Thinking Machines

Leela Chess Zero – Stockfish

Top Chess Engine Championship Season 14 – Superfinal; match game 85; tcec-chess.com, February 20, 2019

King’s Indian Defence E87

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 Qh4+ 9. g3 Nxg3 10. Qf2 Nxf1 11. Qxh4 Nxe3. David Ionovich Bronstein’s controversial Queen sacrifice: Black gives up Her Majesty for two Bishops and a Pawn, and will win a second Pawn after 12. ... Nxc4. But theoreticians still do not agree whether or not Black’s positional compensation is sufficient. 12. Ke2 Nxc4 13. Qe1!? Mankind probably thought better than what machines calculate: 13. Rc1 Na6 14. Nd1 Nb6 15. Nh3 Bd7 16. Ne3 f6 17. Rhg1 (17. Nf2 Nc8 18. Rc3 Ne7 19. Rhc1 Rac8 20. Rb3 Rb8 21. Nd3 Rf7 22. Qe1 Nc8 23. Qa5 Nb6 24. Rxc7 f5 25. Rc2 fxe4 26. fxe4 Rbf8 27. Rxb6 ½ : ½ Kasparov – Seirawan, 4th Grandmasters Association World Cup Tournament, Barcelona 1989) 17. ... Rad8 (17. ... Rae8 intending ... Re8-e7 and ... c7-c6 was suggested as an improvement for Black by Yasser Seirawan) 18. b3 c6 19. dxc6 bxc6 20. Nf5! gxf5 21. Rxg7+! Kxg7 22. Rg1+ Kf7 23. Dh5+ Ke6 24. Qxf5+ Kf7 25. Qh5+ Ke6 26. Qf5+ Kf7 27. Ng5+ Ke8 28. Ne6 Rf7 29. Rg7! Rc8 30. Rxf7 Kxf7 31. Ng5+ Ke7 32. Qxh7+ Kd8 33. Qh8+ Kc7 34. Qxf6 Re8 35. h4 Nc5 36. h5 Ne6 37. h6+− Karpov – Velimirović, 6th “Solidarity” International Tournament, Skopje 1976. Instead, 13. Nh3!? may be interesting and worth further experimentation, as after 13. ... Nxb2!? 14. Rab1 Nc4 15. Ng5! h6 16. Rbg1! Na6 (16. ... hxg5 17. Qxg5 followed by h2-h4-h5 would give White an irresistible attack) 17. Ne6! Black ended up in big trouble, even if a draw was finally certified at 362nd move (!), Stockfish – Leela Chess Zero, Top Engine Championship Season 14 – Superfinal, match game 86, February 21, 2019. 13. ... f5 14. h4 fxe4 15. Nxe4 c6 16. Qd1 Bd7 17. Kf2!? This and the next move are hard to share with common mortals, as White willingly enters a “cage” which would scare any ordinary human being! 17. ... Bf5 18. Ng3!? Nxb2 19. Qb3 Nd3+ 20. Kg2 Nc5 21. Qd1 Bd7 22. h5 Nba6 23. Rc1 Rf6 24. N1e2 Raf8 25. h6 Bh8 26. Rf1

26. ... g5! 27. Kg1 Rxh6 28. Ne4 Rf7 29. N2c3 Rg6 30. dxc6 Bxc6 31. Rc2 Bg7! Both Black’s Bishops finally come into play. 32. Rd2 Bf8 33. Nxd6 Rf4 34. Ne2! Probably the only move! 34. ... Ba4 35. Qe1 Bxd6 36. Nxf4 gxf4+ 37. Kh1 Bc7! 38. Rh2!? 38. Qh4 Ne6 39. Rg2 Bc6 40. Qf6 Nac5 41. Rxg6+ hxg6 42. Qxg6+ Kf8 43. Qh7 Bd6 44. Rg1 Bxf3+ 45. Kh2 Ke8 46. Rg8+ Bf8 47. Qf5 Ke7 48. Qxe5 Be4 may finally produce a similar ending, but on the whole — and from a human standpoint — that seems a little more defensible. 38. ... Nd7 39. Rg1 Bc6 40. Rxg6+ hxg6 41. Qh4 Bxf3+ 42. Kg1 Bb6+ 43. Kf1 Bh5 44. Qe7 Nac5 45. Rf2. 45. Rd2 e4 46. Rxd7 Nxd7 47. Qxd7?? e3 just loses outright. 45. ... Nf8! 46. Qxe5 Nfe6 47. a4 Bc7 48. Qd5 Bg4 49. Rc2 Bh3+ 50. Ke2 b6 51. Qa8+ Kf7 52. Qxa7 Kf6 53. a5 Bf5 54. Rxc5 bxc5 55. Qa8 Bg4+ 56. Kf1 f3 57. Qh8+ Kg5 58. a6 Bg3 59. a7 Bf5 60. Qh1 Bd3+ 61. Kg1 Nd4 62. Qh2 Bxh2+ 63. Kf2 Kf4 64. Ke1 0 : 1.