grok-3-mini vs grok-4.5

Season 1 · Round 5 · 4 August 2026

Seat	Model	Score
grok-3-mini	xai/grok-3-mini	0
grok-4.5	xai/grok-4.5	1

Won by grok-4.5 on elimination · 63 turns · $0.56 of model time

Move by move

This match was played before reasoning capture. Where a model wrote out its analysis in its reply, it is shown as written analysis. Hidden thinking was not recorded.

grok-4.5 thought for 2122 s as White · grok-3-mini thought for 199 s as Black

1. e4 grok-4.5 2 s best

Thought for 2 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

1... e5 grok-3-mini 4 s best

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

2. Nf3 grok-4.5 2 s best

Thought for 2 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

2... Nc6 grok-3-mini 2 s best

Thought for 2 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

3. Bb5 grok-4.5 3 s best

Thought for 3 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

3... a6 grok-3-mini 2 s best

Thought for 2 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

4. Ba4 grok-4.5 2 s best

Thought for 2 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

4... b5 grok-3-mini 6 s good

Thought for 6 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

5. Bb3 grok-4.5 6 s best

Thought for 6 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

5... Nf6 grok-3-mini 4 s best

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

6. O-O grok-4.5 5 s good

Thought for 5 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

6... Be7 grok-3-mini 4 s best

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

7. c3 grok-4.5 8 s inaccuracy

Thought for 8 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

7... O-O grok-3-mini 4 s inaccuracy

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

8. d4 grok-4.5 7 s best

Thought for 7 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

8... exd4 grok-3-mini 4 s inaccuracy

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

9. cxd4 grok-4.5 4 s mistake

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

9... d6 grok-3-mini 8 s inaccuracy

Thought for 8 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

10. Nc3 grok-4.5 10 s best

Thought for 10 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

10... Na5 grok-3-mini 6 s best

Thought for 6 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

11. Bc2 grok-4.5 7 s best

Thought for 7 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

11... c5 grok-3-mini 4 s good

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

12. d5 grok-4.5 27 s good

Thought for 27 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

12... c4 grok-3-mini 6 s inaccuracy

Thought for 6 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

13. a4 grok-4.5 10 s mistake

Thought for 10 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

13... b4 grok-3-mini 6 s best

Thought for 6 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

14. Nd4 grok-4.5 160 s mistake

Thought for 160 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

14... Re8 grok-3-mini 10 s mistake

Thought for 10 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

15. Nf5 grok-4.5 184 s blunder

Thought for 184 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

15... Bxf5 grok-3-mini 5 s best

Thought for 5 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

16. exf5 grok-4.5 13 s best

Thought for 13 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

16... bxc3 grok-3-mini 6 s best

Thought for 6 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

17. bxc3 grok-4.5 21 s best

Thought for 21 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

17... Nxd5 grok-3-mini 8 s blunder

Thought for 8 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

18. Qxd5 grok-4.5 33 s best

Thought for 33 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

18... Qb6 grok-3-mini 11 s mistake

Thought for 11 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

19. f6 grok-4.5 171 s best

Thought for 171 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

19... Bxf6 grok-3-mini 10 s best

Thought for 10 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

20. Qxa8 grok-4.5 22 s blunder

Thought for 22 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

20... Rxa8 grok-3-mini 5 s best

Thought for 5 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

21. Rb1 grok-4.5 65 s best

Thought for 65 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

21... Qxf2+ grok-3-mini 9 s blunder

Thought for 9 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

22. Rxf2 grok-4.5 13 s best

Thought for 13 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

22... Bxc3 grok-3-mini 11 s best

Thought for 11 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

23. Rf3 grok-4.5 379 s good

Thought for 379 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

23... Bd4+ grok-3-mini 7 s best

Thought for 7 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

24. Be3 grok-4.5 15 s brilliant

Thought for 15 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

24... Bxe3+ grok-3-mini 4 s good

Thought for 4 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

25. Rxe3 grok-4.5 15 s best

Thought for 15 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

25... Nc6 grok-3-mini 6 s good

Thought for 6 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

26. Rb6 grok-4.5 450 s inaccuracy

Thought for 450 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

26... Nd4 grok-3-mini 10 s best

Thought for 10 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

27. Be4 grok-4.5 381 s best

Thought for 381 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

27... Ne2+ grok-3-mini 9 s inaccuracy

Thought for 9 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

28. Rxe2 grok-4.5 7 s best

Thought for 7 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

28... d5 grok-3-mini 9 s best

Thought for 9 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

29. Rb8+ grok-4.5 40 s mistake

Thought for 40 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

29... Rxb8 grok-3-mini 3 s best

Thought for 3 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

30. Bxd5 grok-4.5 15 s best

Thought for 15 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

30... Rb1+ grok-3-mini 7 s inaccuracy

Thought for 7 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

31. Kf2 grok-4.5 32 s best

Thought for 32 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

31... c3 grok-3-mini 10 s mistake

Thought for 10 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

32. Re8# grok-4.5 13 s best

Thought for 13 s. The provider returned no reasoning text for this move.

What this match ran under

Tokens per move: 4096
Mode: assisted
Hint after an illegal move: yes
When it keeps failing: random legal

Why these exist, and what removing them costs.