PyChess
Encyclopedia
PyChess is a Free software
chess game developed for Linux
. It allows users to play offline or on the online, through the free chess community FICS. PyChess also incooperates a chess engine which in contrast to most other AIs for chess is written in the Python language, focusing more on fun of play than raw strength. For more advanced users, PyChess allows for virtually any other external chess engine to be used with it.
engine.
In the end of 2006, PyChess was close to become a part of Gnome Games
, which were holding a usage survey of aspiring new games to include in the suite. Being nearly just started at the time, it lost to the more established GlChess
, which managed to fix its hardware accelerating dependency before the end of the trial. GlChess is still developed as a part of Gnome today.
Afterwards there were talks of the two programs merging, but the developers discovered were targeting different user segments, with PyChess heading for the more advanced users.
In 2009 PyChess won Les Trophées du Libre
in Paris in the category of hobby computing.
PyChess has grown steadily since then, with an increasing year-over-year development activity, and is today worth more than $500,000 if estimated purely in man-hours.
It is today among the seven largest chess clients for the online chess community FICS, which is the only non-web-based online chess community available for Linux.
The PyChess project puts heavy emphasis on simplicity, trying to avoid the complicated user interfaces of XBoard
and BabasChess. This implies adding new features slowly, so they can be integrated in the overall usage scheme, and make things “just work”. At the same time the project strives to contain most of the features known from major Windows chess clients such as Chessbase
and Aquarium
.
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...
chess game developed for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
. It allows users to play offline or on the online, through the free chess community FICS. PyChess also incooperates a chess engine which in contrast to most other AIs for chess is written in the Python language, focusing more on fun of play than raw strength. For more advanced users, PyChess allows for virtually any other external chess engine to be used with it.
History
Development on PyChess was started by Thomas Dybdahl Ahle in 2006, and the first public release was sent out later that year. The release contained the bare minimum of features to play a game of chess, and was backed only by the Gnu ChessGNU Chess
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....
engine.
In the end of 2006, PyChess was close to become a part of Gnome Games
GNOME Games
GNOME Games is a collection of computer games that is part of the standard open-source GNOME desktop environment. It includes the following games:* AisleRiot - - a suite of Solitaire card games....
, which were holding a usage survey of aspiring new games to include in the suite. Being nearly just started at the time, it lost to the more established GlChess
GlChess
Glchess is a chess program for GNOME, licensed under the GPL as part of Gnome Games. It features both a 2D and 3D chessboard interface.-External links:* *...
, which managed to fix its hardware accelerating dependency before the end of the trial. GlChess is still developed as a part of Gnome today.
Afterwards there were talks of the two programs merging, but the developers discovered were targeting different user segments, with PyChess heading for the more advanced users.
In 2009 PyChess won Les Trophées du Libre
Les Trophées du Libre
Les Trophées du Libre contest is a free software contest whose goal is to promote innovative software projects and give these projects recognition and media coverage - recently also to motivate students and academic institutions with special prizes. The competition is international and it is...
in Paris in the category of hobby computing.
PyChess has grown steadily since then, with an increasing year-over-year development activity, and is today worth more than $500,000 if estimated purely in man-hours.
It is today among the seven largest chess clients for the online chess community FICS, which is the only non-web-based online chess community available for Linux.
Logo
The current PyChess logo was contributed by Karola Kreńskiego in 2007. Karolas original design was very cartoonish, but was modified into a slightly calmer expression.Aims
According to the PyChess website:The PyChess project puts heavy emphasis on simplicity, trying to avoid the complicated user interfaces of 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...
and BabasChess. This implies adding new features slowly, so they can be integrated in the overall usage scheme, and make things “just work”. At the same time the project strives to contain most of the features known from major Windows chess clients such as Chessbase
ChessBase
ChessBase GmbH is a German company that markets chess software, maintains a chess news site, and operates a server for online chess. Set up in 1998, it maintains and sells massive databases, containing most historic games, that permit analysis that had not been possible prior to computing...
and Aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
.