5th Freestyle tournament

  

5th Freestyle tournament


Back to forum


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-03)
5th Freestyle tournament

I'm playing in this tournament in the chessbase server, very difficult tournament with a fast time controle 1h+15 for the game. After 4 rounds I scored 2 points. 5th round at 8 p.m. today.


Dinesh De Silva    (2007-03-04 06:53:19)
Re

Samy, best wishes to you., Hope you'll do well at that tourney!


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-04 12:34:09)
Playchess Freestyle Tournaments

A hard one for sure... It looks like Advanced Chess more. As for me, I can't play it because of my internet connection :(

Anyway that's interesting, feel free to tell us about the results and your impressions !


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-04 12:45:47)
My im impressions in french :)

Après deux jours de combat et 5 rondes voila mon parcours : Ronde 1 : avec les blancs je prends un pérpétuel assez rapidement après un sacrifice spéculatif. Ronde 2 : avec les noirs je vérouille la position pour arracher une nulle dificile. Ronde 3 : avec les blancs je massacre mon adversaire en 30 coups face à une sicilienne roques opposés. Ronde 4 : je joue la française avec les noirs pour avoir une position fermée, et je fait l'érreur de l'ouvrir, je me fait tout simplement massacrer, superbe partie. Ronde 5 : je joue encore les noirs, le cauchemar continue, je joue e5 sur e4 et une grande variante théorique, mon adversaire prends l'avantage petit à petit, et je me fait nettement dominer sans que je comprene comment à la fin...dur dur de jouer les noir en "advanced chess"


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-04 12:47:22)
My im impressions in inglish :)

Playing with black pieces is really a nightmare for me in advanced chess lol


Petr Makovsky    (2007-03-04 21:44:16)
Terrible !

We are 4,5 out of 7 and before last game (+- 30 second before start) "somebody" kick of us from room and they did not make pairing for us. 5,5 from 8 was enought for tiebreak and we were very close. Currently I am very frustrated and playchess.com will not see me for next few monthes.


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-04 22:48:33)
Final crosstable

http://80.237.188.74/rooms/freestyle_B.htm


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-05 07:19:48)
Crosstable and games

http://www.computerschach.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=570&Itemid=1


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-05 10:19:11)
Playchess Freestyle Tournament

Thanks for info, Samy...

What a crosstable, no less than 17 players finishing with 5,5 / 8

Petr, I understand your frustration, anyway that's why I play correspondence chess only over the internet. Losing a game thanks to a connection lost or strange rules is not interesting much :/


Several remarks while looking at the final crosstable :

The winner uses Rybka 2.3 mp, the others too :) .. Rybka's author (Rajlich) scores 5 out of 8 (pos. 18)

With Rybka getting stronger and stronger at fast time controls, Advanced Chess will probably become Computer Chess and finally Rybka Chess very soon. 1 hour + 15 sec is no more interesting.

I recognize some famous 'names' used on the defunct KasparovChess.com, King Crusher (5 / 8), Deep Thunder (3,5 / 8)... Correspondence Chess GM Mikhail Umansky scores 2,5 / 8... and last but not least, french forums superstar Olivier Evan scores 2,5 / 7 :)


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-05 21:05:00)
Mon parcour, suite...

Ronde 6 : je joue 2.d3 contre la Caro-Kann pour éviter les variantes théorique annulante, j'ai bien fait car mon adversaire suit betement sa machine et je me retrouve avec une position complétement gagnante...que je gache en jouant betement un coup que Fritz 9 m'a suggéré, je suis obligé de faire nulle. Ronde 7 : je joue contre Umansky avec les noirs, une partie fantastique, une catalane ou j'obtiens 3 pions contre l'initiative à mon adversaire et mon roi au centre, je choisi les variantes les plus compliquées et je gagne au temps dans une position probablement perdante, j'au eu chaud :-) Ronde 8 : je fait une nulle de salon avec les blancs puisque je suis sur de ne pas me qualifier. Finalement j'ai 4/8 et suis assez satisfait de mon parcours, du fait que j'ai joué seul et avec une machine relativement lente (un P4 2,93 GHZ)


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-05 23:13:26)
Ould Ahmed vs. Umansky

I'm curious to see your games, particularly against GM Umansky :)


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-08 16:19:54)
Mikhail Umansky-Samy_Ould-Ahmed

[Event "5th Freestyle Main Event"] [Site "playchess.com #091606"] [Date "2007.03.04"] [Round "7"] [White "Mikhail Umansky"] [Black "Samy_Ould-Ahmed"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E04"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Rb8 7. Nc3 a6 8. e4 Be7 9. Qe2 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Rd1 Qc5 12. e5 Nd7 13. Ne4 Qb5 14. a4 Qb3 15. Rd4 b5 16. Qg4 Bf8 17. axb5 Qxb5 18. Bf4 Qxb2 19. Qd1 Qb3 20. Qh5 Qc2 21. Rdd1 Be7 22. Rac1 Qa2 23. Ng5 g6 24. Qh6 Bf8 25. Qh3 Rb6 26. Bf1 Qb2 27. Rxc4 c5 28. Ne4 h6 29. Bg2 Be7 30. Rc3 g5 31. Bc1 Qb4 32. Qh5 Bb7 33. Re3 c4 34. Nd6+ Bxd6 35. exd6 Bxg2 36. Rxe6+ Kd8 37. Qxf7 Rf8 38. Qe7+ Kc8 39. Rf6 Rd8 40. Kxg2 Qa4 41. Rf5 Qc6+ 42. Kg1 c3 43. Qe1 c2 44. Rd2 Rb1 45. h3 Kb8 46. Kh2 Qc3 47. Rf7 Ne5 48. Rf5 Nc6 49. Rfd5 h5 50. d7 a5 51. R5d3 Qc4 52. Re3 a4 53. Re8 Qc3 0-1


Samy Ould Ahmed    (2007-03-08 16:20:52)
All games in CBV

http://www.computerschach.de/partien/artikel/200701/Freestyle/Freestyle%205%20Main.cbv


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-08 19:10:44)
All games in CBV

Thanks for info & the games !


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-10 15:27:33)
Playchess Freestyle Tournaments

Interesting and true observation, Thibault.

What about the format 2h/40moves displayed under Money Tournaments in Waiting Lists? Maybe this is equally harder (in order to beat Rybka) that at 1h+15sec (!?)

And second question is why do you think Black needs so many moves to have winning chances in the proposed Silver/Gold Thematic game, or a better question could be: Do you think White can get a draw after that sequence: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.Ng1 d5 3.Nf3 c5 4.Ng1 Black to move. -->assuming the idea is that if the game is drawn White would win the 1-game match--.


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-10 15:43:17)
Playchess Freestyle Tournaments

Hi Elmer.

1h+15 is worth 1h10/40 moves... 2h/40 moves is the longest time control before correspondence chess (games that don't finish the same day it started) and I think it's long enough so that human can do something else than operate Rybka :)

About Silver/Gold Thematic game, if White/Black obtains much more than 50%, I'll change the opening until to find one that give about 50% chances. What do you think ? .. About this opening, I think chances are about 50%, I would play it with both colors :)


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-10 15:56:59)
Playchess Freestyle Tournaments

..Well, I would play only Black there, so I guess I know who could be my opponent in the first Gold thematic -isn't there a Platinum with 1000 EUR at stake?! ;)


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-10 16:17:33)
Playchess Freestyle Tournaments


1hour+15sec per player makes 2hours and 20 min for 40 moves overall which is significantly worse than 4hours for 40 moves overall, so I guess yes you are right (there is enough time to beat Rybka)


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-10 16:54:39)
Playchess Freestyle Tournaments

.. enough time to beat Rybka, I don't know, but enough time to bring a bit of human brain chess for sure :)

About another Platin (or whatever) category with 1000 EUR at stake, I'll see it later as it could bring some more difficulties regarding laws.


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-11 10:40:27)
Playchess Freestyle Tournaments

I'm not that concerned about just bringing a bit of human brain into the game, I'm most concerned about bringing a bit of human brain into the game *successfully* :) i.e. for a start, real chances to beat operated Rybka at this time control. Hope you are right, I am just rather being optimist on your proposed time control.

--The 'money' prizes are now listed as Epoints not Euros, but what's the equivalence between them?


Thibault de Vassal    (2007-03-11 13:30:46)
Money Tournaments

I'll come back in a few weeks on this subject with full explanations... The idea may evolve yet, until to find the more attractive system.


Dagh Nielsen    (2007-03-12 03:20:43)
5th Freestyle tournament

Just a short comment on the use of computers in these Freestyle tournaments:

There are two groups of participants:

1) Pure engines (with a book).

2) A somewhat larger group of "centaurs" who play the moves themselves, and use computers to analyse the moves actively.

Please note first, that the engine names behind some of the nicks in the crosstable do not necessarily mean that that participant played as pure engine (it's just an irrelevant effect of the server software somehow, decided by whether the participant had an engine uploaded during registration).

In fact, only two of those 10 who made it to the final (after the playoffs Saturday) are playing as pure engines. All the rest played as centaurs, including Cato the Younger.

This was also the case in the 4th Freestyle tournament: Only two pure engines made it to the final.

However, the pure engines surely made up more than 20% of the starting fields. What is more, these engines are usually operated by engine-chess freaks who have very strong hardware (Hercules01, who made it to the final after the play-offs, is allegedly running a 16-core system).

So my conclusion is: Centaurs perform significantly better than pure engines still. Even at this relatively short time control.

In other words: The human aspect is very much alive and kicking in this kind of chess :-)

I can only recommend interested people to try it out next time. It really is quite a bit of fun!

PS. I was lucky to qualify for the final, playing with nick "Flying Saucers". Also in the final is Corr. GM Arno Nickel (=Ciron) and FIDE GM Yuri Solodovnichenko (2585) (=Engineer). Several finalists have not yet revealed their identities :-)


Elmer Valderrama    (2007-03-13 18:05:55)
5th Freestyle tournament

Thanks for the input, Dagh, I think this makes everything clear to everyone ;)