Basic information

Event: Kramnik vs best computer chess program (October 2001)

Organization: Brain Games Network

In order to determine which software will play Kramnik Brain Games is hosting a Machine vs Machine qualifying challenge in April 2001.

For the Qualifier just 3 chess programs (Fritz, Junior and Shredder) were invited which are presented as the strongest of the world. Strong chess programs like REBEL and CHESS TIGER were not invited even though they shared the 3th place during the last World Championship. However Junior although ending fifth strangely enough is invited.

In the meantime Shredder has declined to play the Qualifier with as result the Qualifier will be played between just 2 chess programs! Tries to get REBEL and CHESS TIGER to play in the Qualifier failed by stubborn unwillingness of the organizers.

Rebel Company has strongly protested against this arbitrariness and likes to present the facts about this injustice and unfair competition.

THE NAKED FACTS

On April 8th Rebel Company for the first time heard about the BrainGames event. Ed Schroder, author of REBEL, was send email by BrainGames that REBEL and CHESS TIGER were not invited because, they said, REBEL as well as CHESS TIGER were not able to run on multiple processors.

Furthermore Ed Schroder was strictly forbidden to speak with anyone about this information not even with his partner Christophe Theron, author of Chess Tiger. This information boycott (their first mistake) is essential for exclusion of Chess Tiger from the Qualifier event, this we had to learn later.

As a matter of fact a so-called DEEP-TIGER version was available but the organizers just ASSUMED we had not, their second mistake.

Later, much later the information boycott for Ed Schroder to speak with his partner about the requirements was solved by itself because the restriction became public information. After several phone calls with the BrainGames people and with Christophe Theron, author of Chess Tiger Rebel Company on April 20th offered DEEP TIGER to BrainGames to play in the Qualifier.

To our great astonishment Rebel Company was shut out again, now with the excuse that the Qualifier had to start on April 27 and on these short terms it was impossible to change their schedule. BrainGames furthermore said we should have informed them on April 8th about the availability of DEEP-TIGER and then DEEP-TIGER would have played, they said.

We do not understand the BrainGames logic, BrainGames expects Ed Schroder to reveal secret business information of Chess Tiger to BrainGames while at the same time BrainGames forbids Ed Schroder to talk about that with Christophe Theron the author of Chess Tiger himself !! Furthermore BrainGames did not provide other crucial information like the dead-line of April 27, the planned start of the Qualifier leaving us in the dark.

Two days later (April 22) we got a faked invitation from BrainGames. Enrique Irazoqui who was attracted by BrainGames to organize the Qualifier proposed, "If you send DEEP-TIGER before April 23, 11:00 we will let it play in the Qualifier". This is an impossible demand and Mr. Irazoqui knows it! as no chess programmer is able to make things ready in just less than one day!

Counter offers from our side failed, we proposed, We will send you the current DEEP-TIGER before your (impossible) deadline of April 23, 11:00 to check its functionality, on April 27 you start the Qualifier as planned with the first match and on or before April 30 you will have the final version of DEEP-TIGER and thus there are no delays for you as on April 30 the first match is still not finished. A wall of granite was our reward, no flexibility on their end even though the situation was created because of their own errors, no invitation, withhold crucial information, the information boycott which caused a 7 day delay for Rebel Company to make the needed preparations.

During the negotiations Rebel Company was seriously offended by BrainGames as BrainGames on multiple occasions made serious doubts on the availability of a DEEP-TIGER version. This indirectly labels Rebel Company as a liar and is understood that way. Especially from such offending questions like these ones we got the impression, Rebel Company and Chess Tiger were just not welcome and that our talks were doomed to fail on beforehand.

Yet the worst thing had to come and says it all, the crucial question simply remained unanswered. Christophe Theron to BrainGames, "Why did you forbid Ed Schroder to talk with me about the "DEEP" requirement? Was there something I was not allowed to know?" No answer from BrainGames. The information boycott has cost Christophe Theron one week, exactly the week Rebel Company needed to make the software ready.

CONCLUSION

Chess Tiger was not welcome and was banned on beforehand. Now the Qualifier is played between 2 ChessBase programs. This whole Qualifier is one big farce.

GIANT PROTESTS BY VARIOUS PEOPLE

Right from the start BrainGames received major criticism in public forums in proportions of 10 to 1 at least, this regarding the selection procedure of the Qualifier. Even the major chess programmers have spoken against this Qualifier event and its unfairness, respectable names like:

• Professor Robert Hyatt, Cray Blitz and Crafty
• Bruce Moreland, Ferret
• Chris Whittington, Chess System Tal
• Ulrich Tuerke, Comet
• Stefan Meyer-Kahlen, Shredder
• Peter McKenzie, LambChop
• James Robertson, Insomniac
• Dieter Buerssner, Yace
• Ed Schroder, Rebel
• Christophe Theron, Chess Tiger

All disagreed with the selection procedure, the Qualifier to play Kramnik.

Other known names have protested too, to name the most important one, David Levy, chairman of the ICCA. The ICCA is the key organization that unite and represents chess programmers and is responsible organizing the yearly official World championship, this successfully over a period for more than 25 years. The protest is IGNORED !!

More protests are coming in daily from chess journalists all over the world. Yesterday we received a so-called "open letter" from Jeroen Noomen a long time dutch chess journalist, computer chess expert since 18 years, one of the leading opening experts in the world. Jeroen Noomen has earned extra credit being the author of the opening books for Rebel since 1989. Jeroen has asked us to put his open letter on the Rebel Home Page and so we do.



Open letter to prof. Enrique Irazoqui
by Jeroen Noomen

Dear prof. Irazoqui,

During the past few weeks all chess enthousiasts and chess computer fans were delighted to hear about the Braingames qualifier, to produce a 'challenger' to play Vladimir Kramnik in a serious match. Organisation was given to you, a pretty easy to understand decision as you have a lot of experience in organizing a chess computer tournament. I know you since several years as a fine person, unbiased and with a lot of understanding concerning chess programs. I always have been an admirer of your work, especially the famous Cadaques Tournament.

Needless to say I was stunned to hear that Chess Tiger, currently one of the strongest chess programs, was not even invited to participate in this qualifier. I tried to get information about the 'why', but up till now nobody has given any specific argument why Chess Tiger could not play there. To exclude such a strong program is, of course, very strange (to say the least). Several people have asked me why Chess Tiger is not participating. I only could say 'I don't know, sorry'.

Suppose there will be a qualifying event amongst human players to bring about a new challenger for Kramnik. Wouldn't it be very strange if the organisers of such an event would say to Anand 'sorry, you can't compete'? Nobody would understand that. As in this case nobody understands your decision why you refrain from letting Chess Tiger play in these qualification matches. Therefore I want to ask you, publicly through this letter, to clarify matters and to present the chess enthousiasts the answers on the following questions:

• 1. Why wasn't Chess Tiger invited to this qualifier?



• 2. Why did the Chess Tiger team only hear about this qualifier some weeks before the event started?



• 3. Why did you refuse to let Chess Tiger play, even though the Tiger team very willingly cooperated to make the participation of Chess Tiger possible?



• 4. Why didn't you try to find a positive solution to this matter?



• 5. Why did you keep on saying 'no', even when it became clear Chess Tiger could play under the conditions you wanted?



• 6. Why did you refuse to believe that Chess Tiger could play under your conditions, the more because you haven't checked this out yourself?



• 7. Do you think it is fair to exclude very strong chess programs from such an event?



• 8. What proposal was made to the IBM team: Could they play on their own hardware, or did they have to play on specified hardware?



• 9. What was the reason IBM declined the offer?



• 10. Knowing you as a fair person, unbiased and with great achievements for computer chess, can you now look into a mirror and say to yourself 'I have been absolutely fair to all parties and I have been honest to all the other chess programmers who are not competing now'?



• 11. I am pretty sure that deep inside you, you will not feel happy about this. And that you know that programs like Shredder and Chess Tiger should compete as well. Am I correct in stating this?



• 12. Now there is a delay in the Fritz-Junior match, is there room for Chess Tiger in this event?

I think everybody would appreciate it when you give a public statement and answer those questions in an honest way. Otherwise people will get the impression that this qualifier is a pre arranged event, that is not open to all the strongest chess programs, but only to some of them. It is up to you to clarify matters and to make clear why Chess Tiger is not playing here. I think you owe us an explanation.

You made a clear mistake by excluding Chess Tiger from this event. That is my opinion and I know many people will agree with me. Still, making mistakes is human, it can happen to everybody. Truly great people are those people who admit they made a mistake and correct it. You are still able to correct this mistake, too. By allowing Chess Tiger to play in the qualifier.

I ask you to give the answers to these questions, questions that many people are wondering about. And that you correct your mistake and let Chess Tiger play in the qualifier.

Sincerely yours,

Jeroen Noomen