CT800 – NG-Play

This is a game between the CT800 and NG-Play v9.86, which is the original version of the software.

[White "CT800"]
[Black "NG-Play v9.86"]
[Opening "Scotch Game"]
[WhiteElo "2100"]
[BlackElo "2173"]
[Date "2016.08.30"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "1/60"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 {Scotch Game.} exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6
5. Nxc6 dxc6 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Bd3 Bd6 8. Nc3 Ng4 {Re8 to
get the rook into action.} 9. f3 Ne5 10. Be2 Ng6 11. g3
Bd7 12. Bd2 b5 13. a3 Bc5 14. h4 h5 15. O-O-O Bf2 16. Be1
Be3+ 17. Kb1 a6 18. f4 Ke7 19. Rd3 Ba7 20. Na2 f6 21. Ba5
Bb6 22. Rhd1 Rad8 23. Bc3 a5 24. e5 {Too early – b4 on
the queenside first.} fxe5 25. fxe5 c5 {Bg4 would have
retained equality.} 26. Rd5 {Bd2 to swing it over to g5,
attacking the Rd8.} a4 27. Nc1 c6 {Bc6 to put the bishop
on that useful square.} 28. Rd6 Be8 29. Bf3 Nf8 30. Ne2
Bc7 31. Rxd8 Bxd8 32. Nf4 Rh6 {Bc7 was much better.}
33. Bd2 Bc7 34. Nd3 Rh8 {Why not to g6?} 35. Bg5+ Kf7
36. Rf1 Kg8 37. Nxc5 Ng6 38. Re1 Kh7 39. Be4 Kg8 40. Bf5
Nf8 {All white pieces are attacking.} 41. Na6 Ba5 42. Re4
g6 43. Bh3 Rh7 44. e6 Ra7 45. Nb8 Nh7 46. Be3 Ra8 47. Nd7
Bc7 48. Bf4 Ra7 49. Bxc7 Rxc7 50. c3 Kg7 51. Re5 Nf6
52. Nc5 Nd5 53. Re1 Nb6 54. Kc2 Kf6 55. Kd3 Nc4 56. Re2
Rc8 57. e7 Rc7 58. Ne4+ Ke5 59. Ng5+ Kd6 {The decisive
mistake. Kf6 was the move.} 60. Re6+ Kd5 61. Ne4 Ne5+
62. Ke3 Ng4+ 63. Bxg4 hxg4 64. Ng5 Kc4 65. Kf4 c5 66. Ne4
Kb3 67. Nd6 Bc6 68. Re2 b4 69. axb4 cxb4 70. cxb4 Kxb4
71. Rc2 Rxe7 72. Rxc6 Re2 73. Ne4 Ka5 74. Rxg6 Rxb2
75. Rg5+ Kb4 76. Rxg4 a3 77. Rg8 a2 78. Ra8 Kb3 79. g4 Rc2
80. h5 Rc1 81. Nd2+ Kb2 82. Rxa2+ Kxa2 {The king is off the
game now.} 83. g5 Rd1 84. Nf3 Rd8 85. g6 Rg8 {The lone rook
cannot stop the attack.} 86. Ne5 Rf8+ 87. Nf7 Rg8 88. Kg5
Ra8 89. h6 Ra5+ 90. Kg4 Kb3 91. g7 {Black resigned.} 1-0

    CT800 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.)

You can also save the game for offline use with your favourite chess GUI: download game (PGN).

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.