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Why does NN + MCTS & AB + handwritten eval dominate engine chess?

As I understand it engines can be divided into four groups right now: those that use Alpha-beta (AB) + those that use Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) for search, and those that use handwritten functions + those that use neural networks for eval. The…
Allure
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Assessing an early c4 against white's Stonewall structure

I made a horrible decision as black in a game, and I do not understand why it's incorrect. [fen "rn2kb1r/pp2pppp/1q3n2/2pp4/3P1P2/2PQPN2/PP4PP/RNB1K2R b - - 0 1"] I played c4, Stockfish considers the position to be + 0.4 after the move. My…
Alex Lulu
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What is the theoretical maximal material difference of a dead draw which is not a stalemate?

I have noticed the following example, which should be a dead draw: I am wondering what is the theoretical material difference of a dead draw which is not a stalemate? (I am not asking about agreed draws.) Apparently we could not add more rooks to…
Zuriel
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Alekhine's Defense variation, understanding white's overextended pawns, black's multiple early knight moves

I'm a casual, semi-serious chess player and have been an active player for over 10 years. In my time playing, one of the most unusual openings I have had the pleasure of playing against is known as Alekhine's Defense: [FEN ""] 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5…
ldog
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How to Verbally Describe Chess Moves?

This may sound incredibly naive, but all the time on T.V, movies, books, etc. People can be heard saying things like "Queen to Rook 5" or like "Knight to King 3" and things like this. What is this? I found some "notation" stuff on Wikipedia but it…
Arammil
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4 answers

Fastest possible checkmate by en passant

En passant is somewhat of a rare move in chess. Checkmating by en passant, however, is an even rarer occurrence. But suppose both sides had the same goal to help cause a checkmate to their opponent via en passant. What is the minimum amount of moves…
micsthepick
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What algorithms and heuristics are popular in computer chess?

Computer chess has exploded in the last twenty years, with a computer world championship being established and many chess computer designers becoming quite profitable from their endeavors. Some of the programs hide their source code, but a great…
Andrew Latham
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Why do chess engines sometimes miss good moves (or take forever to spot)?

It is not the first time that I found a greatly superior move than the chess engine did, it even takes them a while to understand these moves after you make them. For example, the move 15 ... Bf2 in the game below: [fen ""] [StartFlipped "1"] 1. e4…
ajax333221
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Distracted by opponent's habit of spinning captured pieces

Many players have the habit of spinning and flipping captured pieces, e.g. Nakamura, Gelfand, Van Foreest, etc... However, when it is in my field of view, it distracts me and it brings me out of my concentration. Therefore, when playing a rated game…
Maxwell86
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How to balance the game for uneven players

I want to play chess with my wife, but we have different ranks (I am approximately 1900, and she is ~1500 (probably less based on comments)). Normally, our games are boring for me. I tried to balance the game by playing without the queen, but I…
Arashsoft
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How to play against little kids?

Say, in an age range of 7-12 years. One of my friends holds the opinion that you should trounce them at every opportunity, so that they can learn from their mistakes. Another says that you should allow them to win sometimes, so they won't lose…
chubbycantorset
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When will the 2018 FIDE Candidates tournament be held, and who will qualify for it?

We've just had the World Championship match between Carlsen and Karjakin, so one qualifier for the next Candidates is known: Karjakin. I assume it will be held in 2018, is anything more known about the date? What are the rules for qualification of…
RemcoGerlich
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Chess program for Linux/Unix console

For reasons I'd rather not get into, what chess programs work well on the console (ie. does not require X Windows)? Something with an ASCII visualization of the board would be incredibly helpful (I'm still a chess newbie).
Dafydd Crosby
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Are there any symmetric zugzwang positions?

Although very unlikely, the starting position could be a forced win for Black. This would mean it is a position of mutual zugzwang, in the strong sense that whoever moves first loses. Wikipedia refers to one such position as trébuchet. Such…
Dag Oskar Madsen
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Is the chess problem a dead form?

Or, to ask the question a bit less opinionatedly, "what new ideas have been introduced in chess problems over the last 20 years?" I imagine many problems have been composed in that time, but it seems like all of the stipulations (model mates,…
Steven Stadnicki
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