What's the best way to celebrate the end of 2024 in Chessengeria style?
Of course, by organizing a tournament of the absolute chess engines Elite ;)
Introduction of the 2024 Elite Chess Engine Tournament.
The year 2024 was a remarkable one for the world of chess engines. Thanks to the relentless efforts of their developers, most of the most powerful engines have reached a new and much higher level of strength. To highlight the progress, let's consider the following: while in the 2023 edition of the Elite Tournament the minimum threshold for participation was 3500 CElo and the average score was 3626 CElo, the 2024 edition raised the bar significantly. The average CElo of participating engines rose to an impressive 3767 CElo this year. This underscores the rapid progress in chess engine performance in just one year.
In 2023, 15 engines competed, the strongest of which was Stockfish 20231230 with 3845 CElo, and the weakest was Altair 6.0.0 with 3502 CElo. In the 2024 edition, the competition was even fiercer. Stockfish 17 topped the charts with an unmatched score of 3875 CElo, while the weakest "traditional" engine in the list, Caissa 1.21, registered an impressive 3725 CElo. Meanwhile, the lowest ranked "non-traditional" engine, Lc0 031.2, achieved 3692 CElo, benefiting from its unique features and capabilities.
The difference in performance between Stockfish 17 and other engines remains noticeable, although the pace of development of Stockfish seems to have slowed a bit compared to 2023. All this, however, has opened up space for other chess engines to narrow the gap and showcase their progress in 2024.
Here is the list of participants in alphabetical order:
Here is the list of participants in order of Elo rating, from the strongest:
The tournament was run under the terms of MCERL, that is:
Time Control Adjustment for Lc0
Due to the nature of Lc0, I allocated it twice as much thinking time compared to other engines. While all other engines were set to a time control of 1 minute per game + 0.6 seconds per move, Lc0 was given 2 minutes per game + 1.2 seconds per move.
This adjustment reflects Lc0's reliance on GPU performance and its neural network architecture, which requires more time to reach optimal decisions. By doubling its time allocation, I aimed to provide a fairer comparison between Lc0 and the "traditional" chess engines in the test environment.
It is worth mentioning that Lc0 makes better use of more time and resources than “traditional” chess engines, which, as you will see, will be reflected in the tournament results.
Which chess engine will prove to be the winner?
Participation criteria for the 2024 Chess Engine Elite tournament
In order to keep the competition highly competitive and attractive, the Elite 2024 tournament introduced stricter participation criteria. Engines had to achieve at least 3683 CElo, calculated as 3808 CElo (the strength of Obsidian 14.0) minus 125 CElo. Obsidian 14.0 was chosen as the reference engine instead of Stockfish 17 because Stockfish's level of play (3875 CElo) is much higher than most other engines. Using Obsidian 14.0 as the benchmark provided a more balanced competitive environment, while allowing all of the tournament engines to compete effectively.
The calculations (3808 CElo - 125 CElo = 3683 CElo) were intentionally designed to account for slightly weaker engines while remaining highly competitive. This approach also benefits engines such as Lc0, which perform exceptionally well given enough time to think.
The participation criteria were also intended to promote the work of the chess engine development community and to promote our passion for computer chess with the latest versions of chess engines. Due to requests from some authors, only official versions of chess engines were invited to the Elit tournament - test and developer versions were not considered.
It is significant that the Elites list of chess engines for 2024 includes only open-source engines. There are no commercial engines here, which underscores the fact that the collective involvement and work of entire communities are extremely effective in developing chess engines for the strength of their game.
Moreover, eligibility for the most important tournament on our blog chessengeria.eu required active development in 2024. For example, Dragon by Komodo Chess (3737 CElo) did not participate because its development was undeniably completed, with the last version dating back to 2023. Similarly, Koivisto 9.0 (3693 CElo) was excluded, , as its last update was on January 15, 2023. The same goes for the Seer 2.8.0 engine.
Which one will play the most interesting and spectacular game?
New Platform for the Tournament
This year's tournament was conducted on a new platform—the Mac Mini powered by the Apple Silicon M4 Pro processor. This hardware marked a significant upgrade from the Apple Silicon M1 used in the 2023 edition, offering enhanced performance and computational speed. The improved system allowed engines like Lc0 to fully leverage their neural networks on a macOS-powered Mac. Notably, Lc0 utilized the BT4-1740 network, one of the most powerful neural networks available, demonstrating its undeniable potential and achieving commendable results in this extraordinary chess engine competition.
The same Mac Mini is currently being used for games in the MCERL cycle, providing a stable and reliable platform for intense chess engine tournaments.
To ensure the highest quality and excitement during the matches while maintaining fairness, the tournament featured 220 games (each engine played four games against every other engine) instead of a 1000-game "grind," which might have disproportionately favored the strongest engines. This balanced format allowed all participants to showcase their strengths more effectively.
Additionally, the superior and significantly more efficient hardware enabled engines to better utilize their advanced neural networks. Lc0's performance in particular stood out, leveraging the BT4-1740 neural network—one of the most powerful available—to demonstrate its potential and achieve impressive results in games against the strongest opponents.
Curiosity - Performance comparison
The computer used in the 2023 Chess Engine Elite tournament, the MacBook Pro M1, achieved a score of 12.278.776 Nodes/second in the Stockfish benchmark.
How did the old 2014 iMac do in this benchmark?
In the Stockfish 14.1 benchmark, Apple's ARM-based Silicon M4 PRO CPU is more than 2 times faster than the M1 CPU and more than 16 times faster than a 10-year-old computer with an Intel Core i5 (Haswell) CPU.
Category: tournament winner - Stockfish 17
Here is the scoreboard of the Chessengeria's Chess Engines Elite Tournament - 2024
Stockfish and Obsidian didn't lose a game!
Congratulations to the Stockfish Team !!
*** Download the database of all Chessengeria's Chess Engines Elite Tournament - 2024 games
Compared to the results of last year's Chess Engine Elite tournament, Stockfish did not dominate the competition.
The struggles were extremely exciting! Until the last round the fate of the first three best of the best was at stake :)
Looking at the results of this tournament, which is what a unique event - only held once a year - I can say with satisfaction that all the objectives and criteria met the hopes.
Although Stockfish won, it won the tournament just “by a hair” by half a point his victory was not certain until the last round. Alexandria performed impressively ahead of the theoretically stronger Obsidian. PlentyChess scored a very successful debut in this strongest chess engine tournament on the macOS platform. Lc0 showed that it can play successfully as an equal against the strongest opponents.
All participants played games at an extremely high chess level, which made me very happy and gave me great satisfaction watching their struggles - which I would now like to share with you, dear reader.
Category: Most Spectacular game.
Do computer players at such a high level only play boring chess? Absolutely not!
On the contrary, most games are beautiful works of art, and some of them - like the game presented below - are even a model example of magnificent sacrifices that sanctify the goal.
White: Lc0 0.31.2 (BT4-1740)
Black: Berserk 13
White's move.
The position was created after 21 moves in the Spanish game.
Both players have just completed the development of their pieces. The position is equal. Black has free figure play, although the price for this is a weak d6 pawn. White can start concentrating more forces on attacking the black d6 pawn or do what Lc0 chose to do in this game.
It's time to move on the black King's position!
Bh6
22... Bxh6
Qxh6 Ne6
As a result of the exchange of Bishops, the whites brought their Queen closer to the position of the black monarch. Did this give them an advantage? No, but it created opportunities for attack, especially since the black Queen is watching the course of events from afar.
Ngf5!?
A nice and quite brave move considering the class and strength of the opponent. A classic move in this kind of positions.
24... gxf5
Not accepting the Knight sacrifice led to an equal but uncomfortable position for black with the open position of their King.
Example continuation: 24... Nh5 25. a5 Qc5 26. Nxe6 Rxe6 27. Bb1 gxf5 28. Qxh5 fxe4 29. Rd5
Back in the game.
a5!
Another sacrifice. This is an important interjection that forces an even deeper retreat of the Black Queen from the theater of events.
If Berserk takes Pawn, the scales of victory will go to the side of Lc0 after a few moves: 25... Qxa5 26. Nxf5 Qe5 27. Rxd6 Kh8 28. Rxe6 Ng8 29. Rxe5 Nxh6 30. Nxh6 Rxc2 31. Nxf7+ Kg8 32. Rxe8 Bxe8 33. Nd6 With white's material advantage sufficient to win.
25... Qa7
Nxf5!
Lc0 is consistent. For the price of an attack, it gives up the white Bishop.
26... Rxc2
Black has a material advantage in the form of two light figures.
Let's take a close look at the position on the chessboard. The g7 square is effectively defended against checkmate by the black Knight.
The inclusion of Rook putting it on the e3 square with the idea of strengthening the attack (Re1-e3-g3) is not good because 27. Re3 will be followed by a strong 27.... Nxe4! and after 28. Rxe4 Qxf2+ 29. Kh1 Qxg2#
What can be done to stop black from invading their Queen on f2 square ?
How should white continue the attack?
Dear reader, you are traditionally invited to solve the chess puzzle.
......
..................
....................................
Rd4!!
If you managed to find this move, congratulations :)
This seemingly strange move is the most appropriate one. Berserk cannot take Rook using Knight because it will get checkmate. Exchanging the black Queen for this Rook and Knight is a mediocre idea, as white gets a free game with better chances.
27... Nh5!
Berserk picks the best and most impressive continuation.
Qxh5 Qc5
Re3 Nf4!
Nh6+ Kh8
Nxf7+ Kg8
Rg3+ Ng6
Black defends the position of its King very well!
Rxg6!
33... hxg6
Qxg6+ Kf8
Qh6+! Kxf7!
Berserk takes another victim.
Qh7+!
Lc0 chooses the only move that ensures it a draw in this game.
36... Ke6
Qh6+ Ke5
Qg7+ Ke6
Qh6+ Kf7
Qh7+ Kf6
Qh6+ Ke5
Qg7+ Ke6
Qh6+
Draw.
Lc0 played very bravely in this game sacrificing many of his figures.
Thanks to its precise and calm defense, Berserk managed to fend off his opponent's strong and uncompromising thrust, leading to a well-deserved draw.
I think this game can be enjoyed :)
Download game: Most Spectacular Game
Category: Most interesting game
In this game we will not see fireworks and many spectacular moves. It will show you dear reader how an engine with more than 3800 CElo on the MCERL counter can win against a very strong opponent who does not make mistakes while playing chess in the human sense of the word.
Winning - the Obsidian chess engine, will show how chess can be played beautifully with a deep strategic understanding of the position - from the first moves in the game.
White: Obsidian 14.0
Black: Stormphrax 6.0.0
Blacks's move.
The position was created after playing the opening of King's Indian variant Mar del Plata. In this setup, white intends to fight on the Queen's wing, while black seeks its chances on the King's wing.
11... a5?
If I were analyzing a game of people, after this move I would probably write that 11... a5 is an interesting and active move designed to open up the A-line for the black Rook and activate their figures on the Queen's wing.
Fortunately, I have the pleasure of analyzing the game of chess engines at a level unattainable for humans. Therefore, I will write that, in my opinion, 11.... a5 is a strategic error, and that's why I marked this move with a question mark. Black, instead of playing in the spirit of his chosen opening and continuing the assault on the King's wing, wastes valuable time maneuvering on the other side of the chessboard, where there is practically no activity of their figures - it is instead on the King's wing.
bxa5 Rxa5
Black takes the white pawn - a waste of time - their Rook occupies a bad square - nothing to do here. Perhaps Stormphrax was hoping for an opportunity to strengthen the pressure on the A-line on Pawn a4 by putting their Queen or Rook on the a8 field, but it doesn't manage to do so.
exf5!
Obsidian at the best of times relieves the tension in the center by opening the diagonals b1-h7 and preventing any future uncomfortable closure of the position for the whites by moving black Pawn f5-f4
13... Nxf5
Bg5 Nf6
Bd3 b6
h3 Bd7
Ra3! Ra8
Black finally recognizes that they chose the wrong strategic plan and withdraws their Rook.
White's move 17. Ra3! is not to reinforce the forces on the A-line and force a breakthrough through white Pawn's move a4-a5, but is to activate white's Rook and join the King's wing action quickly.
Bc2 Kh8
g4 Ne7
Bc1 Ng8
Ng5 Bh6
f4!
Obsidian opens another diagonale for its black-square Bishop : a1-h8
22... exf4
Nf3 Bg7
Bb2 h6
Qa1
The image on the chessboard is a testament to blacks choosing the wrong game strategy plan. Stormphrax failed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by it's chosen opening (storming the King's wing).
Obsidian, on the other hand, correctly read the situation on the chessboard and changed it's game strategy accordingly.
Strategically and at this level of the game - black has a mute losing position. Most of their pieces occupy the last line concentrating around their King with no prospect of any counterplay.
25... Rf7
Ne2 Qf8
Nd4 g5
h4 gx4
g5
White has a free play. All their pieces take optimal positions for the final assault of the black King's position.
29... Re8
Re2 h3
Re6!
Despite the wily concentration of black pieces, white chooses the most impressive and effective end to the dispute on the chessboard.
31... c5
If 31...Bxe6 then 32. Nxe6 with the loss of the black Queen.
dxc6 Nxc6
Nh4 Nge7
Rxh6
White Rook realizes the work of destruction!
34... Bxh6
Ne6+ Bg7
Nxf8 Rexf8
Be4 Na5
Bxg7 Rxg7
Qd4
Series of exchanges resulting in the loss of the black Queen and white leads to a completely winning position for them.
39... Nxc4
Qxc4 d5
Qc7 dxe4
Qxd7 h2+
Kxh2 f3
Kg1 Nf5
Qe5 Nxh4
Qh6+ Kg8
Qxh4 Rf5
Rc3
1 :0
After a few more moves, the game ended in victory for the whites.
Watching the game live, I wondered where Stormphrax went wrong? What led to black being almost paralyzed by their opponent after choosing a known and proven opening?
Having played by correspondence for many years, I came to understand that chess is not what it appears to be in the context of games played by people with even longer control time. In correspondence chess and also in chess engine games at that level, it is critical to understand the position and choose the right strategic plan. The implementation of the strategic plan - is a completely different and much simpler task. The most important thing is the strategy -> its selection.
Obsidian 14.0 has shown that it ranks second (behind Stockfish) on the MCERL for a reason.
Congratulations!
Download game: Most Interesting Game
How do chess engines win games at levels exceeding 3700 CElo MCERL ?
Being positively moved by the playing style of Obsidian 14.0 and in the context of the games of other chess engines in the Elit tournament, you will find the answer to your question in the next article :)
A Rewarding Experience
Organizing and conducting the Elite Chess Engine Tournament brought me immense joy, and the results are truly inspiring. The ongoing evolution of chess engines in 2024 reflects the vibrant passion and determination of the chess engine development community. It is an honor to witness and document these milestones in the world of computer chess.
The Elite Chess Engine Tournament stands as a testament to the brilliance and ingenuity that drive and will continue to drive the future of chess engines.
Summary of the 2024 Elite Chess Engines Tournament.
The year 2024 in the world of computer chess was extremely inspiring, and ending it in Chessengeria style brought unforgettable excitement to the Elite Chess Engines Tournament. This competition, held on the new platform with Apple's Silicon M4 Pro processor, not only highlighted the advances in engine development, but also provided spectacular duels in which advanced strategy was combined with the beauty of chess art.
We sincerely congratulate the Stockfish team for the victory, as well as Alexandria, which caused quite a surprise by taking the honorable second place! We also congratulate all participating engines, whose creators showed tireless work and commitment. Special mentions go to Lc0 for its bold and artistic approach to each game and Obsidian for its outstanding strategy.
We would like to thank the entire chess community - the developers, programmers, enthusiasts and readers of Chessengeria - for their support and motivation, which contributed to the success of this unique event. Your passion is key to the further development of this field.
We are already looking forward to what 2025 will bring, believing that future tournaments will provide equally unforgettable experiences!
* Participants in the Elit tournament played against each other through the Banksia GUI - A Free Chess Graphical User Interface.
** Diagrams created in the ChessX
*** All games were prepared for download using Scid vs Mac - free chess toolkit with extensive database, analysis and chess-playing features.
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