Answers.Body: <p>Magnus Carlsen was beaten by his own chess app, but it wasn't a serious game and he did it for a presentation. I don't think that game meant anything. While I don't have data for the World Champion, I'm quite certain one of the former world women chess champions was overwhelmed by my iPhone mobile chess app. I also got similar reports for grandmaster over FIDE 2600.</p>
  
  <p>To appreciate the power of a mobile chess app, we should review the match between Deep Fritz and Kramnik in 2006. According to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Kramnik#Deep_Fritz_match">wikipedia</a>, the machine had two Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs. Wikipedia <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_2">states</a> the CPUs have clock speed of 1.06 GHz to 3.33 GHz. The wikipedia also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_A8">states</a> the latest Apple A8 chip has clock speed of 1.1 GHz to 1.4 GHz. Please keep in mind clock speed is a very rough guide to performance. Anyway, the Apple iPhone is <em>at least</em> competitive to an Intel Core 2 Duo in terms of raw clock speed. It has been <a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/03/31/analysis-affirms-apples-a7-processor-closer-to-a-desktop-cpu-than-regular-mobile-chip">reported</a> the older Apple A7 chip has performance close to desktop. You should be assured the latest Apple A8 chip can give any grandmaster a challenge. </p>
  
  <p>Let's take a look at the <a href="http://chesstroid.blogspot.be/2015/06/rapidroid-reloaded-june-2015-komodo-9.html">unofficial rating list</a> for Android chess engines. While the rating scale is not related to the FIDE rating, it's hard to believe Carlsen will have an easy time against Komodo 9 on Galaxy 6, which has a rating of 3239 in the list.</p>
  
  <p>Apart from the hardware, the engine algorithm has improved dramatically since Kramnik's match. We now have access to everything that a super chess engine should do; just look at the source code of Stockfish. Back in 2006 when the match was played, all of the strongest engines were closed source.</p>
  
  <p>The version that Kramnik played was a 32 bits engine. This is a bit embarrassing in today's standard. The stronger mobile chess apps (including my own) are now 64 bits.</p>
  
  <p>We don't have any concrete data because no grandmaster has played a serious match against a mobile phone (because there is no money involved). What we can do is infer from historical data, software improvement and rating list. <strong>I am confident Carlsen will be beaten by the strongest mobile chess app on the app store.</strong></p>
  
  <p>Finally, while Carlsen is the best player <em>against human players</em>, he's probably not the best player <em>against computers</em>. For example, Carlsen's usually trick; pushing hard in a drawn endgame would not work against a computer. Computer engine will never blunder and will never crack.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-08-03T07:56:36.720Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-08-03T07:56:36.720Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: SmallChess
Body: <p>Assume that the phone is one of today's high-end phones, e.g. the Samsung Galaxy S6. Also, assume that the match is a classical time limit match.</p>
  
Tags: <engines><carlsen>
Title: Would the best mobile phone chess app be a favorite in a match against Carlsen?
ThreadText: # Would the best mobile phone chess app be a favorite in a match against Carlsen?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2015-08-03)
  
  Assume that the phone is one of today's high-end phones, e.g. the Samsung Galaxy S6. Also, assume that the match is a classical time limit match.
  
  **Tags:** engines, carlsen
  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2015-08-03. Score: 7 | Accepted answer
  
  Magnus Carlsen was beaten by his own chess app, but it wasn't a serious game and he did it for a presentation. I don't think that game meant anything. While I don't have data for the World Champion, I'm quite certain one of the former world women chess champions was overwhelmed by my iPhone mobile chess app. I also got similar reports for grandmaster over FIDE 2600.
  
  To appreciate the power of a mobile chess app, we should review the match between Deep Fritz and Kramnik in 2006. According to the [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Kramnik#Deep_Fritz_match), the machine had two Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs. Wikipedia [states](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_2) the CPUs have clock speed of 1.06 GHz to 3.33 GHz. The wikipedia also [states](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_A8) the latest Apple A8 chip has clock speed of 1.1 GHz to 1.4 GHz. Please keep in mind clock speed is a very rough guide to performance. Anyway, the Apple iPhone is *at least* competitive to an Intel Core 2 Duo in terms of raw clock speed. It has been [reported](http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/03/31/analysis-affirms-apples-a7-processor-closer-to-a-desktop-cpu-than-regular-mobile-chip) the older Apple A7 chip has performance close to desktop. You should be assured the latest Apple A8 chip can give any grandmaster a challenge.
  
  Let's take a look at the [unofficial rating list](http://chesstroid.blogspot.be/2015/06/rapidroid-reloaded-june-2015-komodo-9.html) for Android chess engines. While the rating scale is not related to the FIDE rating, it's hard to believe Carlsen will have an easy time against Komodo 9 on Galaxy 6, which has a rating of 3239 in the list.
  
  Apart from the hardware, the engine algorithm has improved dramatically since Kramnik's match. We now have access to everything that a super chess engine should do; just look at the source code of Stockfish. Back in 2006 when the match was played, all of the strongest engines were closed source.
  
  The version that Kramnik played was a 32 bits engine. This is a bit embarrassing in today's standard. The stronger mobile chess apps (including my own) are now 64 bits.
  
  We don't have any concrete data because no grandmaster has played a serious match against a mobile phone (because there is no money involved). What we can do is infer from historical data, software improvement and rating list. **I am confident Carlsen will be beaten by the strongest mobile chess app on the app store.**
  
  Finally, while Carlsen is the best player *against human players*, he's probably not the best player *against computers*. For example, Carlsen's usually trick; pushing hard in a drawn endgame would not work against a computer. Computer engine will never blunder and will never crack.
  
  
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