Can Houdini 3 be beaten?

What have we been saying since day one?

However, my guess is that your Houdini probably isn't defective. More likely, operator error. However, if you want to throw more money at the problem, knock yourself out.

Post members on chess.com and chesspub.com have maintained that Black is equal in the main line of the Two Knights' Defense. Here in a new try by White to achieve a plus. While my Houdini has suspect programming there doesn't appear to be any way for Black to improve. This is Moody-Houdini 3 60'40 30'20 30

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.cxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 Rb8?! (Be7 is better) 9.Be2!! (The first point is that 9...Bg4 10.Qg3 Bxe2 11.Qxe5+ Be7 12.Qxe2 +/-) Be7 10.Ne4! (White seeks to deny Black the tempo-gaining pawn pushes on the Kingside) Nxe4?! 11.Qxe4 Qc7 (e5 is hit for real) 12.O-O (As long as White can just make developing moves and doesn't have to defend, Black has less and less compensation for the pawn. The next step is to simplify.) O-O 13.Nc3 Bc5 (This can't be right; Black is making a non-developing move in the middle of the attack. Like it or not you have to play something like Nb7 or Re8) 14.Qh4 (I chose this instead of Qf3 because it is a developing move. 14.Qf3 is not a developing move) Rf6 15.d3 (White must control h6) f4 (Renewing the threat of Rh6, but it is a non-developing move based on tactics. White should be okay.) 16.Na4 Rh6 17.Qxh6 (Players who are infatuated with their Queens should notice that White has disrupted the Black pawns and is winning Rook and Bishop for the Queen. In this kind of position the combination of the Bishops and Rooks against the weak pawns is very powerful) gxh6 18.Nxc5 Qf6 19.Bf3 (forced---you have to trust the internal harmony of chess i.e. e4 can't be winning for Black, but Bh3 is a real threat) e4 20.Nxe4 Qxa1 21.Bxf4 Qxa2 22.Bxb8 Qxc2 23.b4 Nb3 24.Nf6+ Kf7 25.Ne4 Kg8 26.Nf6+ Kf7 27.Ne4 =

sloughterchess Next time pls try using the diagram editor here. It really isn't any harder than writing out all the moves and it provides everyone else with a pgn file they can cut and paste into their own chess software, not to mention having an interactive bd available to play thru all your moves. It also prohibits illegal moves. (PS: Thanks for the diagram!)

I looked at your analysis up to 13...Bc5 and it looks OK - BUT Black has many many alternatives available beginning at move 8 so offhand I'd say the odds of ever getting to play the line you posted out are exceedingly slim, and after 28.Ne4 IMHO White would've been better off playing some other line many moves earlier.

I think the move 14...Rf6 is illegal as the rooks are at b8 and f8 and there is a pawn at f7.  That means your version of Houdini is deeply messed.

I omitted a move; see diagram above.

Black has a number of tries in the main line of the Two Knights' Defense that are favored by some players and theoreticians. One that seems premature is: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 h6?! 9.Ne4 Nd5 10.Ba4! (This gains a tempo; White prepares to defend b3 with Bb3) Be7 11.O-O (There is no rush to play Nec3; Black still can't play f5 because of Qh5+) O-O 12.Nec3 (Ng3 invites the pawn storm) Be6 13.Bb3 (I don't want to have to worry about Bd5) a6!? (Black wants to play c5 without having to worry about Nb5) 14.d3 Qc7 15.Bd2 Rab8 16.Na3 Bg5 17.Qd1 Rfd8 18.Qc1 Nxb3 19.bxc3 Bxd2 (Black is in trouble; simplifying a pawn down looks suspect but there is nothing else) 20.Qxd2 Qd6 (Black is reduced to one move threats) 21.Qc1 (Defending and preparing to counter attack) Qc5 22.Nb1 e4 23.d4 Qf5 24.Re1 c5 25.Qe3 Rbc8 26.Na3 (There are back rank threats again) cxd4 27.cxd4 Qf6 28.Qxe4 Nxb3 29.axb3 Rxd4 30.Qe5 +/= Against a human there might be winning chances, but against Houdini it is another draw.

I'll try the game editor on the next post.

Here is my first win over Houdini 3 Pro! 75% of the time it plays 1...e5,  75% of the time it plays 3...Nf6,  & 75% of the time it plays 8...Bb7?

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8.Qf3 Bb7?! (This is dubious because it allows 9.Ba4. Better choices are 8...Be7 and 8...Rb8. This move is not in ECO or MCO 15) 9. Ba4 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. d3 c5 12. Qe2 Nc6 13. c3 Nd5 (This is a universal position)  14. Nf3 f6 (This is a clear sign that Houdini is not happy with its position)15.Na3 Qc7 16. Nc4! Rfd8 17. g3! (So that I can play Ne3 without allowing Nf4) Na5 (The Pro is running out of ideas) 18. Nxa5 Qxa5 19. Bc2 Qc7 20. Nd2 Qc6 21. f3 (There is no attack and White has a clear extra pawn) Rab8 22. Nc4 Qd7 23. Bd2 Bc6 24. b3! Nc7 25. a4! (White mobilizes his Queenside pawn majority) Ba8 26. Rfd1 Ne6 27. Rf1 Bd6 28.Rad1 Bc7 29. Qf2 Bd5 30. Bc1 (White will never allow Ng5) Qf7 31. Qe2 Rd7 32. Rf2! Re7 33. Rdf1 Rbe8 34. Rg2! Rd7 35. Qf2 Rb8 36. Bd2 Rbd8 37. Bc1 Bc6 38. Qe2 Bb8 39. Qf2 Bb7 40. Qe2 Bd5 41. Rgf2 * 1-0 (time) I would have been content with a draw by repetition; obviously White is better on the board, but the Pro refused to move and lost on time. When I asked the Pro how to win, it just built for the b3 break and won easily)

This should dispel the myth that the Houdini Pro is "unbeatable". I'll provide the game editor on the next post.

I'll try to get the move order correct.

Houdini 3 doesn't forfeit on time... ever... I've played it out in 1min games and it has made over 250 moves in 60 seconds. Now you're saying it forfeited on time in 41? You're delusional.

My computer seems to have a software defect. It failed to make its 40th move, started the second time control and then the engine announced that it had lost on time.

The computer had to be forced to make its fortieth move; again the software problem. Once it began to move again the Pro was checkmate on move 76. The Pro plays nothing but inferior play in the Fried Liver. I don't what the programmers are thinking but they are having the Pro play losing lines. The losing move is 6.exd4??

Ke6 53. b7 Rb3 54. Rc2