President's Computer Challenge: Junior leads Fritz 3:1

by ChessBase
6/10/2007 – Round four saw a second win for the Israeli program Deep Junior, which is running on the latest 16-processor Intel server at twice the speed of its opponent Deep Fritz. The event is spectacular for a different reason: the moves on the official match board are executed by young Kalmyk players in national costumes, and the commentary is provided by a 14-year-old IM. Utterly charming.

ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024 ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024

It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.

More...

Fritz vs Junior – Game four

Game four repeated the opening from game two, with Fritz playing 1.d4 and Junior replying with the sharp Grunfeld Defence. White deviated from the second game with 16.f5 instead of 16.d6. Fritz liked the position, showing a high score of more than one pawn for the next ten moves. But from then on it went downhill.

DEEP FRITZ - DEEP JUNIOR [D85]
Ultimate Computer Challenge Elista RUS (4), 09.06.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1 0-0 9.Be2 Nc6 10.d5 Ne5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5 12.Qd2 e6 13.f4 Bc7 14.0-0 exd5 15.exd5 Ba5 16.f5 Bxf5 17.Rxb7 Qd6 18.Bc4 Qe5 19.Rf3 Rab8.

Deep Junior decides to sacrifice a pawn, allowing Fritz a long term passer but gaining a rook attack in compensation. 20.Rxa7 Bb6 21.Ra4 Bc7 22.g3 Rb1 23.Re3 Qf6 24.Ra6 Bd6 25.Re1 Rfb8 26.Bf1 h5 27.a4 c4. A second pawn sacrifice, which was accepted by Deep Fritz. This allowed Deep Junior's second rook to penetrate White's position. 28.Rc6 Ra1 29.Bxc4 Bd7 30.Rf1 Qe7 31.Rxd6. Deep Junior's active piece play has forced Deep Fritz to sacrifice an exchange. 31...Qxd6 32.Qf2 Qb6

33.Bf4? Fritz lost game four after committing a serious error: 33.Bf4 is losing. Instead 33.Be3 Rxf1+ 34.Bxf1 Qb1 35.Qf6 Bh3 36.Bd4 Kf8= (36...Qxf1+ 37.Qxf1 Bxf1 38.Kxf1 +/=) should be a draw. [Alexander Kure of the Fritz team.] A critical moment in the game. This move allows Deep Junior a favorable queen exchange while leaving Deep Fritz's king exposed to threats from the two black rooks. Fritz is forced to defend its king and its pieces, while Junior starts to push its king side pawns. [Shay Bushinsky of the Junior team]. 33...Qxf2+ 34.Kxf2 Rb2+ 35.Ke3 Rxa4 36.Bd3 Rxh2 37.c4 Ra3 38.Kd4 h4 39.g4 Rh3 40.Be2 Rhb3 41.Ke5 Rb2 42.Re1 Raa2 43.Bd1 Ra6 44.Bc1 Rb8 45.Rg1 h3 46.Rh1 f6+ 47.Kd4 Ra1 48.Bc2 g5 49.c5 Bxg4 50.c6 Kf7 51.Rf1 Rh8 52.d6 h2 53.d7 Ke7 0-1. [Click to replay].

Standings

 Computer
1
2
3
4
5
6
TB
 Tot. 
 Deep Junior  
½
½
1
1
     
3.0
 Deep Fritz  
½
½
0
0
     
1.0

Picture gallery


The loneliness of a long distance chess programmer: Alexander Kure of Austria arrives early to prepare Deep Fritz for game four.


Alex fixing the parameters of the program, which is running on a machine in Hamburg


Amir Ban from Israel primes his machine, an Intel state-of-the-art server in London

Deep Fritz is running on an eight-core machine out of Hamburg Germany. The program is searching 13-14 million nodes per second, reaching a search depth of 20-21 ply. Deep Junior, playing out of London England, is employing the latest Intel Server technology with 16 cores. The program is running at 24 million nodes per second and consistently reaching search depths of 24 ply.


A delegation of brightly clad Kalmyk children arrive for the computer match


They are dressed in national costumes of exotic beauty. But what are they here for?


They are going to follow the computer moves on the display board


You will have to forgive your photographer for losing all restraint over these kids


The programmers are just as bad: everyone, like Shay Bushinsky above, wants his picture taken with the chess board operators


Alex Kure with is very special friend, who learnt the flipside high five handshake from him


Amir Ban with his Kalmyk chess assistant


The game starts, with the girls executing the moves displayed on the computer screens on the official board.


You can tell that these girls are competent chess players by the way they immediately grasp the moves displayed on the computer screens, and the smart click-and-switch motion in which they capture pieces on the board.


Deep Fritz displaying the moves played on the eight-core system in Hamburg


That's the offical computer match commentator, explaining the games for the audience


Meet Sanan Sjugirov, 14 years old, who in succession has won the Russian Champion for under eight, under ten, the World Championship under twelve and the European Championship under 14. Sanan is already a full IM.


Things are looking grim for Fritz, which has been searching at 12 million positions per second


Junior on its super Intel hardware is managing 25 million positions


Alex Kure resigns the game for Deep Fritz, Amir Ban accepts for Deep Junior

Pictures by Frederic Friedel in Elista

Links


Reports about chess: tournaments, championships, portraits, interviews, World Championships, product launches and more.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register