Friday, July 17, 2020

Multi-pass Analysis with Chess Assistant

     My go-to program for analysis is still the old Fritz 12 with the latest Stockfish and as a backup, Komodo 10. I purchased the program maybe 10 years ago at the now defunct Office Max for $20 which was a fraction of what is was selling for online. 
     I finally settled on Aquarium 2014 for posting games on this blog. That leaves Chess Assistant 18 sitting on my laptop unused, but of late I have been monkeying around with its multi-pass analysis mode. 
     I originally purchased Chess Assistant 16 back in March of 2016, but never used it much because I just couldn’t make myself fall in love with it. 
     Then in January of 2019 the hard drive on my laptop crashed and I had a new solid state drive installed. After much fiddling around I managed to salvage Fritz 12, ChessOK Aquarium 2014 and Chess Assistant 16 off the old hard drive and get them running; don’t ask me how because I don’t remember exactly how, but I did it. 
     Here is a mystery. I purchased Chess Assistant 16, but because it is never used, when I began experimenting with it, that’s when I noticed that I have Chess Assistant 18, not 16, installed! 
     Looking at the file folders there are indeed two Chess Assistant folders: 16 and 18. How did that happen? I don ‘t know, but assume that somewhere I found and old download link from Chess Assistant that worked and it downloaded 18. Who knows? 

Chess Assistant has several analysis modes: 
A) Infinite analysis 
* Include/exclude selected moves 
* Multivariation and adjourned multivariation mode 
* Analyze simultaneously using different chess engines 
* Check moves in game or annotations. 
* Search for additional moves 
* Analyse position from both sides at the same time 
* One- or two-panel display of analysis. 
B) Automatic opening annotation 
* searches for novelty 
* adds annotations from the Opening Encyclopedia 
* CAP evaluations 
* inserts reference games etc.
* Search for blunders 
C) Multi-pass game analysis - an advanced analysis method with flexible options to fine-tune each step of the search. You can even choose different engines for each phase of the game. 
* analysis markers allow you to mark selected positions for automatic analysis at a later time. 
* interactive analysis lets you work with the engine, allowing it to analyze a position, then you guide it in its analysis without the engine forgetting its conclusions 
D) Background Analysis - the most powerful position analysis tool. The analysis takes place in a background allowing you to continue working during the analysis. If you run into an interesting position, simply send it to background analysis while you continue your own analysis. Background analysis can be split between two or more processors on the same computer or distributed automatically to several networked computers. 

     The one I have been experimenting with is the multi-pass. For the below game I used the the Komodo 10 engine because I think it gives a more accurate evaluation at quick time limits; Stockfish’s initial evaluations seem to fluctuate wildly. 
     For the analysis I selected, in the openings Chess Assistant was set to search the selected database for a novelty and annotate the opening. In the middlegame it spent 2 seconds doing a quick analysis, then 10 seconds per move on the main analysis. Then goes back an spends another 10 seconds checking interesting variations. In the ending it does a one second quick analysis then 10 seconds per move. 

     The mechanics of how all this works isn’t so important as I wanted to compare its multi-pass analysis to what I get with the trusty old Fritz 12 analyzing at 10 seconds a move.  
     Analysis with Chess Assistant was conducted using a time of 6-15 minutes per game and when all was said and done, it did not quote any games from its database nor did it make any suggested opening improvements. In fact, there were few improvements suggested for the whole game which I have noted in the annotations. 
     Comparing Chess Assistant's analysis to the much more extensive analysis done by Fritz 12 and honestly I cannot see any reason to use Chess Assistant. Also, I never liked the board appearance, but did locate a download for the old Chessmaster pieces,.  In order to install them I had to delete one of Chess Assistant’s piece images and paste the Chessmaster images into the folder and rename them as the deleted Chess Assistant pieces.  Chess Assistant WEBSITE

Tartajubow - JG
Result: 1-0
Site: Ohio Championship, Cincinnati
Date: 1967
A83: Dutch Defense: Staunton Gambit

[...] 1.d4 f5 2.e4 Frowned upon by CA18 (2.♘c3 CA18 2...♘f6) 2...fxe4 3.♘c3 ♘f6 4.♗g5 g6 Black's best move is likely 4.. .Nc6, but most popular is 4..c6. 5.f3 exf3 6.♘xf3 d5 7.♗d3 ♗g4 (7...♗g7 CA18 8.♕d2 a6) 8.h3 Stockfish likes 8.O-O, but I wanted to castle Q-side. 8...♗xf3 9.♕xf3 c6 10.O-O-O ♗g7 11.♖de1 ♘bd7 Fritz found a game in its database that apparently was not in Chess Assistant's.
11...O-O 12.♕e3 ♖f7 13.♘e2 ♘bd7 14.♘f4 ♘f8 15.h4 The position is equal and was eventually drawn. Skreno,V (2176)-Petran,P (2355)/Tatranske Zruby 2005
12.♖hf1 Stockfish likes 12.h4 O-O 14.Qh3 which it thinks is in white's favor by a P and a half. 12...O-O 13.♕e3 ♖e8 This is too passive. Better was 13...Qb6. Now both programs using Komodo 10 as well as Stockfish recommend that I play 14. Qe6+ with equality. 14.♗h6 After this move Stockfish givers the advantage to black by almost two Ps. (14.♕e6 ♔h8 15.♔b1 ♕b6) 14...e5 This freeing move gives black a significant advantage. 15.♗xg6 Pure speculation that caught my opponent off guard, but Stockfish gives black the advantage by 5 Ps.
15.♗xg7 was recommended in both programs, but white still has a poor position. 15...♔xg7 16.♕f2 e4 17.♗e2 ♕c7 with much the better game.
15...hxg6 16.♕g5 ♗xh6 Thsi is good, but 16...exd4 waqs even better.
16...exd4 Suggested by both programs. 17.♕xg6 ♖xe1 18.♖xe1 ♕f8 White's "attack" is over and he is dead lost.
17.♕xh6 e4 After this move white is right back in the game with an 0.00 evaluation!
17...exd4 Recommended by both programs. 18.♕xg6 ♔h8 19.♕h6 ♘h7 20.♘e2 ♕g5 21.♕xg5 ♘xg5 22.♘xd4 ♖xe1 23.♖xe1 ♘e4 And according to Stockfish black should win this game (evaluation -3.72).
18.♕xg6 ♔f8 This allows white to generate a strong attack.
18...♔h8 Recommended by both programs as resulting in equal chances. 19.♕h6 ♔g8 20.♕g6 would draw.
20.♖e3 Playing for a win can't be recommended. 20...♔f7 21.g4 ♖g8 and black is better.
18...♔h8 19.♕h6 ♘h7 would be bad. 20.♖f7 ♕g5 21.♕xg5 ♘xg5 22.♖xd7 and should win.
19.g4 ♖e6 20.g5 ♔e7 A better chances was in 20...Qe7 and ...Qf7 hoping to trade Qs. 21.gxf6 ♘xf6 22.♕g7 ♔d6 23.♕xb7 ♕h8 Stockfish's recommendation would probably never occur to me. Even so, this move keeps an advantage of about 4 Ps. 24.♘a4
24.♖f5 was recommended by Stockfish, but the whole line it suggested is complicated. 24...♖g8
24...♕xh3 25.♘xd5 ♕xf5 26.♕b4 ♔d7 27.♕b7 ♔d6 28.c4 ♕g5 29.♔b1 ♖ee8 30.♕c7 ♔e6 31.♕xc6 ♔f7 32.♖f1 wins
25.♖ef1 ♕h6 26.♔b1 ♕g7 27.♕xg7 ♖xg7 28.♖xf6 with a winning ending.
24...♖b8 Trading Qs with 24...Qb8 wasn't any better as black is now lost. 25.♕xa7 ♖b5 26.♘c5 ♖e7 27.♕a3 ♔c7 28.♘a6 This is also a good move. (28.♕g3 Stockfish 28...♔b6 29.a4 ♖xc5 30.dxc5 wins easily.) 28...♔d7 29.♘c5 ♔c7 30.♘xe4 A gross blunder that should have left black with equal chances. Also decent was 30.Rf5
30.♕g3 wins rather easily for white.. .if you are an engine, but for an average human player it's not so clear. 30...♔b6 31.♕d6 ♖f7 32.a4 ♖b4 33.♖xf6 ♕xf6 34.♕b8 ♔a5 35.♕a8 ♔b6 36.a5 ♔c7 37.♘a6
30...♖xe4 31.♖xe4 ♘d7 Black counters with a gross blunder of his own. Both programs pointed out that 31...dxe4 results in equal chances.
31...dxe4 32.♕a7 ♔d6 33.c4 ♕h6 34.♔d1 (34.♔b1 ♖xb2 35.♔xb2 ♕d2 36.♔b3 ♕d3 37.♔b2 ♕e2 38.♔b3 ♕xf1 balck wins) 34...♕h5 35.♔e1 ♕h4 36.♔d1 ♕h5 etc.. .draw.
32.♕g3
32.♖e7 ♖b7 33.♖xd7 ♔xd7 34.♖f7 ♔e6 35.♖xb7 ♕h6 36.♔d1 ♕h5 37.♔d2 ♕g5 38.♕e3 ♕xe3 39.♔xe3 ♔f5 40.a4 c5 41.a5 cxd4 42.♔d3 ♔g6 43.a6 ♔g5 44.a7 ♔f4 45.a8=♕ ♔g3 46.♕g8 ♔f4 47.♕g7 ♔f5 48.♖f7 ♔e6 49.♕f6#
32...♔d8 (32...♔b6 was not much better. 33.♖g4 ♕h6 34.♖g5 and wins) 33.♕h4
33.♖g4 ♕h6 34.♔b1 ♕e6 35.♖g8 ♕xg8 36.♕xg8 ♔c7 37.♖f7 ♖b7 38.♕e8 ♔b6 39.♖xd7 ♖xd7 40.♕xd7 c5 41.♕d6 ♔a7 42.dxc5 ♔b7 43.♕b6 ♔c8 44.c6 d4 45.♕b7 ♔d8 46.♕d7#
33...♕xh4 34.♖xh4 ♔c7 35.♖f7 ♖b8 (35...♖b4 36.♖hh7 ♖xd4 37.♖xd7 ♔b6 38.b3+⁠−) 36.♖hh7 ♖d8 37.h4 ♔c8 38.♖xd7 ♖xd7 (38...♖xd7 39.♖xd7 ♔xd7 40.a4 Passed pawn) ()
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