SmarThink 1.00 About engine: history, main ideas and game play
The work on SmarThink was started in 2001. It wasn't first chess programming experience of Sergei Markoff. His first chess program (Markoff's chess) was started in 1999 when he was 18 years old. In 2004 SmarThink became Russian computer chess champion and in 2005 it became CIS champion in computer chess. SmarThink is successor of the Russian computer chess traditions of “Kaissa” and “Mirage”. A lot of ideas of those engines was adopted and improved in SmarThink. IM Nickolai Olenin from Orel, Sergey Oksyuzov from St.-Petersburg and a lot of other Russian chess professionals and enthusiasts are helped Sergei to improve his engine. The main ideology of the SmarThink is to use more intelligence in both search and evaluation parts. There is a lot of chess-specific knowledge needed to fulfill a proper search. As we all know, Von Neuman computer architecture is totally different from that of human brain, and to my mind this is exactly the reason why the bionic approach (see Botvinnik) would fail. But to see a chess problem as a “conventional” search problem leads us to another dead end. SmarThink project is a try to better use computer’s strong sides in solving chess problems.
SmarThink uses many very special methods, for example searching through attacking trajectories for the pieces and also using piece trajectories evaluation in endgame, deeper search of singular replies, “fine pruning” and so on. SmarThink search tree is very variable in it’s depth depends of the several chess-specific heuristic rules, so depths like 10/60 are perfectly normal. Such synthesis of the intellectual methods provides SmarThink with excellent tactic and strategy abilities.
SmarThink 1.00 — Fritz 8
12. ... Nc6 13.Bb2 Bf6 Will d4 fall? 14.Rb1 Rc8 15.d5 exd5 16.exd5 The passed pawn on d5 will quickly become a dangerous weapon. White gets strong play along the open e-file 16...Na5 last book move 17.Bxf6 Qxf6 18.Ne5 Rfd8 19.Ng4 Qg5 The pressure on the isolated pawn grows 20.Ne3 Nc4 21.Nxc4 Rxc4 22.Qe2 Rcc8 23.d6! Discovered attack 23...Bxg2 [23...Rxd6 Deflection from e8 24.Qe8+ A beautiful mate combination] 24.d7! the final nail in the coffin. The mate threat is Qe2-e8 24...Bc6 [24...Rxd7 A deflection 25.Qe8+ Theme: Double Attack] 25.dxc8R Rxc8 26. Rbc1 (after 50 moves game ended 1-0)
SmarThink well strategy abilities can be easily demonstrated by the next game. SmarThink played it on PlayChess.com using ~3 times slower hardware than it’s opponent.
DeepJunior 9 — SmarThink 1.00
14. ... c4! Bishop on a2 is now out of play [14...Nxe4? is no good because of 15.Qd5 0–0 16.Qxe4+-] 15.Bf4 Attacking the backward pawn on d6 15...Ra8 Black fights for the Initiative 16.Nc3 Ra6 17.Qd4 0–0 18.h3 Consolidates g4 [18.Rfe1 Qa8 19.b4 Ng4і] 18...Nh5 19.Be3 19...Bf6–+ 20.Qd1 Bxc3 21.bxc3 Qh4 22.Qd4 Rfa8 23.Rfb1 Nf6 [23...Rxa2?! 24.Rxa2 Rxa2 25.Qxd6 Qxe4 26.Qxd7І] 24.f3 24...Rxa2 25.Rxa2 Rxa2 26.Qxd6 Rxc2 27.Qb8+ Ne8 28.Rd1 Bc6 29.Rd8 [29.Qe5 doesn't change the outcome of the game 29...Re2 30.Bd4 Re1+ 31.Rxe1 Qxe1+ 32.Kh2 Qh4–+] 29...Qe7 30.Bg5 [30.Bf4 doesn't improve anything 30...h5 (30...Rxc3?! 31.Bd6 Qe6 32.Qc7 Rc1+ 33.Kh2–+) 31.Qc8 Kh7–+] 30...f6 31.Bf4 Rxc3 32.Bd6 Qe6 33.Qc7 Bd7 34.Bf4 Rd3 35.Kf2 [35.Qc5 hardly improves anything 35...Qf7–+] 35...b4 Black prepares the advance c3 36.Qc5 b3 37.Rb8 Rc3 38.h4 [38.Kg1 cannot undo what has already been done 38...Rc2 39.Qb4 f5–+] 38...Rc2+ 39.Kg3 c3 Black intends b2 40.Qb4 [40.Qd4 doesn't do any good 40...b2 41.Qd1 Ba4–+] 40...b2 41.Qd4 [41.Qa5 cannot change what is in store for ? 41...Rc1!–+ touchй!] 41...g5 42.hxg5 fxg5 [42...fxg5 43.Bxg5 Rxg2+ 44.Kxg2 Qh3+ 45.Kf2 Qh2+ 46.Ke3 Qxb8 47.Qd5+ Kf8 48.Bh6+ Ke7 49.Bg5+ Nf6–+] 0–1
Some more games versus elite opponents.
SmarThink 1.00 — Shredder 7
21.d6!21...Qe6 22.d7 Ra6 23.Rd1 Rd8 24.Qf4 Kh7 25.Qa4 Bf8 26.h3 Rd6 27.Rd4 27...Be7 28.Re4± Rd1+ 29.Kh2 Bd6+ 30.f4 Qd5 31.Re8 Qxb7 [31...Rd2 32.Qe4 Qxe4 33.Rxe4 Rd3+-] 32.Rxd8+- Be7 33.Rf8! takes home the point [33.Qxd1?! Bxd8 34.Qa4 Qb4І] 33...Bxf8 34.Qxd1 Be7 35.d8Q Bxd8 36.Qxd8 36...Qe4 37.Bd2 a4 38.Qf8 The mate threat is Qf8xf7 38...Qf5 39.Qb4 Qd3 40.Bc3 Qd8 [40...g5 does not win a prize 41.Bb2 a3 42.Qxa3 Qxa3 43.Bxa3 gxf4 44.Bc1+-] 41.Qxa4 f6 42.Qc6 Kg7 43.g4 g5 44.h4 gxf4 45.g5 Kf7 [45...hxg5 46.hxg5 Kf7 47.gxf6 Qh8+ 48.Kg2 Qg8+ 49.Kf1 Qh8 50.Qd7+ Kg6+-] 46.Qc4+ Kg6 47.gxf6 f3 If Black now only could play Qd8-d6... 48.Qg4+ Kf7 49.Kh3 1–0
SmarThink 1.00 — Ruffian 1.0.1
1
21.Nxd4 Nb6 22.Nc6 The knight dominates [22.Bxb5? doesn't work 22...Bxd4 23.Bxa6 Qh4–+] 22...Qd7 23.Be3 Qb7 24.Rb1 Rfe8 25.b3 Covers c4 25...Bc3 26.bxa4 Nxa4 27.Bd2 Bf6 28.Qg4 Nb6 29.Bd3 g6 30.Qf3 Rxe1+ 31.Rxe1 Nd7 32.Ne7+ [32.Bh6!? b4 33.Bxa6 Qxa6 34.axb4 Qa2+-] 32...Kh8 [32...Kg7!?±] 33.Bb4+- Qc7 34.Qf4 Kg7 35.Bxd6 Qc3 36.Re3 Kh8 37.Bb4 Qc1+ [37...Qa1+ 38.Re1 Qd4 39.Qxd4 Bxd4+-] 38.Bf1 Bxe7 39.Qxf7 Bxb4 40.axb4 Qc8 41.d6 Rb8 [41...Qf8 cannot change what is in store for? 42.Qxd7 Rd8 43.Qe7+-] 42.Re7 Qg8 43.Rxd7 Qxf7 44.Rxf7 Kg8 45.Re7 45...Kf8 [45...Rd8 does not win a prize 46.d7 Kf8 47.Rxh7+-] 46.Rxh7 Kg8 47.Ra7 Bb7 48.d7 Be4 49.Rc7 Bf5 50.Bd3! White should return some of the goodies he has collected 50...Be6 [50...Bxd3 51.Rc8+ A double attack] 51.Bxb5! White should return material 51...Rd8 [51...Rxb5 Theme: Deflection from d8 52.d8Q# The nicest combinations are those leading to mate] 52.Bc4 Kf7 53.Bxe6+ Kxe6 54.b5 Ke7 55.b6 [55.b6 Ra8 56.f4+-] 1–0
SmarThink 1.00 — Hiarcs 8
13.Rc1 White fights for the Initiative 13...exd4 14.Nbxd4 Qd6 15.b5 White wins space 15...c5 16.Bg3 Qf8 17.Nc6 The white knight is well posted. 17...a6 18.a4 Ne4 19.cxd5 The passed pawn on d5 quickly leads to threats 19...Nxg3 20.hxg3 axb5 21.Bxb5 Menacing 21...Qd6 22.Qb3 Bh8 [22...Nf6!? should be investigated more closely 23.Rfd1 Kf8±] 23.Rfd1 Bf6 [23...Nf6 24.Rd3 Nd7 25.Nd2+-] 24.Nd2+- Qc7 25.Nc4 Ba6 26.Bxa6 Rxa6 27.Qb5 White intends a5 27...Raa8 28.d6 Qb7 29.Rb1 Re4 30.a5 Rxc4 31.Ne7+ [31.Qxc4 is clearly worse 31...Qxc6 32.axb6 Nxb6і] 31...Kg7 32.Qxc4 Rxa5 33.Nd5 Qc6 34.Nxf6 Nxf6 35.Qc3 Ra7 36.e4! the end 36...Rd7 [36...Qxe4 A deflection 37.Rxb6] 37.f3 h5 38.e5 Nd5 [38...Kh7 there is nothing better in the position 39.Qc4 Ng8+-] 39.Rxd5! leaving no more doubts 39...Qxd5 [39...Kh7 40.Qd3 Kh6 41.Re1+-] 40.e6+ Theme: Double Attack 40...Kh7 41.exd7 Qxd6 42.Kf2 Qxd7 43.Rxb6 c4 44.Qxc4 Qd2+ 45.Qe2 Qd4+ 46.Qe3 Qd5 47.Rb8 Qd6 48.Rc8 Qf6 49.Qe8 Qd4+ 50.Ke2 Qb2+ 51.Kd3 Qa3+ 52.Ke4 Qb4+ 53.Ke5 Qb2+ 54.Kd6 Qb4+ 55.Kd7 [55.Kd7 Qb7+ 56.Kd8+-] 1–0
In tactics SmarThink is very strong and can overwhelm a lot of strong engines by ferocious attack.
SmarThink 1.00 — ChessTiger 14
9. Rh3! f5 10. exf6 Bxf6 11. Ne5 Nc6 12. Qh5 Qe8 13. Bg6 Qe7 14. Rg3 Nxe5 15. dxe5 Bxh4 16. Bxh6! Rf5 17. Bg5! Rxe5+ 18. Kd1 Qxg5 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Rxg5 Bxg5 21. f4! Bxf4 22. Qh8+ Ke7 23. Qxg71-0
SmarThink endgame play is also fine.
Deep Junior 6 — SmarThink 1.00
53. Ke3? Ne5! 54. Be2 Kc5 55. Bd1 Kb4 56. Kd2 Nd7 57. Kc2 Nc5 58. Kb2 Nd3+ 59. Kc2 Nf4 60. Kb2 f5 61. Bc2 fxg4 62. fxg4 e5 63. Bh7 Ne6 64. Bg8 Nd4 65. Bd5 e4! 66. Bxe4 Nxb3 67. Kc2 Nc5 68. Bh1 Nxa4 69. Bc6 Nc3.No chances for white, game was finished after 14 more moves.
For more games see the games page.
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