CT800 – NG-Play
This is a game between the CT800 and NG-Play v9.86, which is the original version of the software.
Skip chessboardCT800 vs. NG-Play v9.86 1. e2-e4 e7-e5 2. Ng1-f3 Nb8-c6 3. d2-d4 e5xd4 (Scotch Game.) 4. Nf3xd4 Ng8-f6 5. Nd4xc6 d7xc6 6. Qd1xd8+ Ke8xd8 7. Bf1-d3 Bf8-d6 8. Nb1-c3 Nf6-g4 (Re8 to get the rook into action.) 9. f2-f3 Ng4-e5 10. Bd3-e2 Ne5-g6 11. g2-g3 Bc8-d7 12. Bc1-d2 b7-b5 13. a2-a3 Bd6-c5 14. h2-h4 h7-h5 15. 0-0-0 Bc5-f2 16. Bd2-e1 Bf2-e3+ 17. Kc1-b1 a7-a6 18. f3-f4 Kd8-e7 19. Rd1-d3 Be3-a7 20. Nc3-a2 f7-f6 21. Be1-a5 Ba7-b6 22. Rh1-d1 Ra8-d8 23. Ba5-c3 a6-a5 24. e4-e5 ... (Too early - b4 on the queenside first.) 24. ... f6xe5 25. f4xe5 c6-c5 (Bg4 would have retained equality.) 26. Rd3-d5 ... (Bd2 to swing it over to g5, attacking the Rd8.) 26. ... a5-a4 27. Na2-c1 c7-c6 (Bc6 to put the bishop on that useful square.) 28. Rd5-d6 Bd7-e8 29. Be2-f3 Ng6-f8 30. Nc1-e2 Bb6-c7 31. Rd6xd8 Bc7xd8 32. Ne2-f4 Rh8-h6 (Bc7 was much better.) 33. Bc3-d2 Bd8-c7 34. Nf4-d3 Rh6-h8 (Why not to g6?) 35. Bd2-g5+ Ke7-f7 36. Rd1-f1 Kf7-g8 37. Nd3xc5 Nf8-g6 38. Rf1-e1 Kg8-h7 39. Bf3-e4 Kh7-g8 40. Be4-f5 Ng6-f8 (All white pieces are attacking.) 41. Nc5-a6 Bc7-a5 42. Re1-e4 g7-g6 43. Bf5-h3 Rh8-h7 44. e5-e6 Rh7-a7 45. Na6-b8 Nf8-h7 46. Bg5-e3 Ra7-a8 47. Nb8-d7 Ba5-c7 48. Be3-f4 Ra8-a7 49. Bf4xc7 Ra7xc7 50. c2-c3 Kg8-g7 51. Re4-e5 Nh7-f6 52. Nd7-c5 Nf6-d5 53. Re5-e1 Nd5-b6 54. Kb1-c2 Kg7-f6 55. Kc2-d3 Nb6-c4 56. Re1-e2 Rc7-c8 57. e6-e7 Rc8-c7 58. Nc5-e4+ Kf6-e5 59. Ne4-g5+ Ke5-d6 (The decisive mistake. Kf6 was the move.) 60. Re2-e6+ Kd6-d5 61. Ng5-e4 Nc4-e5+ 62. Kd3-e3 Ne5-g4+ 63. Bh3xg4 h5xg4 64. Ne4-g5 Kd5-c4 65. Ke3-f4 c6-c5 66. Ng5-e4 Kc4-b3 67. Ne4-d6 Be8-c6 68. Re6-e2 b5-b4 69. a3xb4 c5xb4 70. c3xb4 Kb3xb4 71. Re2-c2 Rc7xe7 72. Rc2xc6 Re7-e2 73. Nd6-e4 Kb4-a5 74. Rc6xg6 Re2xb2 75. Rg6-g5+ Ka5-b4 76. Rg5xg4 a4-a3 77. Rg4-g8 a3-a2 78. Rg8-a8 Kb4-b3 79. g3-g4 Rb2-c2 80. h4-h5 Rc2-c1 81. Ne4-d2+ Kb3-b2 82. Ra8xa2+ Kb2xa2 (The king is off the game now.) 83. g4-g5 Rc1-d1 84. Nd2-f3 Rd1-d8 85. g5-g6 Rd8-g8 (The lone rook cannot stop the attack.) 86. Nf3-e5 Rg8-f8+ 87. Ne5-f7 Rf8-g8 88. Kf4-g5 Rg8-a8 89. h5-h6 Ra8-a5+ 90. Kg5-g4 Ka2-b3 91. g6-g7 (Black resigned.)
NG-Play runs at 1 second per move on AMD Phenom2 1100T. From what I measured, this corresponds to 50 seconds for the CT800, which gets 60 seconds per move. However, NG-Play has 2 MB of hash tables. All in all, it is a fair duel.
The game takes much longer than the other ones because it is about positional play and a lot of manoeuvring until the endgame.
The CT800 starts out with the Scotch Opening, inflicts a double c-pawn on NG-Play and robs NG-Play of castling by trading queens in a way that forces NG-Play to recapture with the king. However, the black king’s central position does not invite a mating attack with the queens off the board.
The CT800 pushes its kingside pawn majority while NG-Play tries the same on the queenside, but the doubled c-pawn forms a serious obstacle. Both sides manoeuvre their minor pieces, trying to induce weaknesses in the opponent’s position.
The CT800 doubles its rooks on the d-file while NG-Play fails to do something useful with its rooks. Minor inaccuracies on both sides follow. The CT800 turns its e-pawn into a passed pawn, but that is not really an advantage until NG-Play pushes its queenside majority unwisely instead of shifting its pieces to the centre and the kingside.
The CT800 gradually puts NG-Play’s pieces out of play and turns initiative into attack, winning a pawn on the queenside. The main problem for NG-Play is that its pieces have lost their coordination.
NG-Play fends off the first attack wave, but the price is the strong white passed e-pawn, and NG-Play’s light squared bishop has turned bad. When NG-Play’s centralised king is under check attack, it moves the king to the wrong wing, and its position starts crumbling.
The CT800 exploits the black king’s excursion and forces NG-Play to give up its bishop for the white e-pawn. NG-Play starts a desperate queenside attack, turning its a-pawn into a passed pawn. The CT800 eats the all black pawns on the kingside, enjoying two connected passed pawns.
NG-Play pushes its passed pawn on the queenside, forcing the CT800 to give up the rook for the pawn. However, the black king is totally off the game now.
With two connected passed pawns, a knight and the king centralised, the CT800 launches its final attack. NG-Play is not able to stop this attack with the lone rook on the kingside and resigns.