Cenerentola's CPU is better than Ulf's:

And while we 'joke' about this, the number of acitve members in the tables have gone from the 17.000-18.000 I remember a couple of years ago to 10.000-11.000 now. The first page is a joke, and most of the serious chess playing are leaving or have already left. If the forums weren't so good (and a lot of good people have left there too), this site would be in dire straits.

Wouldn't it help if someone on RHP with access to the necessary software hired out as a consultant to RHP, testing the top-rated players and sending in the results? If you knew that you would be automatically tested at 2300, for instance, it would be a deterrent.

Originally posted by BaronVonChickenpants
I've just noticed that Ulf has entered one of the pending site tournaments. What's the point of anyone else entering?

If you like a challenge and or are masochistic ...go for ir!

Originally posted by John Osmar
Wouldn't it help if someone on RHP with access to the necessary software hired out as a consultant to RHP, testing the top-rated players and sending in the results? If you knew that you would be automatically tested at 2300, for instance, it would be a deterrent.

It would be like drug testing in athletics. I think its a great idea.

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
2507 is the highest ever attained by an engine on here, engines use to top out at 2350-2450. Back in the day when engines were banned thousands of points were removed from the system. Now this doesn't happen, I think that has caused some rating inflation. Also, more engines = more rating points jammed into the top 1%.

The highest rating ever is [u ...[text shortened]... multiple accounts to get that rating, a quick look through his history shows his other accounts.

I have wondered about rating inflation, and this may explain it.

In a recent tournament I mated the same 1550 player twice (one a 10 mover, the other a 15 mover), and I wondered how that could happen- I almost NEVER have quick games like that. This may explain the recent brevity.

@Lundos

The decline in player numbers doesn't necessarily have to do with the lack of engine policing. But a part of this decline could be due to players leaving out of a feeling of unfairness. Players will come and go naturally.Which makes me wonder if RHP does any advertising.

@ all

I think it's very sad that engine abuse is not actively controlled. I understand it is impossible to do perfectly, but some effort would at least return a sense of fairness in the games on here. I guess especially tournament players are affected, and I understand their disappointment.

Originally posted by tvochess
@Lundos

The decline in player numbers doesn't necessarily have to do with the lack of engine policing. But a part of this decline could be due to players leaving out of a feeling of unfairness. Players will come and go naturally.Which makes me wonder if RHP does any advertising.

@ all

I think it's very sad that engine abuse is not actively control ...[text shortened]... here. I guess especially tournament players are affected, and I understand their disappointment.

So TWO engines are over 2500 now.

So how bad is the player number decline? This still seems to be a pretty active site.

Can anyone here run a reality check on this game: 11220362 between #1 and #2 here. Or just play it over and see if it seems like a game between humans?

Originally posted by BaronVonChickenpants
So how bad is the player number decline? This still seems to be a pretty active site.

If you search for old posts about the number of members on RHP, it's clear that the decline has been dramatic. Around 18,000 active members three years ago (as indicated by Lundos above) is about right.

Originally posted by sonhouse
Can anyone here run a reality check on this game: 11220362 between #1 and #2 here. Or just play it over and see if it seems like a game between humans?

Sonhouse,

I looked it over. I'm not overly familiar with the Philidor Defense but the game appears to be pretty standard theory through move 10 or so. After that, I get lost in a lot of the moves.

There are some moves that I question, 'what thought process is going on here'. I quickly looked at several moves, say for example move 19. Why not Bxh4. Is the pawn poisoned? A quick look made it look alright and indeed I probably wouldn't have seen the fault in it until I plugged it into my computer and 7 moves later black is very clearly losing the game. Also, move 47, why Rxe5 and not dxe5? I didnt' try to analysis it further. My inclination as a human would have been dxe5 to keep from dropping the c7 pawn.

And then, there are a whole heap of moves that I don't understand at all. This seems clear to me, starting around move 20 or so black falls behind positionally. There are probably 30 or so moves in that game that I would never have considered.

If I find time I'll run the numbers on the game. Too late tonight to attempt this. My human analysis was anything but thorough (sorry). I honestly don't feel like putting a lot of time into a game that was almost certainly a battle between two CPUs.

K.T.

would be interesting to play a blitz with Cen and Ulf...

Originally posted by Aspasia
would be interesting to play a blitz with Cen and Ulf...

In person over the board with nothing sticking in their ears🙂

I agree lundos, I think as all the engines on page 1 are subscribers they won't remove them because of the decline of members and rhp doesn't want to ban paying people I think this could be the case also. When I first joined 10 years ago this site was booming. But yes sad to see a lot of good and real players leaving. Suppose that's life it happens every site people come and go.

Originally posted by sonhouse
Cen is now 2507. Is that the highest rating of all time for RHP? Engine or human?

quite pedantically it was a human:

@Golden-King, but it was a prank on the system of course.