---
title: STS(v14.0) 7th Rank.014
description: Will Stockfish take the 7th rank?
image: https://image.lichess1.org/display?fmt=png&h=550&op=thumbnail&path=jomega:ublog:z8wyBMsm:yFzCeTmb.png&w=880&sig=fdf7a467b05e869da0cc472609046ac15b9e236e
---

A continuation of the discussion started here:
[jomega's Blog • Strategic Test Suite (STS): The EPD file's best and alternate best moves. • lichess.org](https://lichess.org/@/jomega/blog/strategic-test-suite-sts-the-epd-files-best-and-alternate-best-moves/rO0lG44J)

Stockfish 14 failed to find the best move in the 3 second test. Stockfish 14 suggested 1.Kg1/25. Stockfish does eventually play Rc7 in the line it gives, but Black gets time to play ...Bf4 defending the d-pawn. White can still win the d-pawn, but Black will get the c-pawn and a draw. On the intended best move, 1.Rc7, Black still has enough counter-play to get a draw.

My study on this position is here:
https://lichess.org/study/DMOJQHcr/wwL7txae#0

### **The Human Perspective**

The intention is to see if the engine will play 1.Rc7 to take the 7th rank. From there the Rook can attack the queenside pawns and/or the isolated d6-pawn. However, White's isolated a-pawn and backward c-pawn give Black enough counter-play.

### Stockfish's Perspective

Stockfish running on current hardware can see that all the moves listed in the study will draw. Its preference is 1.Kg1 0.16/43 or 1.Rc7 0.14/43. In almost all the variations for any of the moves listed in the study, Stockfish eventually plays Rc7.

### EPD Changes Needed

Despite all the moves listed in the study being about equal in Stockfish evaluation, I find 1.Kh2 being given a score of 7 in the EPD strange. Why would someone want an engine to play such a move? It certainly is not deserving of a 7 per Stockfish. From a human perspective that move makes little sense.
The move 1.g3 being scored 8 is also strange. Black will play ...Re8 and get the Rook to his 7th rank. There will eventually be an exchange of Bishops and pawns, and White, despite getting a passed d-pawn, will have only a draw. The real issue I have with the move is that it gives the opponent such obvious counter-play.
The move 1.Kg1 leads to a line that gets the King to the center in a hurry, but Black can do the same. Still, it is a reasonable idea that can be combined with Rc7 - as Stockfish demonstrates.
So I'd change the EPD to be Rc7=10, Be7=8, Kg1=8, g3=2, Kh2=2.

### Links

\- The Strategic Test Suite \(STS\) home page\.
[https://sites.google.com/site/strategictestsuite/](https://sites.google.com/site/strategictestsuite/)
\- The STS\-rating code\.
[https://github.com/fsmosca/STS-Rating](https://github.com/fsmosca/STS-Rating)