Introducing Komodo 11

The first thing to take note of, as odd as it might seem, is the actual version number. The reason is that users will not only know that they are in the presence of an engine that has been worked on for 11 full releases, but that even after such a long track record, it is still at the pinnacle of chess engines. This is no mean feat, and is not to be underestimated. Keeping an engine such as Komodo at the very top, requires enormous work, dedication and ingenuity.

The result is what you now have, an engine that continuously challenges its own limits, seeking to improve, even when many of those improvements are subtle things that may never be seen. However, it also means an improvement in the quality of its analysis and improved productivity for the user.

Although there is a distinct Elo gain in strength, as is to be expected, that Elo is not merely a foot pressed on the accelerator, and is the result of hundreds of small improvements that have made their way into the engine’s code. 230 to be exact since Komodo 10, according to Mark Lefler, the chief programmer, now teamed up with GM Larry Kaufman.

Let’s start with actual engine features that users can play around with. The engine’s configuration has been enriched with a slew of new options to change the engine’s behavior, but without hamstringing its strength.

Variety: allows Komodo to play with more variety and choose different moves without a big Elo reduction

Smart Syzygy: allows use of 6 piece Syzygy even on machines with hard drives. This is not insignificant, since 6-piece tablebases are as much a boon as a curse when used with a classic hard drive. On the one hand they offer absolute evaluations and moves, but on the other, the number of searches can cause the hard drive to spin endlessly and bring the analysis speed to its knees. Ideally, they should be used from either an SSD drive or a pen drive, but if that is not an option, then Smart Syzygy is a partial solution.

A glance at the new engine settings for Komodo 11

Among the improvements brought to the engine itself, here are a few:

• many speedups
• improved king safety
• entirely new material imbalance system
• better move ordering
• better Selectivity
• improved multi-processor search
• better time management
• better evaluation of bishop and knight mobility
• improved handling of under promotions
• better understanding of bishops of opposite colors
• better evaluation of pinned pieces
• better handling of advanced pawns
• better understanding of drawish endgames
• better understanding of wing pawns
• better understanding of bishop and castled kings

Needless to say, this is all just in the engine, but when you buy Komodo 11, you are also getting a top-of-the-line interface, which brings an amazing array of analytical tools, including the Live Book, which not only brings full stats and analysis on moves in the opening, but countless unplayed novelties, fully analyzed, just waiting to be unleashed.

There is also a solid working database and Opening book, and last, but definitely not least: a 6-month subscription to ChessBase Account with all the features that entails, such as the Cloud Database, the Video Archive, the Tactics Trainer, and of course complete access to Playchess, to name a few.

Presentation of the ChessBase Account video archive

A look at the Tactical Trainer in ChessBase Account

You can purchase Komodo 11 in the ChessBase Shop