Against Stockfish: Game #37: Back to the Super Eval

I decided to switch back to the Super Eval algorithm. This algorithm is much more flexible compared to other algorithms like the MCTS or the IGS, but it requires more knowledge and experience to be used efficiently. If you are already at the master level, this algorithm might be just what you want, but if you are below that, I do not recommend this for tournament play.

The Game

Lessons from this game:

• Modify your algorithm
• Work on your evaluation

Super Eval

Super Eval is a system in which you take in the situational conditions, categorize the positions as dynamic or static, and then use the relevant method for each position.

Situational Conditions

Situational Conditions in a tournament game can be divided into 3 main categories. They are:
1. Board Situation - Comparison of the number of Hanging pieces, King Safety, Alignments, Material, Controlled Squares, Mobility, and Pawn Structure
2. Clock Situation - Comparison of Time available per move
3. Psychological Situation - Comparison of Tournament pressure, Spectator pressure, Rating anxiety
For this article series, I will only be discussing the board situation.
After we have the situational conditions, we have to decide whether the position is dynamic or static

Dynamic or Static?

This decision is not that difficult to make. The theory is, that if there are tactical weaknesses in the position (Hanging pieces, King Safety, Alignments) then the position is dynamic. If the position doesn't have any tactical weaknesses, then the position is static. If the moves that exploit the tactical weaknesses in a dynamic position do not work, then it's also a static position.
Now that we've decided between a dynamic and static position, let's look at each one of them.

Dynamic

If the position is dynamic, you have to switch to the IGS. The description of the IGS can be found at the bottom of the article. But if you realize that the moves exploiting the tactical weaknesses do not work (i.e. do not give you a better position after using the IGS), then you have to consider it a static position.

Static

If the position is static, you should start making a plan related to the situational conditions. More than anything else, this requires knowledge and experience. I won't discuss how to make a plan in this article because plenty of other books and articles teach you how to make a plan. Once you have a plan, you should ensure you have picked the best one. To do this, you can use the rule of ratios. You can also use the rule of ratios to find the best move from your list of candidate moves.

Rule of Ratios

The method for picking the right plan and choosing the best move from your list of candidate moves.

For plan selection

If you see a couple of plans for one position, you can use this method to find the best plan out of them. To use this method, first, you see how effective your plans will be if they succeed. You evaluate the kind of dream position you are trying to get with your plan. The total "effect" of your plan. Then you try to understand the counter chances of your opponent. What can your opponent do to stop your plan? Can they start their own attack on a different side of the board? Does this plan create weaknesses in your position? Once you understand these factors, you calculate the "drawback" of your plan. Then you pick the plan with the highest Effect: Drawback ratio with the effect side being higher.

For move selection

To find the best move from your list of candidate moves, just like in the rule of ratios for plan selection, you can evaluate the Effect: Drawback ratio of those moves. And you play the moves that have the highest effect-to-drawback ratio (with the effect side being higher). However, the method of evaluating the effect and the drawback of moves is different from the method used to evaluate the effect and the drawback of plans. To evaluate the effect and the drawback of a move, you have to evaluate the Attack: Defence ratio of your effect or drawback. For drawback, this means how much attack from the opponent is there compared to your defense of the drawback. For effect, this means how good is your attack/effect compared to the opponent's defense against the square or piece you are having the attack/effect against. Again, this method is artistic. It's not entirely theoretical. So if you are going to use this method, perfecting it with knowledge and experience is your duty. Now I'll give you the method you should use in dynamic positions.

Intuition Guided Search

Step 01: Sensible moves

Get a list of moves that look sensible. If you have time, the best way to do this is to first look at all legal moves and then intuitively select the moves that have the potential to be chosen as the best move. You should try to shorten your list as much as possible, but be careful not to leave out any moves with potential.

Step 02: Sensible moves for opponent

Get a list of moves that look sensible for your opponent after your move. The same principles of shortening the list and not leaving out moves with potential apply.

Step 03: Repeat till a static position

Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you reach a static position.

Step 04: Evaluate

Now that you've reached a static position, it's time to evaluate. The method I recommend for evaluation is the comparison method.
Comparison - This is the faster evaluation function. In comparison, as the name suggests, you compare the positional factors of the resulting positions. This comparison of positional factors solely depends on your feelings about the position. After comparison, you choose the line that leads to the most favorable position for you.

See this article for further explanation of the IGS: https://lichess.org/@/felew699/blog/intuition-guided-search-algorithm-a-deep-dive/wDyfmVXA

The Club of Believers...

I have created a club for everyone out there in the chess world who believes we can make a comeback against the machines we built decades ago to beat us at our craft of chess. Join The Club of Believers today. In this team, we try to discover an algorithm that will be able to defeat Stockfish consistently in a series of games. But no algorithm will be of use without practice. So now that we have reached the 20-member-goal, it's time for us to play the Bundesliga. Our division starts in 40 more minutes! This is the beginning of a new story. We can win the Bundesliga because we are believers! We can do anything we set our mind on. So I invite all my viewers to join this awesome club to look for the perfect algorithm and improve your level with constant training together with me.
Support us in Liga 18A in 40 minutes: https://lichess.org/tournament/LGIotpez

External links

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@felew699
Twitter: https://x.com/felew699
Against Stockfish: https://lichess.org/study/2guM490P
The Club of Believers: https://lichess.org/team/the-club-of-believers

Special Thanks to...

Grammar Editor: https://app.grammarly.com/
Practicing and blog writing site: https://lichess.org/