Man vs Machine: The $100 challenge

[Klaymen]

I have an outstanding offer to give $100 to anyone who can beat my chess computer program Fritz 8 without using a computer of their own. Grumby & Cynical Realist have taken up the challenge, and I believe it was Macroman who was unsuccessful a few months ago, despite playing a very good game. Fritz also played two games against Chessmaster 9000, winning one and drawing the other.

I thought I would establish a thread to update the progress on the games. If anything, it's also to help keep the many chess threads organized.

I also welcome any computer opponents, although the $100 is not up for grabs - only bragging rights. :)

[Klaymen]

Oooooooooooh! Move 7 and Cynical just dropped to -2.0! (And Fritz calls the game a win). Bummer. What was Fritz's next move?

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Qb6 4. b3 d6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. O-O ???

[Werewolf]

I have an outstanding offer to give $100 to anyone who can beat my chess computer program Fritz 8 without using a computer of their own. Grumby & Cynical Realist have taken up the challenge, and I believe it was Macroman who was unsuccessful a few months ago, despite playing a very good game. Fritz also played two games against Chessmaster 9000, winning one and drawing the other.

I expect to lose, but I'll take the Fritz Challenge.

[Werewolf]

Oooooooooooh! Move 7 and Cynical just dropped to -2.0! (And Fritz calls the game a win). Bummer. What was Fritz's next move?

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Qb6 4. b3 d6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. O-O ???

No clue. If there's some attack that warrants a 2 pawn positional bonus to the position, I don't see it.

[Klaymen]

Hint: Fritz can trade a minor piece for a pawn or two in a few moves.

[Macroman]

Oooooooooooh! Move 7 and Cynical just dropped to -2.0! (And Fritz calls the game a win). Bummer. What was Fritz's next move?

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Qb6 4. b3 d6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. O-O ???

No clue. If there's some attack that warrants a 2 pawn positional bonus to the position, I don't see it.

You won't see masters play Bf4 in closed games very often, and I think there's good reason. The spot just doesn't have all that much punch.

[Jonas Grumby]

Oooooooooooh! Move 7 and Cynical just dropped to -2.0! (And Fritz calls the game a win). Bummer. What was Fritz's next move?

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Qb6 4. b3 d6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. O-O ???

Looks like 7...e5 to me (at least from work). Hey, I did discover that I can look at positions by pasting one of RSF's games into chessgames.com and then replacing the moves with whatever moves I'm looking at, like Anonymouse's above.

[RedSoxFan]

Oooooooooooh! Move 7 and Cynical just dropped to -2.0! (And Fritz calls the game a win). Bummer. What was Fritz's next move?

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Qb6 4. b3 d6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. O-O ???

Did you turn off the opening book or something?

[Bama Gambler]

Anonymouse, did u write this chess program?

[Macroman]

Oooooooooooh! Move 7 and Cynical just dropped to -2.0! (And Fritz calls the game a win). Bummer. What was Fritz's next move?

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Qb6 4. b3 d6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. O-O ???

Did you turn off the opening book or something?

He never uses the opening book. Not that the lines being played are overanalyzed or anything. The really funny thing is that if you have Fritz's chat function it will periodically say "Did you switch off my opening book or something?" along with some other non-sense.

[Klaymen]

Fritz does have a book he likes to depend on for opening moves, all written up in his Native Deutschland tongue. But I told him repeatedly he is to get by without it for the purposes of these games.

Did I write a chess program that could beat Macroman? Yep, only took the time one weekend that wasn't spent studying, spending time with the wife & kids or playing bridge. :duh:

[Bama Gambler]

I have an outstanding offer to give $100 to anyone who can beat my chess computer program Fritz 8 without using a computer of their own. :D

[Klaymen]

Grumby's been pushing pawns and you would think he has the better position, but Fritz thinks he is one pawn ahead already, despite even material.

1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 d5 3. f4 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. c4 Nbd7 6. c5 c6 7.
Bd3 b6 8. b4 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 a5 10. b5 Rc8 11. bxc6 Rxc6

Cynical dropped to -2.0 with the loss of a minor piece and that rating has steadily dropped now to -3.0. When the game is even, further in-depth valuations often bring the score even, but when someone has an advantage it typically snowballs.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 c6 3. Nf3 Qb6 4. b3 d6 5. e3 Bg4 6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. O-O e5 8. Bg3 e4 9. Nbd2 exd3 10. cxd3 d5 11. Qc2 Nh5 12. e4 Nxg3 13. fxg3 Be7 14. Rae1 Be6 *

Rekrap is pretty early along and the position is symmetric.

[Jonas Grumby]

Grumby's been pushing pawns and you would think he has the better position, but Fritz thinks he is one pawn ahead already, despite even material.

1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 d5 3. f4 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. c4 Nbd7 6. c5 c6 7.
Bd3 b6 8. b4 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 a5 10. b5 Rc8 11. bxc6 Rxc6



I've been aware for a couple of moves that Fritz will be winning a pawn shortly. His assessment is entirely correct.

[Cynical Realist]

I didn't know I was playing a computer or for a $100 - I might have taken more than my cursory 5 seconds to decide on a move. I'd take a little longer in an interesting position, but don't spend too much time on the opening, and hence blundered.

Maybe I may resign given I'm down a piece and have poor chances - but I might try to throw the kitchen sink at him first. :D

Then I'll rechallenge as black and play a little harder for a change. Too much speed chess can lead to bad habits - especially when you theoretically don't have a time limit, and are playing a computer.

[Drzy]

Too much speed chess can lead to bad habits -
So can too much stupid OH SNAP I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT HARRRRRR!!!!

[Klaymen]

Grumby used a bishop to take a pawn and he's going to pay for it with that bishop. (Qxa5 was the best move) His score drops from -1.2 to -3.6.

1 d2-d4 Ng8-f6
2 e2-e3 d7-d5
3 f2-f4 Bc8-f5
4 Ng1-f3 e7-e6
5 c2-c4 Nb8-d7
6 c4-c5 c7-c6
7 Bf1-d3 b7-b6
8 b2-b4 Bf5xd3
9 Qd1xd3 a7-a5
10 b4-b5 Ra8-c8
11 b5xc6 Rc8xc6
12 Qd3-b5 Qd8-a8
13 Bc1-d2 b6xc5
14 O-O Nf6-e4
15 Bd2xa5 Ne4-d6

Cynical: your score is now in the vicinity now at -4.5. It's generally accepted that the game is over around -2.0. Feel free to resign anytime and return with a vengeance. :shake:

[Jonas Grumby]

Grumby used a bishop to take a pawn and he's going to pay for it with that bishop. (Qxa5 was the best move) His score drops from -1.2 to -3.6.


I am completely confused.
1. I thought I'd worked out that I'd lose my queen with Qxa5.
2. Fritzy's last move makes no sense to me.

[Weatherman]

Grumby used a bishop to take a pawn and he's going to pay for it with that bishop. (Qxa5 was the best move) His score drops from -1.2 to -3.6.


I am completely confused.
1. I thought I'd worked out that I'd lose my queen with Qxa5.
2. Fritzy's last move makes no sense to me.

He's going to chase your queen away with his knights and then take your bishop. It's very neatly done.

[Jonas Grumby]

Grumby used a bishop to take a pawn and he's going to pay for it with that bishop. (Qxa5 was the best move) His score drops from -1.2 to -3.6.


I am completely confused.
1. I thought I'd worked out that I'd lose my queen with Qxa5.
2. Fritzy's last move makes no sense to me.

He's going to chase your queen away with his knights and then take your bishop. It's very neatly done.

Um yes, thanks for the analysis, I was aware. I was talking about the subsequent move you didn't see, which was taken back. :o Operator error! But I come away from this thinking Anonymouse is a very nice individual and that I appreciate him letting us get our a**es kicked by Fritzy.

[Weatherman]

Um yes, thanks for the analysis, I was aware. I was talking about the subsequent move you didn't see, which was taken back. :o Operator error! But I come away from this thinking Anonymouse is a very nice individual and that I appreciate him letting us get our a**es kicked by Fritzy.

Take backs with $100 on the line? :o (what was the weird move, btw?)

[Klaymen]

Grumby was kind to undo a case of human error. I was supposed to play Nd7-b6 and instead played Nd6-b7! It doesn't take long to see that one catches the bishop, and the other gives away a rook. I couldn't figure out what was going wrong when suddenly I was down by 5, how could Fritz miss something huge like that?!?! lol

1. d4 Nf6 2. e3 d5 3. f4 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. c4 Nbd7 6. c5 c6 7.
Bd3 b6 8. b4 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 a5 10. b5 Rc8 11. bxc6 Rxc6 12. Qb5 Qa8 13. Bd2 bxc5 14. O-O Ne4 15. Bxa5 Nd6 16. Qa4 Nb6

Score: -3.7

15. Qxa5 just trades queens, so I guess you do lose it...

[Klaymen]

After I went back and put in the correct move and Jonas had a chance to see what was ahead, he resigned. Cynical is now running at a -6 (down a rook). Rekrap is at -0.7 or -0.8 after the first 11 moves, if I recall correctly.

[Klaymen]

We have some nice parting gifts for Cynic.

1 d2-d4 Ng8-f6
2 Bc1-f4 c7-c6
3 Ng1-f3 Qd8-b6
4 b2-b3 d7-d6
5 e2-e3 Bc8-g4
6 Bf1-d3 Nb8-d7
7 O-O e7-e5
8 Bf4-g3 e5-e4
9 Nb1-d2 e4xd3
10 c2xd3 d6-d5
11 Qd1-c2 Nf6-h5
12 e3-e4 Nh5xg3
13 f2xg3 Bf8-e7
14 Ra1-e1 Bg4-e6
15 Kg1-h1 O-O
16 e4-e5 Ra8-e8
17 Nf3-h4 Qb6xd4
18 Rf1-f4 Qd4-c5
19 Qc2-d1 Be7-g5
20 d3-d4 Qc5-b4
21 Re1-f1 Bg5xf4
22 Rf1xf4 g7-g5
23 Nh4-f5 f7-f6
24 Qd1-g4 Qb4xd2
25 h2-h4 Kg8-h8
26 h4xg5 f6xg5
27 Qg4-h5 g5xf4
28 Nf5-d6 Qd2-e1+

Rekrap: you are doing ok, only losing by 1.2 after 16 moves. That's respectable I'd say, about where I'd expect to be. Fritz has the advantage, but could be many moves from calling it a win yet.

[Klaymen]

Alas, rekrap did not win $100.

1 e2-e4 e7-e5
2 Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6
3 Bf1-c4 Bf8-c5
4 Nb1-c3 Ng8-f6
5 d2-d3 O-O
6 O-O h7-h6
7 Nc3-d5 Nc6-d4
8 Nf3xe5 d7-d6
9 Ne5-g6 f7xg6
10 Nd5xf6+ Kg8-h8
11 Nf6-d5 Qd8-h4
12 Kg1-h1 b7-b5
13 Nd5xc7 Ra8-b8
14 Bc4-d5 Rf8xf2
15 Rf1xf2 Qh4xf2
16 Bc1-d2 Bc8-h3
17 e4-e5 Rb8-c8
18 g2xh3 Rc8xc7
19 c2-c3 Nd4-e2
20 d3-d4 d6xe5
21 d4xc5 Rc7xc5
22 Bd5-e4 Rc5-c4
23 Bd2-e3 Qf2xe3
24 Qd1-d8+ Kh8-h7
25 Be4-d5 h6-h5
26 h3-h4 e5-e4
27 Qd8-g8+ Kh7-h6
28 Qg8-h8++