Moby-Dick

Stockfish – AllieStein

Top Chess Engine Championship Season 16 – Superfinal; match game 46; tcec-chess.com, October 3, 2019

English Defence A40

AllieStein and Stockfish are writing together, back and forth, in an ongoing dialogue aimed at better understanding human-machine relationship from a human perspective. 1. c4 b6 2. Nc3 e6 3. d4 Bb4 4. e4 Bb7 5. f3 Qh4+ 6. g3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 Qe7 8. c5!? bxc5!? In the previous, reverse game there followed: 8. ... Qd8 9. Rb1 Ne7 10. Ba3 0-0 11. Nh3 Re8 12. c4 Ba6 13. Kf2 Nbc6 14. Qa4 Na5 15. e5 Nf5 16. Rd1 f6 17. Bd3 Bb7 18. Rhe1 fxe5 19. dxe5 Bc6 20. Qc2 Rf8 21. Be4 Rf7 22. Nf4 Qg5 23. Nd5 Kh8 24. Bc1 Qd8 25. Ba3 Qg5 26. Qc3 Rc8 27. Bc1 Qd8 28. Kg2 Nb7 29. Nf4 Qe7 30. Bxc6 dxc6 31. cxb6 axb6 32. h4 c5 33. Qd3 Na5 34. Qe4 Qe8 35. h5 Kg8 36. Rd3 Nc6 37. a3 Nfd4 38. g4 Ra8 39. h6 g6 40. Rf1 Na5 41. Rc3 Qc6 42. Qd3 Rd7 43. Nxg6 Ndb3 44. Qc2 Nxc1 45. Rxc1 hxg6 46. Qxg6+ Kh8 47. Rd1 Rf8 48. Kg3 Nb7 49. f4 Qa4 50. Rd2 Re7 51. g5 Qa8 52. Rcd3 Rf5 53. Rd7 Rxd7 54. Rxd7 Qxa3+ 55. Kh2 Qb2+ 56. Kg3 Qa3+ 57. Kg2 Qb2+ 58. Kh1 Qc1+ 59. Kg2 Qc2+ 60. Kg3 Qc3+ 61. Kg2 Qc2+ 62. Kg3 Qc3+ 63. Kh2 Qb2+ 64. Kh3 Qa3+ 65. Kg2 Qb2+ 66. Kh3 Qa3+ 67. Kg4 Rxf4+ 68. Kxf4 Qc1+ 69. Kg4 Qg1+ 70. Kh3 Qh1+ 71. Kg3 Qg1+ 72. Kf3 Qf1+ 73. Ke3 Qe1+ 74. Kf4 Qf2+ 75. Kg4 Qg2+ 76. Kf4 Qf2+ 77. Kg4 Qg2+ 78. Kf4 Qf2+ ½ : ½ AllieStein – Stockfish, Top Chess Engine Championship Season 16 – Superfinal, October 3, 2019, match game 45. 9. Rb1 Bc6 10. Qb3 f5 11. Bg2 Nf6 12. Bg5 fxe4 13. fxe4 0-0 14. Ne2 d6 15. Nf4 Nbd7 16. 0-0 Rfe8 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. e5!⩲ Ne4? From a mortal standpoint, here 18. ... Nd5 19. Rfe1 a5!? 20. a4⩲ must be better than the text. 19. Qc2 d5 20. c4!± Rad8 21. Rbc1 Ba8 22. cxd5 exd5 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Qb3+ Kh8 25. Rxc5 Rxd4 26. Qc3 Rd2 27. h4! The similar-looking but (it seems) significantly more controversial alternative 27. Rxc7 Rd7 28. Rc5 e3! 29. Qxe3 Rc7! 30. Rxc7 Qxc7 31. h4 g5! (not 31. ... Rxe5?? because of 32. Nd3!!+− nor 31. ... Qxe5?? due to 32. Qxe5 Rxe5 33. Ne6+− winning material, while finally 31. ... Qc6 would transpose to the same position as in the actual game after 30. ... Qc6) 32. Nh5! Kg8 33. Nf6+ Kg7 would leave Black with good drawing chances despite the Pawn minus. 27. ... e3 28. Rxc7 Rd7 29. Rxd7 Qxd7 30. Qxe3 Qc6 31. Kh2 Qc2+ 32. Kh3 Qxa2. Black has regained the Pawn, but its (her) game is lost, partly due to the strength of White’s e-Pawn, and partly to the White Queen’s domination of the centre squares.

33. e6! h6 34. Qd3 Bc6. Not 34. ... g5?? on account of 35. Ng6+ Kg8 (35. ... Kh7 36. Nf8+! Kg8 37, Qh7 mate) 36. Ne7+! and mate in four follows. 35. h5! Kg8 36. Rc1 Qa4 37. Qd6 Be4 38. Qe5 Bc2 39. Kh2 Qb3 40. Qd4 Kh7 41. Re1 Bf5 42. Qe5 Bd3 43. Rc1 Bc2 44. e7 Qa2 45. Kg1 Qb3 46. Nd5 Qc4 47. Re1 Ba4 48. Nc7 Rg8 49. e8=Q Bxe8 50. Nxe8 Qa4 51. Nc7 a5 52. Ne6 Qb4 53. Qf5+ Kh8 54. Rf1 1 : 0.