Hi all, I have an absolutely amazing game
to show you.
Of Leela against stockfish dev from last month
in a bonus game that was played at T sack.
Let's have a look at this.
So stockfish was on 43 cores.
E4 from Leela, the set opening book just these
moves, these four play.
So pretty standards and the book Leela plays
Nc3, Nf6.
Open Sicilian, we go into the Knight off Bd3,
quite unusual Bd3.
But it is in has been played before at high
levels.
G6, h3, Bg7, Be3 both sides castle and now
e6, b5 has been seen before in high-level
master game with black winning in tempura
against boggler in Dresden 2008.
But e6 have from stockfish, Qd2 setting up
a battery to try and maybe exchange off bishops
and some points b6 f4 aiming for f5, Bb7,
f5 and stockfish voluntarily opens up the
G file here with G takes.
That G file could that be useful?
Bh6, fxe4.
We have nail Qg5.
Now black has to be very careful.
Not Ne8, because if Qxd8 here but stock fish
has calculated Nh5 here to defend the g7 issue.
Qxh5, Bxd4++,Kh1 and now stockfish gives up
the bishop voluntarily, Bxc3.
You might wonder exd3, that fails to check
actually.
Qxd4++ and Qxd3.
This position is just winning for white it
seems all much better.
If the rook moves, then there's Rxf7 hitting
b7 and h7.
So for example Rg6 we just take there and
Bxg2 we just play this and then rook have
a check winning the Queen.
So these lines are all very good.
So Bxc3 again it seems as though in theory,
in theory stockfish has taken some risks.
But to actually punish this in practice is
a different story.
White is threatening now Qg4 and Qg7 with
the absence of that Bishop for example to
put it on the board.
So that is the threat and it's parried with
f5.
We have Bc4 now not taking the rock.
Taking the rook is interesting.
But it's just a small advantage perhaps for
black, for white only.
Because look at blacks pawns they're quite
impressive.
So Leela actually refuses to win the exchange
here.
Bc4 instead, there's another plan more ambitious
perhaps with Bc4 just to tease d5 which blocks
in this bishop and the bishop goes here, which
has greater flexibility than on b3.
The problem with putting the bishop on b3
concretely as an example, say this Ne7 try
to open up the G file with g6 here, there's
runs into Rf5 and there's no Bg4 to try and
kick that rook away and now in the game continuation
the bishop is more useful if there is a need
for Bg4.
We have Rf7 which might actually be already
a key mistake, just that moved 19.
A key mistake here from stockfish.
It seems as though Nd7 might be the best defensive
try.
For example if g4, f4 and white might have
to just take the exchange here like this.
But it is a small edge for white.
If white doesn't take the exchange here and
plays g5 here instead, then it could run into
trouble actually with f3 in this particular
scenario.
For example g6, Rf5 here and this position
is actually leading for an advantage for black.
It seems as there's no problems for black
there.
So it seems as though Nd7 might have been
a key defensive resource.
But in the game we have Rf7 slightly more
awkward and we have now g4 here and it's under
very different circumstances.
F4 is played.
If F takes actually done just Qxf7++, thanks
very much.
So f4 on Nd7 here again this is very good
after G takes, E takes check and then Qxf7.
So f4, we have now g5.
Now here we see the value of the bishop actually.
If rock f5 here, then there's Bg4 kicking
now and if yeah this is just troublesome after
Nd7 for example just taking in g6 that's crashing
through.
For example like this, its just crashing through.
Yep, so yeah this is a very important resource
here, Bg4.
We have now if Re5 we can just take on f4.
So we have actually, if f3 in this position
instead, then g6 here is just in time hitting
that rock which also is why that Rf7 seems
to be a little bit inaccurate.
If takes them we just take their own crashing
through.
So in the game we have Qe7 and then g6, Rf5
hitting the queen, gxh7++, Kh8.
On Kxh7 there's Bg5++ protecting the Queen
hitting the opponent's Queen and taking here
the bishops actually doing a great job protecting
the Queen in this line.
So that's an advantage for white.
So the Ba2 very important for Bg4 for holding
the Queen, important role compared to b3.
So we have actually Kh8, Qg4 frightens Qg8#.
Qxh7 is played.
If Nd7, Rg1 threatens mating with Qg8.
If takes here, Qh4 threatens let's see this
position to just double the rocks.
Which is menacing.
This is actually just crushing this scenario.
Check-check and it ends up where black is
in big trouble here.
Blacks just losing after Bg6 Qh4++.
So yeah these lines are just terrible after
Nxd7 just to run that for again.
Rg1 is just winning here and just give an
alternative in this, so black is just because
white is doubling and increasing the intensity.
Then it's winning this line you might think
also King takes, those Queen d8++ here they
seem like that.
So anyway Qxh7 was played not Nd7.
We have Qh4, Nd7, Rg1, Rf7 and stockfish realizes
here it's totally busted.
It just realizes that white can actually intensify
the attack and there's no defense.
So we have to now see, i'll demonstrate why
concretely here.
The game actually ended because of the adjudication
rules.
Rg5 with the intention of doubling rocks is
lethal.
F3, Rag1.
Doesn't matter about the bishop.
F takes for example.
Rg7 is crushing for example Rook takes, Bxg7,
Be5++ that wins the Queen and the game basically
after Be6 threatening made that, that this
is just mating and if we look at this again.
If Nf8 then Rg8++ takes Bg7 double check and
mate.
If f2 then the rock can go here and bishops
actually another useful purpose is to be able
to take on f1.
So here the bishop is a hero in this line
as well.
So this is just hopeless for black, this scenario
it's just crashing through again.
For example like that or let's have a look
now at Rf7 and this line again with Rg7.
So taking only two Rg7 you know Be5++.
Yeah we've seen this actually.
Okay so yeah we'll go back to the final position.
It seems as though stockfish underestimated
the power of the g file attack.
Be2 is a really key move though to make sure
the attack could work as well as it did.
So a great game there from Leela and stockfish
really doesn't lose too many games recently
as we've seen.
So this is really quite a special trait.
Overall stockfish did beat Leela.
But there were quite a few draws.
This was the only game in that bonus games
which Leela did beat the stockfish dev on
43 cores.
But that really is once in a blue moon event
for stockfish generally to lose at all recently.
It's getting a kind of invincible reputation.
However is this starting to be looking like
the end of the era for stockfish and classical
chess engines in general?
Comments, questions, like, shares appreciated.
Thanks very much.
