Test: How active is your electronic chessboard?

[Cornersquare]

Many years ago I read in a book on chess computers the author's proposal how you can test in a simple way the degree of activity your chess computer has. He proposed to move only one piece to and fro as long as possible yet let the computer play normally.

For instance, if you are White: 1. Nf3 d5 2. Ng1 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 3. Ng1 ... moving the knight hither and thither and so forth. If your computer plays actively, he will mate you after a while, if not he will move his pieces planlessly across the board and nothing happens.

Yesterday I tried that with my Atlanta, and he mated me after 31 moves. Interesting was it to watch that he didn't just try the "shepherd's mate", but first of all properly developed his pieces before starting an attack. I think older chess computers don't have such plans. They move harmlessly up and down until you attack them or get closer to his pieces.

[Steve B]

Many years ago I read in a book on chess computers the author's proposal how you can test in a simple way the degree of activity your chess computer has. He proposed to move only one piece to and fro as long as possible yet let the computer play normally.

For instance, if you are White: 1. Nf3 d5 2. Ng1 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 3. Ng1 ... moving the knight hither and thither and so forth. If your computer plays actively, he will mate you after a while, if not he will move his pieces planlessly across the board and nothing happens.

Yesterday I tried that with my Atlanta, and he mated me after 31 moves. Interesting was it to watch that he didn't just try the "shepherd's mate", but first of all properly developed his pieces before starting an attack. I think older chess computers don't have such plans. They move harmlessly up and down until you attack them or get closer to his pieces.

An unusual but interesting idea
what time control were you using?
i guess white is only allowed to schuffle the N unless in Check?
what happens if Black captures the N do i shuffle the other N?
i tried this with the "older" Novag Dynmaic "S" at 1 Min./Avg.

The position is after 21 moves and Dynamo has just played 21..Nxf3+ capturing my schuffling N
[fen]r1bq1rk1/ppp3pp/4pp2/3p4/1b6/5n2/PP1PPnPP/1NB1KB2 w - - 0 22[/fen]

i have only 3 legal moves
what moves am i allowed to make?
what do i move after this move?
shuffle the other N ?

On Hold Regards
Steve

[Cornersquare]

An unusual but interesting idea
what time control were you using?
i guess white is only allowed to schuffle the N unless in Check?
what happens if Black captures the N do i shuffle the other N?
i tried this with the "older" Novag Dynmaic "S" at 1 Min./Avg.

The position is after 21 moves and Dynamo has just played 21..Nxf3+ capturing my schuffling N
[fen]r1bq1rk1/ppp3pp/4pp2/3p4/1b6/5n2/PP1PPnPP/1NB1KB2 w - - 0 22[/fen]

i have only 3 legal moves
what moves am i allowed to make?
what do i move after this move?
shuffle the other N ?

On Hold Regards
Steve

I didn't use any time control, I adjusted my device to 5 seconds per move. If the N has been taken, answer as passively as possible but commonsensibly. No presents should be made to the computer. When the knight is off, continue your passive play with another piece which can easily be moved to and fro. Don't develop a plan. The test is only about to see whether your computer storms forward or stays back. I don't have the book any longer, but as far as I remember no regulations were made.

[Steve B]

OK
i chose 22.exf3 as the least worst of the 3 moves
thought i would provide another square for the K to move to
then i started shuffling the other N but the computer captured this N on move 26.. leaving me with only 1 piece left ..which he gobbled up on move 27
then i just started moving P's and trying to avoid any mates in 1
by move 36 i only had my K left
it took 44 moves for the computer to actually mate me but
the computer concentrated on winning as much material as possible not really concentrating on mating attacks
still..it didnt just sit back and do nothing so i guess this was fairly active play
Here are the moves...

[Date "2015.4.20"]
[White "Night Moves "]
[Black "Novag Dynamic 'S'"]
[Time Control "1 Min.Avg"]
[Result "0-1"]

1.Nf3 d5 2.Ng1 Nf6 3.Nf3 e6 4.Ng1 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4 6.Ng1 O-O 7.Nf3 Ne4
8.Ng1 Ne5 9.Nf3 Ng4 10.Ng1 Ngxf2 11.Nf3 Nxd1 12.Ng1 Ne3 13.Nf3 Nxc2+
14.Kd1 Nxa1 15.Ng1 Nf2+ 16.Ke1 Nxh1 17.Nf3 f6 18.Ng1 Nc2+ 19.Kd1 Nd4
20.Nf3 Nf2+ 21.Ke1 Nxf3+ 22.exf3 Qd6 23.Nc3 Qe5+ 24.Be2 Nd3+ 25.Kd1
Nxc1 26.Kxc1 Bxc3 27.dxc3 Qxe2 28.g4 Qxf3 29.h3 Qxh3 30.b3 Qxc3+
31.Kb1 e5 32.a4 Qxb3+ 33.Kc1 Qxa4 34.Kd2 g5 35.Kc3 Bxg4
36.Kb2 Qd1 37.Ka3 Be2 38.Kb2 d4 39.Ka2 g4 40.Ka3 g3 41.Ka2 g2
42.Ka3 g1=Q 43.Kb4 Qa1 44.Kc5 Qa5# 0-1


Passive Aggressive Regards
Steve