The AI
Four opponents sit down at every table. The same face means the same level in every game, and what each one can do is measured, never promised.
Pip
Easy
The club's newest member. Misses things, forgets to look again, and is delighted when you punish it.
- Chess
- Picks moves like Lichess players in the lowest rating band, never from the unlikely long tail, so its slips are ordinary ones.
- Four in a Row
- Plays its learned policy with a little randomness and no look-ahead.
- Heads-Up Hold'em
- Calls often and raises cautiously.
- Word Duel
- Guesses any word that fits what it knows, and sometimes overlooks a clue.
- Tinderbox
- Short strings, blocks late, never punishes.
- Coldstore
- Walks open lanes and aims after you do.
Marlow
Medium
A regular who punishes the obvious and lets the subtle go. Steady, polite, never in a hurry.
- Chess
- Picks moves like Lichess players in the middle rating band, drawing from the full spread of what they play, but skipping moves that hang material.
- Four in a Row
- Looks ahead with a short search before each move.
- Heads-Up Hold'em
- Calls often and avoids going all in with weaker starting hands.
- Word Duel
- Guesses the most common word that fits every clue.
- Tinderbox
- Anti-airs on reaction, drops long combos.
- Coldstore
- Practice opponent. Its strength is still being checked.
Vesper
Hard
The evening sharp. Patient, exact, and quick to turn a slip into the whole game.
- Chess
- Picks from the moves a top-band Lichess player would most likely play, always takes a mate when it sees it, skips moves that hang material, and avoids repeating a won position.
- Four in a Row
- Looks further ahead than Marlow before each move.
- Heads-Up Hold'em
- Mixes bets and protects strong starting hands.
- Word Duel
- Picks the guess from the remaining candidates that splits them best.
- Tinderbox
- Whiff punishes and full combos on counter hit.
- Coldstore
- Practice opponent. Its strength is still being checked.
Sable
Champion
The house champion. Human-like play with a carefully recorded reaction limit.
- Chess
- Searches ahead with a learned position evaluator and a fixed search budget.
- Four in a Row
- Runs the deepest search the site has, within about a second and a half.
- Heads-Up Hold'em
- Practice opponent. Its strength is still being checked.
- Word Duel
- Looks a further guess ahead, choosing from every allowed word.
- Tinderbox
- Practice opponent. Its strength is still being checked.
- Coldstore
- Quick counter-aim at any range.
How strong, measured
These numbers come from tests of each opponent. A level that has not passed its checks says so instead of showing a guess.
What is site Elo?
Site Elo is a strength number we measure by playing the levels against each other. Easy is pinned at 1000 and every other level is placed from its results against the one below. A gap of 200 points means the stronger side is expected to win about three games in four (76 in 100, counting a draw as half). It is not a FIDE or chess.com rating, so it says nothing about how you would score against people.
| Game | Pip (Easy) | Marlow (Medium) | Vesper (Hard) | Sable (Champion) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chess | site Elo 1000 | site Elo 1788 | site Elo 2226 | site Elo 2436 |
| Four in a Row | site Elo 1000 | site Elo 1402 | site Elo 1593 | site Elo 1931 |
| Heads-Up Hold'em | site Elo 1000 | site Elo 1134 | site Elo 1245 | PracticeEarly version, not yet strength tested. |
| Word Duel | site Elo 1000 | site Elo 1093 | site Elo 1191 | site Elo 1211 |
| Tinderbox | Beats our test bots in at least 3 of 10 games, including loop tricks; not yet measured against people. Its closest call was the turtle bot. | Beats our test bots in at least 8 of 10 games, including loop tricks; not yet measured against people. Its closest call was the turtle bot. | Beats our test bots in at least 9 of 10 games, including loop tricks; not yet measured against people. Its closest call was the fast hold-back fireball bot. | PracticeEarly version, not yet strength tested. |
| Coldstore | Beats our test bots in at least 6 of 10 games, including ones that peek, strafe and hold an angle; not yet measured against people. | PracticeEarly version, not yet strength tested. | PracticeEarly version, not yet strength tested. | Beats our test bots in at least 8 of 10 games, including ones that peek, strafe and hold an angle; not yet measured against people.50 ms (3 frames), no action cap |