Friday, September 27, 2024

Top Chess Engine Championship (TCEC) Overview

 The Top Chess Engine Championship (TCEC) is one of the most prestigious and long-standing competitions for evaluating the world's best chess engines. Founded in 2010, TCEC hosts seasonal tournaments where the strongest chess engines compete in various time control formats. The engines are ranked based on their performance, with the tournament typically divided into stages culminating in a superfinal.

Top Chess Engine Championship (TCEC)


TCEC has gained significant traction due to its highly competitive nature, the involvement of the world's most powerful chess engines, and the detailed analysis it provides. Its tournament structure usually involves several leagues, progressing through knockout stages to determine the strongest engines in the world. The competition operates in different modalities, including classical (longer time controls), rapid, and blitz formats.

TCEC Structure and Modalities

  1. Superfinal: The top two engines from the premier division compete in a long match format with multiple games.
  2. Premier Division: This division hosts the top-rated engines in a round-robin format.
  3. Leagues: Engines compete across several divisions (from 1 to 4), with the top engines advancing to higher divisions.
  4. TCEC Cup: A separate knockout-style tournament with faster time controls.
  5. Swiss Tournaments: Some seasons also include Swiss-system competitions.

Each modality tests the engines' strength under different time pressures and conditions, allowing developers to fine-tune their algorithms across a range of scenarios.

Latest Results from TCEC Season 26 (May-June 2024)

Here are the top 10 chess engines based on their most recent performances in TCEC Season 26:


1. Stockfish (dev-20240513)

  • Placement: 1st
  • Modality: Classical (Superfinal, Premier Division, TCEC Cup)
  • Results: Stockfish continued its reign as the undisputed champion, winning Season 26 Superfinal with 31 wins, 52 draws, and only 17 losses.
  • Details: Stockfish remains unmatched due to its superior calculation depth and dynamic evaluations​(Wikipedia).

2. Lc0 (Leela Chess Zero) 0.31

  • Placement: 2nd
  • Modality: Classical, Rapid
  • Results: Lc0 was the runner-up in the Superfinal, with a record of 17 losses, 52 draws, and 31 wins against Stockfish.
  • Details: A neural network-based engine, Lc0 continues to pose a strong challenge to Stockfish​(Wikipedia).

3. Komodo Dragon 3.3

  • Placement: 3rd
  • Modality: Classical, TCEC Cup
  • Results: Komodo Dragon secured 3rd place in both the Premier Division and the TCEC Cup. It’s known for its strong positional play and advanced tuning capabilities​(

4. Berserk 13

  • Placement: 4th (Premier Division)
  • Modality: Classical, Blitz
  • Results: Berserk showed impressive performance in the Premier Division, finishing in the top tier, but fell short of making it to the Superfinal.
  • Details: A relatively new engine, Berserk is fast gaining ground and has been known to outperform older engines in blitz formats​(Open Chess)(Open Chess).

5. SugaR AI SE

  • Placement: 1st (TCEC Cup)
  • Modality: Blitz, Rapid
  • Results: SugaR AI took the TCEC Cup title with a strong showing in rapid and blitz matches, outperforming even Stockfish and Lc0 in shorter time controls​(Open Chess).

6. CorChess 20240422

  • Placement: 2nd (TCEC Cup)
  • Modality: Blitz, Classical
  • Results: CorChess finished 2nd in the TCEC Cup and maintained a top-tier position in rapid and classical formats​(Open Chess).

7. ShashChess 34.6

  • Placement: 3rd (TCEC Premier Division)
  • Modality: Classical, Blitz
  • Results: ShashChess was in the top 3 engines in the Premier Division, performing particularly well in rapid and blitz tournaments​(Open Chess).

8. Dragon 3.3

  • Placement: 2nd (TCEC Swiss Tournament)
  • Modality: Swiss System, Blitz
  • Results: Dragon performed well in the Swiss Tournament but couldn’t surpass Stockfish or Lc0 in longer formats​(Wikipedia)(Open Chess).

9. Obsidian 12.0

  • Placement: 2nd (CEDR Middle-Class Engines Tournament)
  • Modality: Blitz, Rapid
  • Results: Obsidian finished as the runner-up in a highly competitive mid-range tournament​(Open Chess).

10. PlentyChess 1.0.0

  • Placement: 3rd (CEDR Mid-Class Tournament)
  • Modality: Blitz
  • Results: PlentyChess, a newcomer to the top scene, has shown promise with consistent performances in blitz and mid-class engine tournaments​(Open Chess)(Open Chess).

Conclusion

The Top Chess Engine Championship (TCEC) continues to be the leading platform for evaluating the world's best chess engines, allowing engines to demonstrate their prowess in various formats. Stockfish remains the dominant force in chess AI, followed closely by Lc0, with Komodo Dragon and others maintaining a strong competitive presence. The addition of various modalities—ranging from classical to blitz—offers a comprehensive assessment of these engines' strengths and adaptability.

For the latest updates and results, you can visit the official TCEC page​(Wikipedia).

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