Answers.Body: <p>Computers are really stupid, they can't evaluate a position that contains exchange threats.  When the program reaches the expected depth and there are exchanges present in the position, the computer performs a Static Exchange Evaluation, which is hard to program correctly, or it extends the search depth until the exchanges and other factors are eliminated.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2018-08-20T10:58:33.910Z
Answers.Text: @hoacin I'd argue that cleverness should be attributed to the programmers that told them to not evaluate immediately.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Inertial Ignorance
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Answers.CreationDate: 2017-11-27T08:37:33.840Z
Answers.Text: That sounds more like computers are clever enough not to evaluate highly dynamic positions. I don't see much stupidity in that.
Answers.UserDisplayName: hoacin
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Answers.CreationDate: 2020-02-24T22:16:14.640Z
Answers.Text: Even 1980s chess programs like Sargon II would push beyond the normal number of ply for the set level in cases involving captures.
Answers.UserDisplayName: supercat
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-08-07T01:17:31.827Z
Answers.Text: I think that the UCI output from info command will give a parameter called "seldepth".
  That should be the maximal search depth effective as per that extension from specified depth.  googling gives: http://www.talkchess.com/forum3/viewtopic.php?t=65516
Answers.UserDisplayName: dbdb
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Answers.CreationDate: 2017-11-25T22:47:52.857Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-11-25T22:47:52.857Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Fred Knight
Body: <p>I am using the Arena GUI to run Stockfish. I set up the following position.</p>
  
  <pre><code>[FEN "r2q1rk1/2p1bppp/p1n5/1p1pP3/3Pn3/1P3N1P/1P3PP1/RNBQR1K1 w - - 0 11"]
  [SetUp "1"]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>At a search depth of 16 half moves stockfish gives the following analysis:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Nc3 f5 exf6 Nxf6 Bg5 h6 Qe2 Qd6 Qe6+ Kh8 Qxd6 cxd6 Bf4 b4 Na4 Nd7 Bg3 Rc8 Rc1 Kh7 Re6
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>As it stands, the line above consists of 21 half moves. I thought it was a problem with the GUI so I ran the same position into stockfish from the command line and again it gives a line with 21 moves. How is this possible? Is it a configuration from the engine to search at a depth higher than the specified?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-11-25T17:40:57.587Z
Comments.Text: Depth is obsolete measure. It's used only for historical reasons. It doesn't mean what you expect in modern engines. It's just a number with no exact meaning.
Comments.UserDisplayName: hoacin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-11-25T18:42:43.620Z
Comments.Text: So why even is the "number of half-moves" depth option there?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Wais Kamal
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-11-25T18:49:55.453Z
Comments.Text: @WaisKamal is that the initial analysis or has it already played a few moves?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-11-25T21:14:14.283Z
Comments.Text: People want to see easy number,  they don't have to understand what's behind that. The bigger, the better. That's all. No reason to change this very old depth  measure. It only doesn't mean what it was named after some decades ago.
Comments.UserDisplayName: hoacin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-11-26T15:58:07.423Z
Comments.Text: No @Dennis I restarted the engine to clear the hash memory then analysed this position.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Wais Kamal
Tags: <engines><stockfish><depth>
Title: Stockfish is cheating?
ThreadText: # Stockfish is cheating?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-25)
  
  I am using the Arena GUI to run Stockfish. I set up the following position.
  
  ```
  [FEN "r2q1rk1/2p1bppp/p1n5/1p1pP3/3Pn3/1P3N1P/1P3PP1/RNBQR1K1 w - - 0 11"]
  [SetUp "1"]
  
  ```
  
  At a search depth of 16 half moves stockfish gives the following analysis:
  
  ```
  Nc3 f5 exf6 Nxf6 Bg5 h6 Qe2 Qd6 Qe6+ Kh8 Qxd6 cxd6 Bf4 b4 Na4 Nd7 Bg3 Rc8 Rc1 Kh7 Re6
  
  ```
  
  As it stands, the line above consists of 21 half moves. I thought it was a problem with the GUI so I ran the same position into stockfish from the command line and again it gives a line with 21 moves. How is this possible? Is it a configuration from the engine to search at a depth higher than the specified?
  
  **Tags:** engines, stockfish, depth
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Depth is obsolete measure. It's used only for historical reasons. It doesn't mean what you expect in modern engines. It's just a number with no exact meaning.  
  > **username_0**: So why even is the "number of half-moves" depth option there?  
  > **username_2**: @username_0 is that the initial analysis or has it already played a few moves?  
  > **username_1**: People want to see easy number,  they don't have to understand what's behind that. The bigger, the better. That's all. No reason to change this very old depth  measure. It only doesn't mean what it was named after some decades ago.  
  > **username_0**: No @username_2 I restarted the engine to clear the hash memory then analysed this position.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2017-11-25. Score: 7 | Accepted answer
  
  Computers are really stupid, they can't evaluate a position that contains exchange threats. When the program reaches the expected depth and there are exchanges present in the position, the computer performs a Static Exchange Evaluation, which is hard to program correctly, or it extends the search depth until the exchanges and other factors are eliminated.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: That sounds more like computers are clever enough not to evaluate highly dynamic positions. I don't see much stupidity in that.  
  > **username_4**: @username_1 I'd argue that cleverness should be attributed to the programmers that told them to not evaluate immediately.  
  > **username_5**: Even 1980s chess programs like Sargon II would push beyond the normal number of ply for the set level in cases involving captures.  
  > **username_6**: I think that the UCI output from info command will give a parameter called "seldepth". That should be the maximal search depth effective as per that extension from specified depth.  googling gives: http://www.talkchess.com/forum3/viewtopic.php?t=65516  
  
  ---
  
  