GNU Chess
Encyclopedia
GNU Chess is a computer program
which plays a full game of chess
against a human or other computer program.
GNU Chess is one of the oldest computer chess
programs for Unix
-based computers and one of the earliest available with full source code.
GNU Chess has been ported to many other platforms. The GNU Chess project is one of the older parts of the GNU
package of software, having started in 1984, the author having collaborated with Richard Stallman
, pre-GNU.
The first version of GNU Chess was written by Stuart Cracraft. Versions from 2 to 4 were written by John Stanback. Version 5 was written by Chua Kong-Sian.
Version 6 was written by Fabien Letouzey. Dozens of programmers have enhanced and expanded GNU Chess.
On basic, current computer chess architecture, GNU Chess plays at senior master / weak international master strength (2500+ ELO
on simple hardware (Intel Core 2 Duo)), without parallel processing, according to the IQ6 test suite.
The goal of GNU Chess is to serve as a basis for research. GNU Chess has been used in numerous research contexts.
GNU Chess is free software
, licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3 or any later version, and is maintained by collaborating developers. It is often used in conjunction with a GUI program such as XBoard
. Initial versions of XBoard's Chess Engine Communication Protocol
were based on GNU Chess's command line interface. Version 6 also supports the Universal Chess Interface
(UCI).
In 2011, GNU Chess underwent transition to version 6, which is based on Letouzey's Fruit 2.1 chess engine, a strong and well-debugged searcher with heavy use of invariant assertions, and very few bugs.
Some GNU Chess enthusiasts still maintain the 5.07 code base , adding new features and making it stronger. According to the CCRL rating list the current
version of GNU Chess 5 is about 350 Elo stronger than the original FSF version. It is still weaker than GNU Chess 6 however.
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
which plays a full game of chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
against a human or other computer program.
GNU Chess is one of the oldest computer chess
Computer chess
Computer chess is computer architecture encompassing hardware and software capable of playing chess autonomously without human guidance. Computer chess acts as solo entertainment , as aids to chess analysis, for computer chess competitions, and as research to provide insights into human...
programs for Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
-based computers and one of the earliest available with full source code.
GNU Chess has been ported to many other platforms. The GNU Chess project is one of the older parts of the GNU
GNU
GNU is a Unix-like computer operating system developed by the GNU project, ultimately aiming to be a "complete Unix-compatible software system"...
package of software, having started in 1984, the author having collaborated with Richard Stallman
Richard Stallman
Richard Matthew Stallman , often shortened to rms,"'Richard Stallman' is just my mundane name; you can call me 'rms'"|last= Stallman|first= Richard|date= N.D.|work=Richard Stallman's homepage...
, pre-GNU.
The first version of GNU Chess was written by Stuart Cracraft. Versions from 2 to 4 were written by John Stanback. Version 5 was written by Chua Kong-Sian.
Version 6 was written by Fabien Letouzey. Dozens of programmers have enhanced and expanded GNU Chess.
On basic, current computer chess architecture, GNU Chess plays at senior master / weak international master strength (2500+ ELO
Elo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
on simple hardware (Intel Core 2 Duo)), without parallel processing, according to the IQ6 test suite.
The goal of GNU Chess is to serve as a basis for research. GNU Chess has been used in numerous research contexts.
GNU Chess is free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3 or any later version, and is maintained by collaborating developers. It is often used in conjunction with a GUI program such as XBoard
XBoard
XBoard and WinBoard are free graphical user interface clients. Originally developed by Tim Mann, these programs are compatible with various chess engines that support the Chess Engine Communication Protocol such as GNU Chess...
. Initial versions of XBoard's Chess Engine Communication Protocol
Chess Engine Communication Protocol
The Chess Engine Communication Protocol is an open communication protocol that enables a chess engine to communicate with its user interface....
were based on GNU Chess's command line interface. Version 6 also supports the Universal Chess Interface
Universal Chess Interface
The Universal Chess Interface is an open communication protocol that enables a chess program's engine to communicate with its user interface....
(UCI).
In 2011, GNU Chess underwent transition to version 6, which is based on Letouzey's Fruit 2.1 chess engine, a strong and well-debugged searcher with heavy use of invariant assertions, and very few bugs.
Some GNU Chess enthusiasts still maintain the 5.07 code base , adding new features and making it stronger. According to the CCRL rating list the current
version of GNU Chess 5 is about 350 Elo stronger than the original FSF version. It is still weaker than GNU Chess 6 however.
External links
- http://www.gnu.org/software/chess/
- http://chess.delorie.com/
- http://wifight.com/ Play against gnuchess on PalmOS devices.