Infiltration Behind Enemy Lines • Stockfish 181224 vs Fire 7.1 • TCEC Season 14 (05), Division P (2018) • Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation (E32)
Francisco Yepes Barrera
2 min read
Piotr Makowski - https://unsplash.com/photos/grayscale-photo-of-a-chess-set-SIKCOftUa8Y
Ever heard of the intense engine showdowns in TCEC Season 14 Division P? This was back on December 27, 2018—game 15 from round 4.3—pitting Stockfish 181224 (Elo 3612, the beastly frontrunner) against Fire 7.1 (3452), in a grueling supercomputer tournament running 90-minute rapid games (+10s/move) that could stretch hours. TCEC’s premier league featured top AIs battling for supremacy, with Stockfish often reigning supreme. Still, Fire was no pushover, scrapping for points in this high-stakes division where every pawn mattered toward superfinal qualification.
Heading in, Stockfish was the favorite after dominating prior seasons, while Fire aimed to disrupt with solid Nimzo prep—engines don’t “prep” like humans, but their book choices set the trap.
They dive into a Nimzo-Indian Classical (E32): Stockfish plays solidly 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2, forcing 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3. Fire equalizes with 7…c5 8.dxc5 bxc5 9.e3 d6, but Stockfish grabs space (11.Ne2 h6 12.Bh4). Fire lashes out kingside (15…Nh5 17…f5), pushing 18…g5 19…Rf7.
White maneuvers cleverly (20.Rd1 21.b3 g4 22.f4), centralizing with 23.Qd2 d5 24.Nc3. Fire trades (25…Rd8 26.Na4 Qc6), but 27.b4 cxb4 28.axb4 Rc8 29.Bc3 Qxc4 sparks tactics. Stockfish ramps up (31.Bxf6 Qxa4 32.Ra1), snagging material while Fire’s 34.Qf2 Qe7 holds briefly.
The turning point? 40.Rg2 a3??—a massive blunder (+4.25), handing 41.Rag1 a2 42.Qg3 Rg8 43.Qxg8+. Stockfish crashes through (44.Rxg8 Rf6 45.Be2 Qf7), dominating the endgame (47.Bh5 e5 48.Bxe5). Fire’s pawns crumble (51.Bg6+ 52.Bxd4 53.e4), and White’s rooks seal it with 58.Rg7+ 59.Ba1—adjudicated win after precise rook infiltration and pawn promo threats, clocking over 3 hours!
