diff --git a/examples/surrogates/rankingsvm.hpp b/examples/surrogates/rankingsvm.hpp
index fd600ed2..a4da85f8 100644
--- a/examples/surrogates/rankingsvm.hpp
+++ b/examples/surrogates/rankingsvm.hpp
@@ -218,7 +218,13 @@ class RankingSVM
   {
     for (int i=0;i<x.cols();i++)
       x.col(i) -= xmean;
-    x = covinv * x;
+    if (covinv.cols() > 1)
+      x = covinv * x;
+    else
+      {
+	for (int i=0;i<x.cols();i++)
+	  x.col(i) = covinv.cwiseProduct(x.col(i));
+      }
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/examples/surrogates/sample-code-surrogate-rsvm.cc b/examples/surrogates/sample-code-surrogate-rsvm.cc
index 048ea092..0b6169a9 100644
--- a/examples/surrogates/sample-code-surrogate-rsvm.cc
+++ b/examples/surrogates/sample-code-surrogate-rsvm.cc
@@ -66,14 +66,12 @@ template<class TCovarianceUpdate=CovarianceUpdate,class TGenoPheno=GenoPheno<NoB
 	  dVec fvalues;
 	  std::vector<Candidate> cp = c;
 	  to_mat_vec(cp,x,fvalues);
-//int niter = 1e6;//floor(50000*sqrt(c.at(0).get_x_size()));
 	  dVec xmean = eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().xmean();
 	  _rsvm = RankingSVM<RBFKernel>();
 	  _rsvm._encode = true;
 	  _rsvm.train(x,_rsvm_iter,cov,xmean);
 	  
-	  this->set_train_error(this->compute_error(cp,
-						    eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().csqinv()));
+          this->set_train_error(this->compute_error(cp,cov));
 	  
 	  //debug
 	  //std::cout << "training error=" << _rsvm.error(x,x,fvalues,cov,xmean) << std::endl;
@@ -95,7 +93,7 @@ template<class TCovarianceUpdate=CovarianceUpdate,class TGenoPheno=GenoPheno<NoB
 
 	  dVec fit;
 	  dVec xmean = eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().xmean();
-	  _rsvm.predict(fit,x_test,x_train,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().csqinv(),xmean);
+          _rsvm.predict(fit,x_test,x_train,cov,xmean);
 	  if (fit.size() != 0)
 	    for (int i=0;i<(int)c.size();i++)
 	      c.at(i).set_fvalue(fit(i));
diff --git a/src/surrogatestrategy.cc b/src/surrogatestrategy.cc
index ebdd91ff..471375d1 100644
--- a/src/surrogatestrategy.cc
+++ b/src/surrogatestrategy.cc
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ namespace libcmaes
 
     std::sort(ctest_set.begin(),ctest_set.end(),
 	      [](Candidate const &c1, Candidate const &c2){return c1.get_fvalue() > c2.get_fvalue();});
-    
+
     this->predict(ctest_set,cov);
     
     double err = 0.0;
@@ -134,8 +134,11 @@ namespace libcmaes
 	// compute test error if needed.
 	if (this->_niter != 0 && (int)this->_tset.size() >= this->_l)
 	  {
-	    this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().candidates(),
-						     eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().csqinv())); //TODO: sep
+	    if (!eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_parameters.is_sep())
+	      this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates,
+						       eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv));
+	    else this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates,
+							  eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._sepcsqinv));
 	  }
 	
 	// use original objective function and collect points.
@@ -149,8 +152,11 @@ namespace libcmaes
 	for (int r=0;r<candidates.cols();r++)
 	  {
 	    eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().get_candidate(r).set_x(candidates.col(r));
-	    this->predict(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().candidates(),
-			  eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().csqinv());
+	    if (!eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_parameters.is_sep())
+	      this->predict(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().candidates(),
+			    eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().csqinv());
+	    else this->predict(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().candidates(),
+			       eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().sepcsqinv());
 	  }
       }
   }
@@ -227,8 +233,11 @@ namespace libcmaes
 	// compute test error if needed.
 	if (this->_niter != 0 && (int)this->_tset.size() >= this->_l)
 	  {
-	    this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().candidates(),
-						     eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv)); //TODO: sep
+	    if (!eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_parameters.is_sep())
+	      this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().candidates(),
+						       eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv));
+	    else this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::get_solutions().candidates(),
+							  eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._sepcsqinv));
 	  }
 	
 	// use original objective function and collect points.
@@ -261,8 +270,9 @@ namespace libcmaes
     // train surrogate as required.
     if (do_train())
       {
-	this->train(this->_tset,
-		    eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv);
+	if (!eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_parameters.is_sep())
+	  this->train(this->_tset,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv);
+	else this->train(this->_tset,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._sepcsqinv);
       }
   }
   
@@ -273,9 +283,11 @@ namespace libcmaes
     eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates.clear();
     for (int r=0;r<candidates.cols();r++)
       {
-	eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates.push_back(Candidate(0.0,candidates.col(r)));//.at(r).set_x(candidates.col(r));
+	eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates.push_back(Candidate(0.0,candidates.col(r)));
       }
-    this->predict(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv); // XXX: prediction from genotype since learning from genotype!
+    if (!eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_parameters.is_sep())
+      this->predict(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv);
+    else this->predict(eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._sepcsqinv);
     eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions.sort_candidates();
 
     // - draw 'a'<lambda_pre samples according to lambda_pre*N(0,theta_sel0^2) and retain each sample from initial population, with rank r < floor(a)
@@ -320,7 +332,9 @@ namespace libcmaes
       }
 
     // test error.
-    this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(test_set,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv));
+    if (!eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_parameters.is_sep())
+      this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(test_set,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._csqinv));
+    else this->set_test_error(this->compute_error(test_set,eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._sepcsqinv));
     
     // set candidate set.
     eostrat<TGenoPheno>::_solutions._candidates = ncandidates;