Obsidian disrupts the computer chess field

While World Chess Championship matches like the World Chess Championship 2024 – Gukesh vs Ding Liren are taking place relatively rarely, we are blessed to have an ongoing computer chess championship 24/7. The Top Chess Engine Championship, the premier computer chess event, has not had a single day without high level chess since the year Carlsen became world champion for the first time.

Currently TCEC is in its season 27 and it is heading to its key moment, the Premier Division. There Stockfish, Leela Chess Zero, Berserk, KomodoDragon, and Seer will be joined by two ascending engines from the ongoing qualification, named League 1. There, after 23 rounds things are more surprising than ever! Seasoned fighters and medalists in TCEC events Rubichess, Rofchade, or Stoofvlees have practically no chance of joining the Premier Division. Rather, we will see Obsidian, Caissa, or Ceres enter the race for the first time.

Obsidian is currently the engine leading League 1, just past the halfway mark, with 15,5/23. The engine, written by 16 year old Gabriele Lombardo, is literally disrupting the field. While most pundits expected Ceres to win L1 and challenge the top positions in the TCEC Premier Division, it is the new version of Obsidian that shows what it takes to question the dominance of the top engines. It is now 0,5 points ahead of Caissa and a point ahead of Ceres. Only two of those engines will qualify for the Premier Division, but surely they will gun for medal positions and change a status quo in computer chess that we have seen for a decade.

Follow the TCEC championship live here

TCEC L1 standings

1. Obsidian 15,5/23
2. Caissa 15,0/23
3. Ceres 14,5/23
4. RubiChess 12,5/23
5. RofChade 11,0/23
6. Stoofvlees 10,5/23
7. Uralochka 10,5/23
8. Igel 10,0/23
9. PlentyChess 10,0/23
10. Viridithas 10,0/23
11. Revenge 9,5/23
12. Devre 9,0/23