Ke7 26.Nh4 gxh4 27.Kg2 Kd6 (24.522.120.493) 25471
48 16:02 +M18 14...Kf7 15.Nd6+ Kg7 16.Nf5+ Kh7 17.Kb1 Kg8 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kf7 20.Nd6+ Ke7 21.Nb7 Kf7 22.Nxc5 Ke7 23.Na6 Ke6 24.c5 Kf6 25.c6 Ke6 26.c7 Kd7 27.h6 Kc6 (24.522.120.493) 25471
48 16:02 +M18 14...Kf6 15.Nd6 Kg7 16.Nf5+ Kh7 17.Kb1 Kg8 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kf7 20.Nd6+ Kg7 21.Nb7 Kf7 22.Nxc5 Kf6 23.Na6 Kg7 24.c5 Kf6 25.c6 Ke6 26.c7 Kd7 27.h6 Kc6 (24.522.120.493) 25471
-----
49 17:10 +4.02 14...Ke6 15.Kc1 Kd7 16.Kd2 Ke6 17.Ke2 Kd7 18.Ke1 Ke7 19.Kf2 Ke6 20.Kf1 Kd7 21.Ke2 Ke6 22.Kd1 Ke7 23.Na7 Kd7 24.Kc2 Kc7 25.Kb1 Kd7 26.Nb5 Kc6 27.Kb2 Kd7 (26.148.190.398) 25373
48 17:10 +41.33 14...Kd7 15.Kb1 Ke7 16.Ka2 Ke6 17.Kb2 Ke7 18.Nc7 Kd7 19.Nd5 Ke6 20.Kb1 Kf7 21.Ka1 Ke6 22.Kb2 Kf7 23.Kb1 Ke6 24.Kc1 Kf7 25.Nc7 Ke7 26.Kd2 Kd7 27.Nd5 Ke6 (26.148.190.398) 25373
48 17:10 +M18 14...Kf7 15.Nd6+ Kg7 16.Nf5+ Kh7 17.Kb1 Kg8 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kf7 20.Nd6+ Ke7 21.Nb7 Kf7 22.Nxc5 Ke7 23.Na6 Ke6 24.c5 Kf6 25.c6 Ke6 26.c7 Kd7 27.h6 Kc6 (26.148.190.398) 25373
48 17:10 +M18 14...Kf6 15.Nd6 Kg7 16.Nf5+ Kh7 17.Kb1 Kg8 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kf7 20.Nd6+ Kg7 21.Nb7 Kf7 22.Nxc5 Kf6 23.Na6 Kg7 24.c5 Kf6 25.c6 Ke6 26.c7 Kd7 27.h6 Kc6 (26.148.190.398) 25373
-----
49 18:03 +4.02 14...Ke6 15.Kc1 Kd7 16.Kd2 Ke6 17.Ke2 Kd7 18.Ke1 Ke7 19.Kf2 Ke6 20.Kf1 Kd7 21.Ke2 Ke6 22.Kd1 Ke7 23.Na7 Kd7 24.Kc2 Kc7 25.Kb1 Kd7 26.Nb5 Kc6 27.Kb2 Kd7 (27.435.987.574) 25325
49 18:03 +4.19 14...Kd7 15.Kb1 Ke6 16.Kc1 Kd7 17.Kb2 Ke6 18.Nc7+ Kd7 19.Nd5 Ke6 20.Ka1 Kf7 21.Nb6 Ke7 22.Kb1 Ke6 23.Na4 Kd6 24.Kc1 Kc6 25.Kd2 Kd6 26.Ke2 Kc6 27.Kf2 Kd6 (27.435.987.574) 25325
48 18:03 +M18 14...Kf7 15.Nd6+ Kg7 16.Nf5+ Kh7 17.Kb1 Kg8 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kf7 20.Nd6+ Ke7 21.Nb7 Kf7 22.Nxc5 Ke7 23.Na6 Ke6 24.c5 Kf6 25.c6 Ke6 26.c7 Kd7 27.h6 Kc6 (27.435.987.574) 25325
48 18:03 +M18 14...Kf6 15.Nd6 Kg7 16.Nf5+ Kh7 17.Kb1 Kg8 18.Nxh6+ Kg7 19.Nf5+ Kf7 20.Nd6+ Kg7 21.Nb7 Kf7 22.Nxc5 Kf6 23.Na6 Kg7 24.c5 Kf6 25.c6 Ke6 26.c7 Kd7 27.h6 Kc6 (27.435.987.574) 25325
-----
Here Stockfish does not lose it and sees #30
[pgn]
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2017.09.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "?"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3k4/8/7p/2p1p1pP/1pPpPpP1/1P1P1P2/N7/2K5 w - -"]
1. Kd2 Kd7 2. Nc1 Kc6 3. Ne2 Kd7 4. Ng1 Ke7 5. Nh3 Ke6
6. Nf2 Kd6 7. Nd1 Kd7 8. Nb2 Kc6 9. Na4 Kd6 10. Nb6 Ke6
11. Kc2 Ke7 12. Nd5+ Kf7 13. Nc7 Ke7 14. Nb5 Kd7 (14... Ke6
15. Na3{diagram}) 15. Kb2 *[/pgn]
[d]8/8/4k2p/2p1p1pP/1pPpPpP1/NP1P1P2/2K5/8 b - -
Engine: Kaissa HT (512 MB)
by T. Romstad, M. Costalba, J. Kiiski, G. Linscott
101 440:53 +M30 15...Ke7 16.Kd1 Kd8 17.Nc2 Kc7
18.Ke2 Kd7 19.Kf2 Kc7 20.Ne1 Kd8
21.Kg2 Kd7 22.Kh3 Kd6 23.Ng2 Ke6
24.Nh4 gxh4 25.Kxh4 Kf6 26.g5+ hxg5+
27.Kg4 Kf7 28.Kxg5 Kg7 (619.081.078.790) 23402
101 440:53 +M30 15...Kf6 16.Kd1 Ke7 17.Nc2 Kd6
18.Ke1 Kd7 19.Kf2 Kc7 20.Ne1 Kd8
21.Kg2 Kd7 22.Kh3 Kd6 23.Ng2 Ke6
24.Nh4 gxh4 25.Kxh4 Kf6 26.g5+ hxg5+
27.Kg4 Kf7 28.Kxg5 Kg7 (619.081.078.790) 23402
100 440:53 +M30 15...Kd7 16.Kd1 Kc6 17.Nc2 Kc7
18.Ke2 Kd7 19.Kf2 Kc7 20.Ne1 Kd8
21.Kg2 Kd7 22.Kh3 Kd6 23.Ng2 Ke6
24.Nh4 gxh4 25.Kxh4 Kf6 26.g5+ hxg5+
27.Kg4 Kf7 28.Kxg5 Kg7 (619.081.078.790) 23402
best move: Ke6-e7 time: 440:53.250 min n/s: 23.402.830 nodes: 619.081.078.790