OpenChess

I'm using a Houdini 1.5 through Polyglot on a winboard interface. The problem is that the engine seems to be playing in analysis mode, unless there is some kind of bug. When I turn on analysis contempt Houdini plays ridiculously aggressive and gets pummeled. When I turn analysis contempt off Houdini plays defensive and gets pummeled. Is this normal for Polyglot? Do engines always play in analysis mode through Polyglot? I have been using Houdini 1.03a through Polyglot and it played fine. I did try Houdini 1.5 through shredder gui and it seemed much stronger than through Polyglot? Any advice would be appreciated.

AnthonyTheSage,

It's not whether Houdini's Analysis Contempt is turned Off or On. It's more about the strength of your bin book/s for PolyGlot & Winboard. I am doing much better using Houdini 1.5 in PolyGlot & Winboard compared to when I used Rybka 4 with PolyGlot & Winboard. Of course, this boost is inpart due to Houdini 1.5's increased ELO. Other avenues to consider are; your OS and certain tweaking of Houdini 1.5, and the PolyGlot fork & version used.

I created a new polyglot.ini and all seems to be well. This version of Houdini is very intriguing indeed. I've been playing it against Rybka from the same openings and it seems to play different every time. The first time it got destroyed, then it tried a different route, and got a draw. Now Rybka can't seem to win. I like it.