Hydra (chess)
Encyclopedia
Hydra was a chess machine, designed by a team with Dr. Christian "Chrilly" Donninger
, Dr. Ulf Lorenz, GM
Christopher Lutz
and Muhammad Nasir Ali. Since 2006 the development team consised only of Donninger and Lutz. Hydra was under the patronage of the PAL Group and Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. The goal of the Hydra Project was to dominate the computer chess
world, and finally have an accepted victory over humans.
Hydra represents a potentially significant leap in the strength of computer chess. Lorenz estimates its FIDE
equivalent playing strength to be over Elo
3000, and this is in line with its results against Michael Adams and Shredder
8, the former micro-computer chess champion.
The Hydra team originally planned to have Hydra appear in four versions: Orthus, Chimera
, Scylla
and then the final Hydra version — the strongest of them all. The original version of Hydra evolved from an earlier design called Brutus and works in a similar fashion to Deep Blue, utilising large numbers of purpose-designed chips (in this case implemented as a field-programmable gate array
or FPGA). In Hydra, there are multiple computers, each with its own FPGA acting as a chess coprocessor. These coprocessors enabled Hydra to search enormous numbers of positions per second, making each processor more than ten times faster than an unaided computer.
Hydra played its last game in June 2006. In June 2009, Christopher Lutz stated that "unfortunately the Hydra project is discontinued." The sponsors decided to end the project.
with a Xilinx FPGA accelerator card cluster, with a total of 64 gigabyte
s of RAM. It evaluates about 150,000,000 chess positions per second, roughly the same as the much older Deep Blue, but with several times more overall computing power. Whilst FPGAs generally have a lower performance level than ASIC
chips, modern-day FPGAs run about as fast as the older ASICs used for Deep Blue. The engine is on average able to evaluate up to a depth of about 18 ply (9 moves by each player), deeper than Deep Blue, which only evaluated to about 12 ply on average. Hydra's search used alpha-beta pruning
as well as null-move heuristic
s http://tournament.hydrachess.com/faq.php. The extra search depth over Deep Blue is due to its use of more modern type B forward pruning techniques that can miss some possibilities but generally play better due to the greater search depth permitted.
The Hydra computer was physically located in Abu Dhabi
, in the United Arab Emirates
, and was usually operated over a high speed optical fiber based network link.
Hydra has so far no loss on record against an unaided human player in over-the-board play. Hydra has, however, been beaten by humans who had access to the advice of other programs during their games; for example, correspondence chess
International Grandmaster
Arno Nickel
beat an older version of Hydra in a two-game correspondence match lasting six months. The 32-node version that played against Adams managed to draw Nickel in their third game, which lasted five months and ended in December 2005.
Christian Donninger
Christian Donninger, also known as "Chrilly", is the main programmer of the chess computer Hydra, which is one of the strongest chess computer in the world. Donninger, from Austria, has a Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics, and specializes in FPGA programming....
, Dr. Ulf Lorenz, GM
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
Christopher Lutz
Christopher Lutz
Christopher Lutz is a German chess grandmaster and the German chess champion in 1995 and 2001. In 2000 he was a member of the German team that won a silver medal in the 34th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul....
and Muhammad Nasir Ali. Since 2006 the development team consised only of Donninger and Lutz. Hydra was under the patronage of the PAL Group and Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. The goal of the Hydra Project was to dominate the computer chess
Computer chess
Computer chess is computer architecture encompassing hardware and software capable of playing chess autonomously without human guidance. Computer chess acts as solo entertainment , as aids to chess analysis, for computer chess competitions, and as research to provide insights into human...
world, and finally have an accepted victory over humans.
Hydra represents a potentially significant leap in the strength of computer chess. Lorenz estimates its FIDE
Fédération Internationale des Échecs
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE , its French acronym.FIDE...
equivalent playing strength to be over Elo
Elo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
3000, and this is in line with its results against Michael Adams and Shredder
Shredder (chess)
Shredder is a commercial chess program developed in Germany by Stefan Meyer-Kahlen in 1993. Shredder won the World Microcomputer Chess Championship in 1996 and 2000, the World Computer Chess Championship in 1999 and 2003, the World Computer Speed Chess Championship in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and...
8, the former micro-computer chess champion.
The Hydra team originally planned to have Hydra appear in four versions: Orthus, Chimera
Chimera (mythology)
The Chimera or Chimaera was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing female creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of multiple animals: upon the body of a lioness with a tail that ended in a snake's head, the head of a goat arose on her back at the center of her...
, Scylla
Scylla
In Greek mythology, Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within an arrow's range of each other—so close that sailors attempting to avoid Charybdis would pass too close to Scylla and vice...
and then the final Hydra version — the strongest of them all. The original version of Hydra evolved from an earlier design called Brutus and works in a similar fashion to Deep Blue, utilising large numbers of purpose-designed chips (in this case implemented as a field-programmable gate array
Field-programmable gate array
A field-programmable gate array is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by the customer or designer after manufacturing—hence "field-programmable"...
or FPGA). In Hydra, there are multiple computers, each with its own FPGA acting as a chess coprocessor. These coprocessors enabled Hydra to search enormous numbers of positions per second, making each processor more than ten times faster than an unaided computer.
Hydra played its last game in June 2006. In June 2009, Christopher Lutz stated that "unfortunately the Hydra project is discontinued." The sponsors decided to end the project.
Architecture
Hydra ran on a 32 node Intel XeonXeon
The Xeon is a brand of multiprocessing- or multi-socket-capable x86 microprocessors from Intel Corporation targeted at the non-consumer server, workstation and embedded system markets.-Overview:...
with a Xilinx FPGA accelerator card cluster, with a total of 64 gigabyte
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
s of RAM. It evaluates about 150,000,000 chess positions per second, roughly the same as the much older Deep Blue, but with several times more overall computing power. Whilst FPGAs generally have a lower performance level than ASIC
Application-specific integrated circuit
An application-specific integrated circuit is an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use. For example, a chip designed solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC...
chips, modern-day FPGAs run about as fast as the older ASICs used for Deep Blue. The engine is on average able to evaluate up to a depth of about 18 ply (9 moves by each player), deeper than Deep Blue, which only evaluated to about 12 ply on average. Hydra's search used alpha-beta pruning
Alpha-beta pruning
Alpha-beta pruning is a search algorithm which seeks to decrease the number of nodes that are evaluated by the minimax algorithm in its search tree. It is an adversarial search algorithm used commonly for machine playing of two-player games...
as well as null-move heuristic
Null-move heuristic
In computer chess programs, the null-move heuristic is a heuristic technique used to enhance the speed of the alpha-beta pruning algorithm.- Rationale :...
s http://tournament.hydrachess.com/faq.php. The extra search depth over Deep Blue is due to its use of more modern type B forward pruning techniques that can miss some possibilities but generally play better due to the greater search depth permitted.
The Hydra computer was physically located in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, and was usually operated over a high speed optical fiber based network link.
Tournaments and matches
- In July 2002, Brutus finished 3rd in the World Computer Chess ChampionshipWorld Computer Chess ChampionshipWorld Computer Chess Championship is an annual event where computer chess engines compete against each other. The event is organized by the International Computer Games Association...
in MaastrichtMaastrichtMaastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It drew two games and lost one, giving it a score of 7.0 out of 9. The loss, against Deep JuniorDeep JuniorJunior is a computer chess program authored by the Israeli programmers Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky. Grandmaster Boris Alterman assisted, in particular with the opening book...
, included a rook sacrifice for very long term compensation, which the additional computing power of Brutus could not help it to understand.
- In November 2003, Brutus finished 4th in the World Computer Chess ChampionshipWorld Computer Chess ChampionshipWorld Computer Chess Championship is an annual event where computer chess engines compete against each other. The event is organized by the International Computer Games Association...
in GrazGrazThe more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It lost two games and drew one, giving it a score of 8.5 out of 11. This disappointing result left the team to find a new sponsor, which they found in the form of the PAL group.
- In February 2004, Hydra won the 13th IPCCC (International Paderborn Computer Chess ChampionshipInternational Paderborn Computer Chess ChampionshipThe International Paderborn Computer Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament for computer chess programs. It is organised yearly by the university of Paderborn...
) tournament. Hydra scored 6.5 out of 7, ahead of Fritz and Shredder.
- In April 2004, Hydra finished second in the International CSVN Tournament in Leiden, the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It lost one game and drew 3, leaving it with 6.5 points out of 9, 1.5 points behind winner ShredderShredder (chess)Shredder is a commercial chess program developed in Germany by Stefan Meyer-Kahlen in 1993. Shredder won the World Microcomputer Chess Championship in 1996 and 2000, the World Computer Chess Championship in 1999 and 2003, the World Computer Speed Chess Championship in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and...
. A loss out of the opening led to the hiring of GM Christopher LutzChristopher LutzChristopher Lutz is a German chess grandmaster and the German chess champion in 1995 and 2001. In 2000 he was a member of the German team that won a silver medal in the 34th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul....
, who made a new opening book.
- In August 2004, at the 14th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, Hydra played an eight game match against the computer program Shredder 8, a multiple-times world computer chess champion. Running on "just" 16 nodes Hydra defeated Shredder 5.5 - 2.5, winning three games and drawing the rest. In an informal match at the same tournament, Hydra took on International GrandmasterInternational GrandmasterThe title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
Evgeny VladimirovEvgeny VladimirovEvgeny Vladimirov is a chess Grandmaster from Kazakhstan. Vladimirov took on the computer program Hydra in August 2004 and lost three games and drew one....
of Kazakhstan, and defeated him by a score of 3.5 - 0.5.
- In October 2004, in a man vs. machine contest, Hydra defeated former FIDE world champion Ruslan PonomariovRuslan PonomariovRuslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and former FIDE World Champion.-Early career:Ponomariov was born in Horlivka in Ukraine. In 1994 he placed third in the World Under-12 Championship at the age of ten. In 1996 he won the European Under-18 Championship at the age of just...
in both of their games. Ponomariov had an ELOElo rating systemThe Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
rating of 2710 at the time of the match.
- In February 2005, Hydra won the 14th IPCCC (International Paderborn Computer Chess Championships) tournament. Hydra scored 8 out of 9 (seven wins and two draws), defeating chess program Shredder again in the process.
- Due to human handler errors and program errors, Hydra did not fare well in the June 2005 PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Tournament, an online tournament where players are allowed to access any and all resources to them, including computer engines, databases, as well as human grandmasters. Two versions of Hydra participated in the tournament- Hydra Chimera (without human intervention) scored 3.5/8, and Hydra Scylla (with human intervention) scored 4/8. Neither version of Hydra qualified for the quarter-finals.
- From June 21 to June 27, 2005, Hydra played a six game match against Michael Adams, the top British player and ranked 7th in the world. The prize fund was $145,000, paid out on a per game basis: a win netting $25,000, a draw $10,000 to both players. Hydra defeated Adams by a score of 5.5 - 0.5; Adams lost each game except for game 2 which he drew. This version of Hydra was running on half power; only 32 out of 64 nodes were utilized. Adams played against the Scylla version of Hydra.
- In November 2005, Hydra played 4 games: it beat Rustam KasimdzhanovRustam KasimdzhanovRustam Kasimdzhanov is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster, best known for winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic...
, drew with Alexander KhalifmanAlexander KhalifmanAlexander Valeryevich Khalifman is a Soviet and Russian chess Grandmaster of Jewish descent; he is also a former FIDE champion.When Khalifman was 6 years old, he was taught chess by his father....
, beat Ruslan PonomariovRuslan PonomariovRuslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and former FIDE World Champion.-Early career:Ponomariov was born in Horlivka in Ukraine. In 1994 he placed third in the World Under-12 Championship at the age of ten. In 1996 he won the European Under-18 Championship at the age of just...
and finally drew with Rustam KasimdzhanovRustam KasimdzhanovRustam Kasimdzhanov is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster, best known for winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic...
.
- In the April 2006 PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Tournament Hydra finished first with a score of 5.5/7, a full point ahead of the field. This tournament allows for any human or computer aid including teams. All 64 of Hydra's nodes were utilized.
- In the June 2006 PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Main Tournament Hydra finished tied for 5th-16th.
Hydra has so far no loss on record against an unaided human player in over-the-board play. Hydra has, however, been beaten by humans who had access to the advice of other programs during their games; for example, correspondence chess
Correspondence chess
Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon...
International Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
Arno Nickel
Arno Nickel
Arno Nickel is a German correspondence chess Grandmaster.Arno Nickel currently lives in Berlin and writes and publishes chess books through his well-known Edition Marco...
beat an older version of Hydra in a two-game correspondence match lasting six months. The 32-node version that played against Adams managed to draw Nickel in their third game, which lasted five months and ended in December 2005.
External links
- game 3 against Arno Nickel (07/11/2005)
- Play through the games of the Adams vs Hydra 2005 Match
- Beginning of New Yorker article on Hydra, Your Move: Chrilly Donninger's Hydra, computer chess program by Tom Muelle, The New Yorker, December 12, 2005
- C. Donninger, U. Lorenz. The Chess Monster Hydra. Proc. of 14th International Conference on Field-Programmable Logic and Applications (FPL), 2004, Antwerp – Belgium, LNCS 3203, pp. 927 – 932
- C. Donninger, A. Kure, U. Lorenz. Parallel Brutus: The First Distributed, FPGA Accelerated Chess Program. IPDPS 2004
- C. Donninger, U. Lorenz. Innovative Opening-Book Handling. ACG 2006: 1-10