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I am anaylizing my games with Fritz to get better, but there is an annotation in the analysis that I do not fully understand. Here is an example:

Annotation example

What do 0.53/21 and -0.25/24 mean?

Martijn Burger
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1 Answers1

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The score 0.53/21 means the chess engine evaluates the position after 6... Ng8-f6 at 0.53 pawns (or 53 centipawns) in White's favour after completing a search depth of 21 ply (or half-moves). It means White has a slight advantage.

Similarly -0.25/24 means the engine evaluates the position after 6... e7-e6 as 0.25 pawns (or 25 centipawns) in Black's favour after a search depth of 24 half-moves.

MikeD
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  • What is the usefullness in knowing the search depth? Is it relevant for the reliability of the evaluation score? – Martijn Burger Jan 03 '21 at 22:23
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    @MartijnBurger If you could choose between an engine that looked 5 moves ahead and another that looked 20 moves ahead, regardless of whether they gave the same evaluation or not, in which engine's evaluation would you be more confident? – Andrew Chin Jan 03 '21 at 23:55
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    @MartijnBurger basically high depth is always good. An engine could evaluate a position at 0.53/21 *and* also evaluate the position as -3.3/50. The latter evaluation, being at much higher depth (i.e. the engine needs to think longer to search that far ahead), should also be more accurate. – Allure Jan 04 '21 at 05:36