Difference between revisions of "TCEC Leagues Season Rules"

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(3. League 4: correction)
m (Rules: removing deprecated book names)
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# For the League 4 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# For the League 4 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# League 4 or L4 consists of 12 engines including the promotions from QL.  
 
# League 4 or L4 consists of 12 engines including the promotions from QL.  
# It is a 1x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a randomized 4-move opening book with low bias by Nelson Hernandez (Book A).  
+
# It is a 1x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a randomized 4-move opening book with low bias by Nelson Hernandez.  
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# The bottom 4 engines relegate and the top 4 promote to League 3.
 
# The bottom 4 engines relegate and the top 4 promote to League 3.
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# For the League 3 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# For the League 3 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# League 3 or L3 consists of 12 engines including the promotions from L4.  
 
# League 3 or L3 consists of 12 engines including the promotions from L4.  
# It is a 1x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a randomized variable depth moderate bias opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda and Bastiaan Braams (Book B).  
+
# It is a 1x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a randomized variable depth moderate bias opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda and Bastiaan Braams.  
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# The bottom 4 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to League 2.
 
# The bottom 4 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to League 2.
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# For the League 2 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# For the League 2 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# League 2 or L2 consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L3.  
 
# League 2 or L2 consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L3.  
# It is a 2x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a sequential varied depth opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda (Book C).  
+
# It is a 2x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a sequential varied depth opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda.  
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# The bottom 2 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to League 1.
 
# The bottom 2 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to League 1.
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# For the League 1 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# For the League 1 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# League 1 or L1 consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L2.  
 
# League 1 or L1 consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L2.  
# It is a 2x double round robin at TC 45'+4.5" with a sequential varied depth opening book by Bastiaan Braams (Book D).
+
# It is a 2x double round robin at TC 45'+4.5" with a sequential varied depth opening book by Bastiaan Braams.
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# The bottom 2 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to Premier Division.
 
# The bottom 2 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to Premier Division.
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# For the Premier League Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# For the Premier League Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
 
# Premier Division or DivP consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L1.
 
# Premier Division or DivP consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L1.
# It is a 4x double round robin at TC 60'+6" with a sequential opening book by Nelson Hernandez (Book E).  
+
# It is a 4x double round robin at TC 60'+6" with a sequential opening book by Nelson Hernandez.  
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
 
# The top 2 engines promote to the Superfinal and the bottom 2 engines are relegated to League 1.
 
# The top 2 engines promote to the Superfinal and the bottom 2 engines are relegated to League 1.
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===8.1 Infrafinal===
 
===8.1 Infrafinal===
 
# The Infrafinal is the seventh Event of TCEC Leagues and consists of a 50 games head to head contest between the 3rd and 4th place of the Premier Division.
 
# The Infrafinal is the seventh Event of TCEC Leagues and consists of a 50 games head to head contest between the 3rd and 4th place of the Premier Division.
# The Infrafinal consists of a 2 engine 25DRR, 50 games at TC 90'+9", with a sequential varied depth opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda (Book G).
+
# The Infrafinal consists of a 2 engine 25DRR, 50 games at TC 90'+9", with a sequential varied depth opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda.
 
# The third place finisher of Premier Division takes the black pieces first in every pair of games.
 
# The third place finisher of Premier Division takes the black pieces first in every pair of games.
 
# If the match is theoretically won for one side before game 50, the match will still continue until all 50 games have been played.  
 
# If the match is theoretically won for one side before game 50, the match will still continue until all 50 games have been played.  
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===8.2 Superfinal===
 
===8.2 Superfinal===
 
# The Superfinal is the eighth and final Event of TCEC Leagues and consists of a 100 games head to head contest between the winner and 2nd place of the Premier Division.
 
# The Superfinal is the eighth and final Event of TCEC Leagues and consists of a 100 games head to head contest between the winner and 2nd place of the Premier Division.
# The Superfinal consists of a 2 engine 50DRR, 100 games at TC 120'+12", with a sequential varied depth opening book by GM Matthew Sadler and Jeroen Noomen (Book F; each author made 25 exits).
+
# The Superfinal consists of a 2 engine 50DRR, 100 games at TC 120'+12", with a sequential varied depth opening book by GM Matthew Sadler and Jeroen Noomen (each author made 25 exits).
 
# The winner of Premier Division takes the black pieces first in every pair of games.
 
# The winner of Premier Division takes the black pieces first in every pair of games.
 
# The match will still continue until all 100 games have been played, even if the match is theoretically won for one side before game 100.
 
# The match will still continue until all 100 games have been played, even if the match is theoretically won for one side before game 100.

Revision as of 22:54, 5 February 2022

TCEC Season - Rules

Rules

1. Season

  1. The Top Chess Engine Championship (TCEC) Season is the premier championship for chess software.
  2. TCEC Leagues Season is a tournament, between engines with ELO 3000+, the first event of a TCEC Season, which further comprises the TCEC Cup, TCEC Swiss and TCEC FRC tournaments.
  3. A TCEC Leagues Season is divided into 8 Events, consisting of five Leagues, the Premier Division, the Infrafinal, and the Superfinal.
  4. Each of the Leagues, the Premier Division, the Infrafinal, and the Superfinal, is hereafter called: an Event.
  5. As soon as an Event starts, it will run 24/7 until all its games have been played. One game is played at a time - the next one starts automatically.
  6. There will be a short break between the Events, used for testing and making sure everything is ok with the TCEC game server as well as to prepare for the next Event.
  7. Updating engines will only be allowed for promoting engines between the Events of Leagues 3 and 2, between Leagues 2 and 1, and between League 1 and Premier Division, and for Infrafinal and Superfinal.
  8. For all TCEC Events, engines will be invited by the organizers, and can be required to respond to the TCEC Questionnaire.

2. Qualification League

  1. The Qualification League is the first Event of TCEC Season.
  2. For the Qualification League Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
  3. The Qualification League or QL consists of engines recently submitted by their authors, all of which are under active development.
  4. It is a 1x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with each game beginning from the regular chess starting position (bookless).
  5. Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
  6. The top 4 engines promote to League 4.

3. League 4

  1. The League 4 is the second Event of TCEC Season.
  2. For the League 4 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
  3. League 4 or L4 consists of 12 engines including the promotions from QL.
  4. It is a 1x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a randomized 4-move opening book with low bias by Nelson Hernandez.
  5. Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
  6. The bottom 4 engines relegate and the top 4 promote to League 3.

4. League 3

  1. The League 3 is the third Event of TCEC Season.
  2. For the League 3 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
  3. League 3 or L3 consists of 12 engines including the promotions from L4.
  4. It is a 1x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a randomized variable depth moderate bias opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda and Bastiaan Braams.
  5. Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
  6. The bottom 4 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to League 2.

5. League 2

  1. The League 2 is the fourth Event of TCEC Season.
  2. For the League 2 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
  3. League 2 or L2 consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L3.
  4. It is a 2x double round robin at TC 30'+3" with a sequential varied depth opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda.
  5. Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
  6. The bottom 2 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to League 1.

6. League 1

  1. The League 1 is the fifth Event of TCEC Season.
  2. For the League 1 Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
  3. League 1 or L1 consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L2.
  4. It is a 2x double round robin at TC 45'+4.5" with a sequential varied depth opening book by Bastiaan Braams.
  5. Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
  6. The bottom 2 engines relegate and the top 2 promote to Premier Division.

7. Premier Division

  1. The Premier Division is the sixth Event of TCEC Season.
  2. For the Premier League Event, engines will be invited by the organizers.
  3. Premier Division or DivP consists of 8 engines including the promotions from L1.
  4. It is a 4x double round robin at TC 60'+6" with a sequential opening book by Nelson Hernandez.
  5. Engine order in cutechess at the start will be randomized.
  6. The top 2 engines promote to the Superfinal and the bottom 2 engines are relegated to League 1.

8.1 Infrafinal

  1. The Infrafinal is the seventh Event of TCEC Leagues and consists of a 50 games head to head contest between the 3rd and 4th place of the Premier Division.
  2. The Infrafinal consists of a 2 engine 25DRR, 50 games at TC 90'+9", with a sequential varied depth opening book by CCM Eduardo Sauceda.
  3. The third place finisher of Premier Division takes the black pieces first in every pair of games.
  4. If the match is theoretically won for one side before game 50, the match will still continue until all 50 games have been played.
  5. In case the match ends in a tie there will be sets of Blitz matches of 2 games each, with a time control of 3' + 2", with random openings selected from earlier opening books in the same Season, until a decisive pair takes place and with it a winner is found.
  6. The winner of the Infrafinal is the official 3rd finishing engine of the TCEC Leagues Event.

8.2 Superfinal

  1. The Superfinal is the eighth and final Event of TCEC Leagues and consists of a 100 games head to head contest between the winner and 2nd place of the Premier Division.
  2. The Superfinal consists of a 2 engine 50DRR, 100 games at TC 120'+12", with a sequential varied depth opening book by GM Matthew Sadler and Jeroen Noomen (each author made 25 exits).
  3. The winner of Premier Division takes the black pieces first in every pair of games.
  4. The match will still continue until all 100 games have been played, even if the match is theoretically won for one side before game 100.
  5. In the case of a drawn match there will be a rapid match of 16 games with a time control of 25' + 10" with random openings selected from earlier opening books in the same Season.
  6. In case it is still tied there will be sets of Blitz matches of 8 games each with a time control of 3' + 2", with random openings selected from earlier opening books in the same Season, until a winner is found.
  7. When the Superfinal is over, the current Leagues Season ends.

9. The TCEC Grand Champion

  1. The winner of the Superfinal will be crowned the TCEC Grand Champion and will keep this title until there is a winner in the next TCEC Season's Superfinal.
  2. There is no automatic qualification for the reigning Grand Champion, it will have to go all the way through the Premier Division of the next Season for it to be able to defend the title.

10. Time control

  1. Different classical time controls will be used throughout the season and the time control is increased as the season progresses.
  2. For the Qualification League, League 4, League 3 and League 2 Events, the time control is 30 minutes + 3 seconds added per move for the whole game.
  3. For League 1 Event, the time control is 45 minutes + 4.5 seconds added per move for the whole game.
  4. For Premier Division, the time control is 60 minutes + 6 seconds added per move for the whole game.
  5. For the Infrafinal, the time control is 90 minutes + 9 seconds added per move for the whole game.
  6. For the Superfinal, the time control is 120 minutes + 12 seconds added per move for the whole game.

11. Game ending

  1. A game can be won by mate, opponent's illegal move, opponent's resignation, opponent loses on time, or by tablebase adjudication.
  2. A game can end in a draw by three-fold repetition, 50-move rule, stalemate, tablebase adjudication, and by the TCEC draw rule.
  3. The TCEC draw rule automatically rules a game as drawn at move 35 or later if the eval from both playing engines are within +0.15 to -0.15 pawns for the last 5 moves, or 10 plies. If there is a pawn advance, or a capture of any kind, this draw rule will reset and start over.
  4. Cutechess-cli will adjudicate 6-men (or less) endgame positions automatically with Syzygy tablebases.

12. Tiebreaks

  1. If necessary, tiebreaks shall be used to determine advancement, based on the final standings of a League or Division. For all Events except Infrafinal and Superfinal, the following criteria will be used, in the order as presented below:
    1. In case of engines being tied, then the direct encounter(s) between the tied engines decides first.
    2. The Sonneborn-Berger is the second criterion.
    3. r-mobility tiebreak is the third criterion.
    4. Fourth criterion is greatest number of double wins (winning both sides of a game pair and/or book exit)
    5. Fifth criterion is lowest average number of moves in won games
    6. Sixth criterion is highest average number of moves in lost games
    7. In the unlikely event engines are even then still tied, the Tournament Organizers will decide on promotion or relegation.

13. Engine Updates

  1. Testing will be done and provided to all invited engines; there are three entering slots by invitation:
    1. Before start of Qualification League: for all new engines as well as those engines that have a League seed in QL, L4 or L3, based on the former TCEC Leagues Season.
    2. Between League 3 and 2: for all L2 and L1 engines that have a League seed in L2 and L1, based on the former TCEC Leagues Season.
    3. Between League 1 and Premier Division: for all L1 and DivP engines that have a League seed in L1 and DivP, based on the former TCEC Leagues Season.
  2. For engines that promote to the next Event, the following rules apply:
  3. Except when promoting from QL to L4, and from L4 to L3, all engines that promote to the next Event are allowed to update before the Event's submission deadline, no matter if it is to fix bugs uncovered during the previous Event, or to submit a better version. To summarize:
    1. No testing will be done and provided, nor is updating allowed, between Qualification League and League 4.
    2. No testing will be done and provided, nor is updating allowed, between League 4 and League 3.
    3. Testing will be done and provided, and updating allowed, between League 3 and League 2.
    4. Testing will be done and provided, and updating allowed, between League 2 and League 1.
    5. Testing will be done and provided, and updating allowed, between League 1 and Premier Division.
    6. Testing will be done and provided, and updating allowed, between Premier Division and Superfinal.
  4. The deadline for engine submission is the last game of the current Event unless the programmer is given a specific deadline from the Tournament Organizers - the goal is to be able to start the next Event as soon as possible without any significant delay.
  5. Note that despite testing between certain Events will be provided, engine authors update at their own risk.
  6. Once an Event is being played, no updates are allowed during it.

14. Engine Ratings

  1. The TCEC engine ratings can be found at https://tcec-chess.com/bayeselo.txt
  2. This list is updated live after every official game and includes all games, including rapid or faster time control games from current and previous season.
  3. Most testing games with sufficiently long time control are also used.
  4. Version numbers are ignored and all games are included, including games lost on time or due to crash.
  5. New engines are assigned a temporary rating based on testing, until an official rating can be calculated after they played in an Event.

15. Crashes

  1. If an engine loses on time, the result will not be changed or the game replayed.
  2. In case of a server disconnect, or time loss due to lag, or other interruptions not caused by the engines there are five possible scenarios:
    1. If the web server crashes, the game continues unaffected, and broadcasting will be resumed as soon as possible;
    2. If at the moment of game server interruption the evaluation of both engines is more than +10, or if the evaluation of both engines is less than -10, the game is scored as a win;
    3. If the evaluation of both engines is less than ABS(0.15) at the moment of game server interruption, and both engines have completed 35 moves, the game is scored as a draw;
    4. If a game interrupts with 7 pieces on the board, position on the board at the instant of game server interruption will be adjudicated according to 7-man EGTB;
    5. In all other cases the game is restarted from the position that the two engines reached before the disconnect, with time compensation to fill up the cache.
  3. Crashes are counted as losses.
  4. Any engine crashing more than once, yet promoting, is allowed to fix the problem leading to the crashes, but not update in the sense of changing any other part of the software.

Further information

See also