Strength of chess.com computer

I'm curious about the overall strength of the chess computer on this site?  What engine does it use?

I've been learning chess a little over a week, after joining chess.com, and am really enjoying it.  I went through all of the Lessons, but have yet to play a human.

Once I discovered the availability of the on-site chess computer, I began playing it...as I'm a little intimidated to start playing humans at this point.

I started playing the computer a couple of days ago, beginning with strength setting 1 of 10. I beat it 10 games in a row, then went on to setting 2, did the same, then on to setting 3, and have now done that as well.

Now, having said that, I know I am no chess genius...despite my user name

So, I'm wondering what the engine is. Is it a capable player at the higher levels...or do I have to play on to find out?

Thanks.

So you have won 30 games in a row? Time to poke your head out of your shell and try playing a person. The first couple of levels are pretty easy, often ignore important threats and are there to provide a learning tool.   Still, I think they will mate you if you ignore threats long enough. 

When you start out, playing humans you will probably not win your first 30 games.

Or you could skip ahead in the computer levels and see how you stand.  Why don't you skip right to level 10 and see how you do?

 

He he.  I wasn't bragging, lol.  That's why I asked what engine the computer uses.

It's been very amusing, and educational, to play the computer set at 1, 2, and 3.  It does make some pretty goofy moves at the lower levels, and I know they are there to help newbies like me.

I figure the lower levels are good for me to practice some standard openings.  I have little doubt that I'll soon contemplating giving up chess due to all the losing that is undoubtedly "in the mail".

I understand...now on level 4, so I expect to be losing regularly very soon.

When I'm ready, how do I find players near my beginner's level?  The site seems to be saying I am rated at 1000, even though I've never played humans.  Is that the beginner level?

As a 600 Elo rated player, I simply am unable to comprehend how I am readily able to vanquish a Level 6 computer. Surely there must be something erroneous with the abilities of the chess.com computer gameplays?

However, I play at a relatively fast pace, presumably at a similar rate as the computer.

Other than the Level of play on the computer...is there a way to give it more time to think, or is that exactly what the skill level does?

The other frustrating computer trait I get all the time is it telling me something like; mate in 8...but I often can't see it.  I stumble around and win, but would like to have the box be able to show me the path in 8.

BigGiantBrain, I regrettably haven't the slightest, albeit now that you mention it, yes, that would be rather convenient. However, I believe, from past experience, that one cannot provide it more time to think.

I ask because of the comment from PawnstormPossie above, which seems to imply there was a setting.

I always presumed that the Difficulty setting from 1 to 10 was simply a control on the depth of the tree...i.e. the processing time.

Dunno what that last post means.

It looks like I've found my level:  Level 4 is proving to be a challenge. 

Back to the original post.  What engine is chess.com using?

Is there a way to make the Computer remember the difficulty setting, and other options, between settings?

Curiously, each time I log on, the Difficulty has been reset to 2.

Are these settings related to my acceptance of cookies?

 

Just play against other players. Don't worry about losing. I checked out your game that you played and you played pretty well until you let his knight and queen check you and lose pieces. Just be more weary of potential attacks your opponent can do and you'll win some games. I've played casually for a bit over a year and have played over a 1000 games against other players plus a few hundred IRL and tbh you could probably beat me. 

(As of yesterday i've decided that i'm finally going to leave the 900-1050 range and got premium to drill hundreds of tactics everyday. Hopefully I can actually improve after all this time).

I played the level 20 computer with 4 CPU threads 4 times, winning each game. These games took 23 (Pirc Defense, Bayonet Attack), 39 (Pirc Defense, Unzicker Attack), 60 (Pirc Defense, Dragon Formation), and 72 (Evans Gambit, Compromised Defense) moves. In each of these games I played as White.

Then, I decided to play some strategic openings, like the Ruy Lopez and Caro-Kann Defense, also playing as White. I won these games, too, but they took me 80, 87, 122, and 148 moves. The average of the first four games (48.5) is less than half of the average of the last four games (109.25)!

This information has led me to believe that chess.com’s computer is more strategically inclined rather than tactically inclined. When I analyzed the games, I found that the computer’s strategical mistakes were usually slight inaccuracies and sometimes, but rarely, very slight blunders. However, the computer’s tactical mistakes tended to be major blunders that quickly turned the game in my favor. Perhaps the computer loses when there is a lot of pressure on its position.

I have attached a transcript of each of the first four games below.





1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4 exd4 7.O-O dxc3 8.Qb3 Qf6 9.Bg5 Qg6 10.Nxc3 Bxc3 11.Qxc3 Nf6 12.e5 Ne4 13.Qe3 Nxg5 14.Nxg5 O-O 15.Bd3 Qh5 16.Bxh7+ Kh8 17.Bc2 d5 18.exd6 cxd6 19.Rad1 Ne5 20.Rd4 f6 21.Ne4 d5 22.Nd6 Nc6 23.Qf3 Qxf3 24.Rh4+ Kg8 25.Bh7+ Kh8 26.Bg6+ Kg8 27.gxf3 Ne7 28.Bh7+ Kh8 29.Re1 g5 30.Rh5 Nc6 31.Ne8 Rxe8 32.Rxe8+ Kg7 33.Bg8 Be6 34.Rh7+ Kg6 35.Rxa8 Bxg8 36.Rxb7 Be6 37.Rc7 Nd4 38.Kg2 Nf5 39.f4 gxf4 40.Rcxa7 Nh4+ 41.Kf1 d4 42.Ra4 d3 43.Rxf4 Kg5 44.Re4 Bh3+ 45.Ke1 Nf3+ 46.Kd1 f5 47.Rg8+ Kf6 48.Re3 Bf1 49.Rxf3 Be2+ 50.Kd2 Bxf3 51.a4 Bd5 52.Rd8 Bb7 53.Rd7 Be4 54.a5 f4 55.a6 Kg5 56.Rxd3 Kf5 57.Kc3 Bc6 58.Rd6 Ba8 59.Kd4 Bg2 60.Rd8 Ke6 61.a7 Bb7 62.a8Q Bxa8 63.Rxa8 Kd7 64.h4 Ke6 65.h5 Kf6 66.h6 Kg6 67.Ke5 Kg5 68.h7 Kg4 69.h8Q Kf3 70.Qh3+ Kxf2 71.Ra2+ Ke1 72.Qh1#





1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2 Bg7 5.h4 O-O 6.h5 c5 7.hxg6 hxg6 8.d5 Bd7 9.Be3 b5 10.Qc1 Re8 11.Bh6 Bh8 12.Qf4 Qa5 13.Qh4 b4 14.Nd1 Bb5 15.a4 Bxe2 16.Nxe2 Nbd7 17.Nf4 c4 18.Bg5 Bg7 19.Ne3 Qc7 20.Nf5 gxf5 21.Bh6 Nf8 22.Bxg7 N8d7 23.Qh8#





1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.e5 Ng4 8.e6 fxe6 9.Ng5 Bxb5 10.Nxe6 Bxd4 11.Nxb5 Qa5+ 12.Qd2 Bf2+ 13.Kd1 Ne3+ 14.Ke2 Qxb5+ 15.Kxf2 Ng4+ 16.Kg3 Kd7 17.Re1 Nh6 18.h3 Nf5+ 19.Kh2 Nc6 20.a4 Qb6 21.Qd3 a5 22.Bd2 Rhe8 23.Bc3 Nb4 24.Bxb4 axb4 25.c3 bxc3 26.bxc3 Ra5 27.g4 Nh6 28.Rab1 Qc6 29.Rb5 Rea8 30.Nxc5+ Kc8 31.Rxe7 Rxb5 32.Qxb5 Qxb5 33.axb5 Ra2+ 34.Kg3 dxc5 35.Rxh7 Nxg4 36.hxg4 Ra3 37.Kh4 Rxc3 38.Kg5 Rg3 39.b6 Rb3 40.Kxg6 Rxb6+ 41.Kf5 Kd8 42.g5 Ke8 43.g6 Kf8 44.Kg5 Rb1 45.f5 Rb2 46.f6 Rg2+ 47.Kf5 Ke8 48.Rh8+ Kd7 49.g7 Rf2+ 50.Ke4 Re2+ 51.Kf3 Rb2 52.g8Q Kc6 53.Qc4 Rb4 54.Rc8+ Kd7 55.Qd5+ Kxc8 56.f7 Kc7 57.f8Q Rb3+ 58.Qxb3 b6 59.Qd5 b5 60.Qfd8#





1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.e5 Nfd7 7.Bc4 c5 8.e6 Nb6 9.exf7+ Kh8 10.Bd3 cxd4 11.Ne4 Rxf7 12.h4 Nd5 13.h5 Ne3 14.Bxe3 dxe3 15.hxg6 Rxf4 16.Rxh7+ Kg8 17.Ke2 Qe8 18.Ng3 Bg4 19.Qh1 e5 20.Nh5 Bxh5 21.Qxh5 Nd7 22.Rh1 Kf8 23.Qg5 Qe6 24.Rh8+ Bxh8 25.Rxh8+ Kg7 26.Qh6+ Kf6 27.Rh7 Qg8 28.Qg5+ Ke6 29.Qe7+ Kd5 30.Qxd7 Qc8 31.c4+ Qxc4 32.Bxc4+ Rxc4 33.Qxb7+ Rc6 34.Qxa8 a6 35.Rc7 Ke4 36.Qxc6+ Kf4 37.Qxd6 Kg4 38.Qxe5 a5 39.Qg5#

I recently finished another chess game as White against the level 20 computer. I played against the aggressive Cambridge Gambit of Alekhine’s Defense. I won in 51 moves. This game also supports my hypothesis that the computer quickly crumbles in sharp games. I have, once again, posted the transcript to my game below. I will be back later with some more games, this time playing as Black!




1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.f4 g5 6.exd6 cxd6 7.fxg5 Bg7 8.Nf3 Bg4 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Na3 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Nxd4 12.Bxb7 Rb8 13.Be4 Nd7 14.O-O Qb6 15.Qh5 Kd8 16.Kh1 Nc5 17.Bd5 e6 18.Rxf7 Be5 19.Bd2 exd5 20.cxd5 Qa6 21.Nc4 Qxc4 22.Ba5+ Rb6 23.Rxa7 Qxd5 24.Bxb6+ Kc8 25.Qh3+ Kb8 26.Rxh7 Rxh7 27.Qxh7 Nde6 28.Re1 Ng7 29.b4 Nce6 30.Be3 Nc7 31.a4 Qa2 32.a5 Nge6 33.b5 Qxa5 34.Rb1 Nxg5 35.Qg8+ Kb7 36.b6 Na8 37.Qd8 Kc6 38.Qc8+ Nc7 39.Qxc7+ Kd5 40.Bxg5 Bb2 41.Qf7+ Kc6 42.Qe8+ Kd5 43.b7 Qb4 44.b8Q Qxb8 45.Qxb8 Bd4 46.Qg8+ Kc6 47.Qa8+ Kd7 48.Qd5 Bb2 49.Rxb2 Ke8 50.Qe6+ Kf8 51.Bh6#

Great input. Very interesting.

I notice that you say you have been playing the computer on level 20, whereas the one I've been playing only goes to level 10.  Is that, by chance, a typo...or are you playing on a different computer?  I'm new to this site, and am unaware of any other than the one I've found.

I suggest you take the plunge and start playing humans. You might lose your first 3 or 4 games but the chess.com algorithm very quickly adjusts your rating and you'll start playing players that are the same level as you and winning games!

 

If I am not mistaken, there are 20 levels on the chess.com app, whereas for the standard website, the computer's maximum level is 10. I presume that QuietTactics was playing the computer on either an iPad or an iPhone, though of course, my presumption may be erroneous.

 

One cannot repudiate this statement. Playing chess against humans is far more productive than against computer, in my not so very humble opinion. Yet, to enhance your chess skills even more dramatically, I would advise that you play actual over-the-board chess, to genuinely get a feel for the intense atmosphere.