🚀 go-pugleaf

	I often run GNU Chess in *Computer plays against itself* mode at 60
moves in 15 minutes (and 20in5).  I have seen it take 45 moves to mate
with Bishop and Knight against bare King, but recently the 50 move rule
was invoked to end a game.  A game list follows, deleting the first 90
moves.  WHITE had a Rook and 2 Pawns against a Knight and 2 Bishops ...
but the position fell apart after BLACK captured a Pawn on move 90,
leading to B + N against a bare King on move 93. 

	 This came as a shock!  GNU Chess was running in Windows 95 on a 50
MHz 80486 computer with 8 megabytes of ram.  "Easy" was OFF and
"Random" was ON.  I wonder just how powerful a machine is needed to
guarantee mate in less than 50?  Would a 90 MHz Pentium do the job?  Of
course, changing the Time setting to 40 moves in 30 minutes would
probably solve this problem ... but that is just too slow for me. 
PLEASE NOTE: I am not claiming that this failure to mate will happen
often ... but the fact that it happened once is disconcerting.  EITHER
GNU Chess is hanging on by its fingertips in many endgames, OR the
"Random" feature may be randomizing its play a little too much. 

*	*	*	*	*

gnuchess 4p77 game
        score  depth   nodes  time        score  depth   nodes  time

POSITION after 90 ... Nxg4+ 
WHITE: Kh2, Rb2, Pf5 
BLACK: Kf4, Bd5, Be1, Ng4 

  h2h3   -655      6  143178    28  f4f5    638      6   76061    19
  b2b5   -627      6   36206     9  g4e3    631      7   68739    16
  b5d5   -625      6   41743    10  e3d5    638      8   74761    19
  h3g2   -630      8  102585    20  e1d2    647      7   47099    10
  g2g3   -648      7   59868    17  d5f4    664      7   95332    19
  g3f2   -656      7   27111     8  f5g4    663      7   91825    19
  f2g1   -709      8  104871    22  g4g3    733      7   41488    10
  g1h1   -727      8   70470    14  f4d3    732      8   69852    20
  h1g1   -627      1       0     0  d3f2    731      7   89359    18
  g1f1   -662      1       0     0  d2f4    800      7   54226    12
  f1e2   -790      8   63849    14  g3g2    793      8   61825    18
  e2e1   -737      1       0     0  g2f3    791      7   76584    16
  e1f1   -780      1       0     0  f4e3    800      7   80719    18
  f1g1   -788      8  110111    23  e3d2    802      7   23435     6
  g1h2   -790      8   64727    14  d2a5    793      8   62948    18
  h2g1   -654      1       0     0  a5c7    793      7   65874    14
  g1f1   -657      1       0     0  f2g4    795      7   65624    18
  f1g1   -791      8  103745    22  c7d6    800      7   19766     5
  g1h1   -786      8   97092    21  f3g3    793      6   27235     8
  h1g1   -628      1       0     0  d6f4    793      7   86319    20
  g1h1   -792      8   65824    15  f4g5    806      7   30505     7
  h1g1   -629      1       0     0  g4e3    794      7   48458    11
  g1h1   -659      1       0     0  g5f4    793      7   78695    18
  h1g1   -630      1       0     0  g3f3    794      7   54721    13
  g1h1   -658      1       0     0  e3d1    794      7   61500    15
  h1g1   -626      1       0     0  f4e5    794      7   73089    17
  g1h1   -791      9  154197    42  e5d6    798      6   28773     8
  h1g1   -624      1       0     0  d6f4    795      7   76217    17
  g1h1   -790     10  513906   120  d1f2    810      9   34767    10
  h1g1   -630      1       0     0  f4d6    794      8  139808    42
  g1f1   -658      1       0     0  d6e5    804      7   28597     7
  f1g1   -788      8   75638    18  e5g3    795      8   63018    19
  g1f1   -661      1       0     0  f2d1    800      8   63790    18
  f1g1   -727      1       0     0  g3c7    797      8   57702    18
  g1h1   -788      8   64982    16  c7b8    796      8   57244    18
  h1g1   -622      1       0     0  d1f2    795      7   70256    18
  g1f1   -656      1       0     0  b8h2    858      8   42904    13
  f1e1   -729      1       0     0  f2e4    857      7   23944     6
  e1f1   -862      8   52449    13  e4d2    856      8   57020    18
  f1e1   -727      1       0     0  h2f4    857      7   30294     8
  e1d1   -780      1       0     0  f3e3    871      7   66647    17
  d1c2   -869      8   83304    21  f4e5    876      6   16611     5
  c2d1   -904      8   88464    22  e3d3    911      6   19744     6
  d1e1   -918      7   64231    19  e5g3    930      7   89193    22
  e1d1   -787      1       0     0  d2c4    964      7   74145    19
  d1c1   -850      1       0     0  g3d6    963      6   16671     6
  c1d1   -953      8  204425    53  c4e3    960      6   36346    12
  d1c1   -959      8  218247    57  d6a3    966      6   34564    11
  c1b1   -905      1       0     0  d3c4   1015      7   83480    22
  b1a2   -955      9  176076    56  c4b4    847      9  139429    43
  a2b1   -820      9   78120    25  b4c3    778      9  145342    43
  b1a2      1      8   50821    15  a3c5      1      6   40705    11
  a2b1      5      6   87753    25  c3d4      0      2      56     0


Draw Drawn game!

*	*	*	*	*


  __        REPLACE (at) with @      __  
 / o\--                           --/o \ 
 \ \/        David  Paulowich       \/ / 
 /  \                               /  \ 
[====]       paulo(at)isn.net      [====]