Training Tools

Chess Players Use

Get Grand Master expertise on your computer and learn
how to use it!

Shiv Sankaranarayanan
What this presentation will leave you with
„ Some interesting inferences from Game Theory and how
Computers “see” a chess position.

„ A look at how software has changed the way a 400+ year old
game is played at the highest levels.

„ An awareness of the different types of tools competitive chess

players train with.

„ Fun Facts and Photos from the “Worldwide Underground Fight

Club that is Chess” you never knew existed.
 The Machines already won. Way back in 2006!

Man Vs. Machine Matches

Kasparov ties a match with X3D Fritz

David Levy beat Chess 4.7
Vishy Anand beats Chess Genius at
speed chess
Kasparov ties a match with Deep
Junior
Kasparov wins a 6 game match vs.
Deep Blue
Kasparov demolishes Deep Thought
Kramnik ties a match 4-4 with Deep
Fritz

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Deep Blue wins the rematch

Hydra beats Michael Adams 5.5 - 0.5

Deep Thought beats a GM for the first Rebel beats Vishy Anand at speed
time chess
Deep Fritz beats Kramik 4-2

HIARCS on a Palm Pilot beats GM for

the first time

Welcome our new overlords … and let’s ask them for help!
Pint-sized Grand Masters : Younger and
Younger
Player Nationality Age Year
Sergey Karjakin Ukraine 12 2002
Parimarjan Negi India 13 2006
Magnus Carlsen Norway 13 2004
Bu Xiangzhi China 13 1999
Richard Rapport Hungary 13 2010
… … … …
Bobby Fischer (#16 on the list) USA 15 1958

This would not be possible without advances in Training Tools!

Sources for acquiring Chess Expertise:
The Times are a-changing….
Back Then … Now …

• Books • eBooks/ Internet

• Journals / Magazines • Chess Engines
• Newspapers • Database Apps
• Local Clubs • Video Lectures
• Friends/Family • Live Chess Servers
• Coaches • Local Clubs
• Shady-looking chess players • Friends/Family
at your local park • Coaches
• Shady-looking chess players at your
local Starbucks
A Simple Theory Of Learning (1/2)
„ Adding Plusses and Subtracting Minuses
„ Plusses
„ Contextual Knowledge
„ In these types of positions, do THIS!
„ But don’t do THAT!
„ Pattern Accumulation/Recognition
„ Chess is 99% Pattern recognition!
(Seeing 5-10 moves ahead all the time is just a MYTH!!)
„ Minuses
„ Bad Habits / Repeating known mistakes
„ Defective Thought Process
„ Attitude / Willpower / Drive
„ Complacency
A Simple Theory Of Learning (2/2)

Improvement Feedback Loop

Failing to do any of the 3 consistently + efficiently is why most chess players never
advance beyond a certain point!
„ Computer tools help with the critiquing phase as well adding plusses!
Seeing a Game with “Computer Eyes”
- Evaluation and Analysis in Turn-based Games
- Evaluation : Who is winning
- Analysis : All the calculation you need to make an accurate
Evaluation
Consider a Tic-Tac-Toe Game in progress

„ Evaluate the Position with O to move

„ Analysis required?
Seeing it with “Computer Eyes” (2/8)
How about this one?

„ Evaluate the Position with X to move

„ Win for X/Loss for X/Draw(tie)?
„ Analysis required? (only for next move?)
„ What really is the Evaluation?
„ Expertise/Pattern recognition makes the difference
between a correct vs. incorrect evaluation!
Seeing it with “Computer Eyes” (3/8)
If you played PERFECT tic-tac-toe OR memorized a LUT (Look-up
Table), you would NEVER LOSE! (See cheat sheet below)

„ But that doesn’t mean you’ll always win now, does it? 
 Seeing it with “Computer Eyes” (4/8)
Let’s look at some famous results from Game Theory for turn-based
zero-sum games such as tic-tac-toe (and chess!)
„ #1 : At the beginning of the game, the forces stand in equilibrium.
(Nobody’s winning, nobody’s losing!)
„ #2 : Correct play on both sides maintains this equilibrium and leads to
a drawn game.
„ #3 : A player can change this equilibrium only by exploiting an error
made by the opponent.

(There is no such thing as a winning move … though you can

create/induce positions on the board that require accurate responses!)
Seeing it with “Computer Eyes” (5/8)
Some More inferences …
„ If you are losing on Move N, then you STAY LOSING by the
same margin on Moves N+1 and beyond with perfect play.
„ If you are winning on Move N, then you STAY WINNING on
Moves N+1 and beyond with perfect play.

„ Pondering Question: No mistakes = draw, then why aren’t

computer Vs. computer chess games all draws?
„ Bonus Question: If you are winning / ahead … what’s the
common-sense strategy to follow (Hint : Running the clock… ?)
Seeing it with “Computer Eyes” (6/8)
Nearly ALL Computer “Chess Engines” evaluate a position’s “worth”
based on a number-line score

- How BIG this evaluation score can get in either direction is constrained by
side-to-move, material and positional factors on the board right now.
- How ACCURATE this score is based on position complexity, algorithm
quality and how much time a chess engine has to perform the evaluation
Seeing it with “Computer Eyes” (7/8)
Putting it all together ….

Other Evaluation Score Examples:

- White is up a Bishop, everything else equal : +3.04
- Black is up a queen, everything else equal: -9.01
- Two kings on an empty board : 0.00 (Drawn!)
Better Algorithm, Better Hardware, More time => More accurate*
Evaluation!
Seeing it with “Computer Eyes” (8/8)
Multiple Lines: Practical use of these evaluation scores
Post-mortem review in progress of a position from a played game:
(Using the SCID UI with the Houdini 1.5a Chess Engine)
Evaluation Score Graphs (1/2)
Novice-level players
„ Greater # of errors/move
„ Large “sized” errors
„ Large # of failures to exploit

Intermediate-level Players
„ Fewer errors / move average
„ Smaller error magnitudes
„ Failures to exploit errors still exist
Evaluation Score Graphs (2/2)
A Grand Master vs Grand Master Game:
Capablanca vs. Spielmann (1911)
Caveat : When Engines “don’t help”
Often enough, positions DO occur in chess where there are multiple
candidate moves with fairly equal evaluation scores.
„ Example : ply-depth of 19+ moves, best 3 lines:
„ Move A : Eval. Score = +0.45
„ Move B : Eval. Score = +0.43
„ Move C : Eval. Score = +0.39
„ Even over time, the Scores drift by small margins
„ The score differences are underneath a noise floor so it
cannot be conclusive that A is indeed better than B or C
„ One line may historically be far more playable by humans
than the others.
„ So where does a truth-seeking chess player find answers in
these types of positions?
„ Stronger Players/Coaches
„ Databases (Statistical fact-finding)
Databases can supplement Engine deficiencies

• Very useful in the initial stages (Opening) of the game

• Leverages off the work of the best players in the last 300-400 years
• Can filter and display incredible levels of detailed statistics
• Like any tool, needs to be used with care (avoid misinterpreting statistics)
Types of Training Software (1/4)
Analysis Software (leverages on an engine’s capabilities)
„ Pros
„ Can provide clear evaluations on a move-to-move basis and look
15-16 ply ahead in most positions within seconds*.
„ Can show N best-move line continuations
„ Excellent for post-mortem review and analysis of a game
„ Can set up any position for analysis
„ For analytical positions and endgames with few pieces left on
the board, they are infallible. (100% accurate)
„ Caveats
„ Do not do a great job verbalizing ideas/plans the way a human
does.
„ Okay, so I need to play *that* move here…but why?
„ You may often need a coach/stronger player to help
explain the “why”
„ May be inaccurate in positions requiring long-term planning and
some openings (like Gambits).
Types of Training Software (2/4)
Database Software (leverages on documented human expertise over
time )
„ Pros
„ If “fully stacked”, Can be used to research any board’s
position w.r.t. chess history (400+ years of documented
Master-level games exist today) : Average 4+ Million games!
„ Can be used to gauge effectiveness of certain lines across
time.
„ Can be filtered on a ton of specific criterion
„ Offers useful statistical data to determine courses of actions
to take.
„ Caveats
Statistics are … statistics! (need careful analysis, sifting through
errors)
Types of Training Software (3/4)
Pattern Training Software (Openings, Tactics)
Chess is 99% Pattern Recognition!
„ Opening Training
„ In competitive play : the Clock is a piece as well!
„ Training tools allow you to store your entire “opening
playbook” in an efficient manner and sync with current games
played as well as with advances in opening theory on a day-to-
day basis.
„ Allows timed practice/training modes to ensure that you are
remembering the lines!
„ Tactics Training
„ Tactics is the science of avoiding/exploiting errors that lose
material/lead to checkmate.
„ Tactics Training : Chess :: Weight Training :: Boxer
„ Caveats
„ Must be used as part of a complete training program …
practicing openings/tactics do not automatically win you games!
Types of Training Software (4/4)
Play Vs. Computer Software
„ Pros
„ If the engine level can be adjusted, may help in practicing
tactics and technique.
„ For beginners, a “virtual” coach can point out when you
make a TACTICAL mistake.
„ Some of the nicer tools offer tutorials, drills and videos
lectures!
„ Caveats
„ Serious players rarely play vs. Computers (only during
technique practice)
„ Engines FAIL to simulate real human playing behaviors so
not efficient to keep playing them if the goal is to beat
humans.
„ No Critiquing mechanism; inefficient in terms of maintaining
an Improvement Feedback Loop!
Tool Usage Summary
„ Post-Mortem Game Analysis
„ Excellent for reviewing tactical and endgame mistakes
„ Position Setup & Analysis (Puzzle solving, depth-searching, cheating?)
„ Can validate if a published puzzle has correct/alternative answers
„ Can perform overnight analysis of a bunch of games
„ A Grandmaster-strength handheld device can be a deadly illegal weapon in a
tournament!
„ Database / Statistical Analysis
„ Figure out what the big boys are playing / learn from history’s best
„ At higher levels, you can research your known opponent’s repertoire and
mine his/her games for weaknesses
„ Opening Repertoire / Tactical Pattern Training
„ Unlike the rest of the game, the opening is worth committing to your
personal “LUT” (look-up table)
„ Tactics Training helps you practice Safe Chess!
„ Following live games
„ Now everybody can mouth off like an expert!
 Tools to buy + Free Alternatives

Tool Type $ - $$$ Free (open source)

Analysis w/Engine
Database Mgmt
Opening Training
Tactics Training
Play vs. Computer
Fritz(UI) + Fritz,Rybka (Engines) Any free UCI UI + Houdini
ChessBase, Chess Assistant SCID
COW/Bookup, ChessBase Chess Position Trainer
C.T. ART, Fritz Chess Tempo
ChessMaster, Fritz, Shredder Too many to list!

To Try out at home:

1. Google for SCID (Shane’s Chess Information Database) : it is free!
2. Download + Install it!
3. Google for the chess engine Houdini : it is free!
4. Download + plug Houdini into your SCID application
5. You now have a Grand Master-strength Assistant on your computer!
Some Interesting Photos (1/6)
„ What a hotel lobby usually looks like between rounds of a big tournament

- “Why did I play that @#$#@$@#$ move????”

Some Interesting Photos (2/6)
„ Grand Masters analyzing a position : Back then vs. Now
 Some Interesting Photos (3/6)
„ Metal Detectors are now common in Big League Tournaments

Pocket Fritz 2 on a WinMo Device (2005) Super GM Ruslan Ponomariov

(Plays near Grand Master strength) entering the 2009 FIDE World
Cup tournament hall.
Some Interesting Photos (4/6)
„ U.S. Grand Master Hikaru “H-
Bomb” Nakamura : The Next
Bobby Fischer?
„ Born in 1987
„ Ranked 10th in the World today
„ Arguably the FASTEST Bullet Chess (1-
minute) player in the World
„ Has NEVER read an instructional chess
book
„ FULLY Computer trained!
Some Interesting Photos (5/6)

Uhhh…did anyone bring an actual chess board?

„ World Champion Vishy Anand training with his seconds during the 2010
Championship in Sofia, Bulgaria
Some Interesting Photos (6/6)
The “average” kid at the Dallas
Chess Club:
„ Does 30-60 mins of Tactics practice on C.T.ART
each day
„ Periodically reviews/updates/trains his 15+ ply
opening playbook on CPT / Bookup
„ Reviews every game he’s played on Fritz using the
Rybka Engine
„ Gets weekly lessons from his Grand Master coach
„ Often seen playing with his Nintendo while waiting
for you to make your move
Questions?