Help with Winboard and engines

[mjlef]

I cannot seem to get winboard_x to use my chess engine via Polyglot when connected to ICC. It does work starting with the other option (to play against the engine). In that case it runs fine showing engine output and making moves. I can connect to ICC and challenge people, but the engine never makes any move. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Some details:

here is my batch file to start winboard_x:
cd "\Program Files\Winboard"
winboard_x /fd="C:\Program Files\winboard" /fcp="polyglot.exe now.ini"

here is the contents of now.ini:

[Polyglot]
EngineName = NOWx
EngineDir = C:\
EngineCommand = best1.exe
Resign = true
ResignMoves = 3
ResignScore = 600
Book = false
BookFile =

[Engine]
Hash = 64
NalimovPath = c:\egtb
NalimovCache = 4
OwnBook = false

One more thing. When I try to use regular winboard, it report this error "Unrecongized argument /moveHistoryFont".

So, what am I doign wrong?

[Guenther Simon]

I cannot seem to get winboard_x to use my chess engine via Polyglot when connected to ICC. It does work starting with the other option (to play against the engine). In that case it runs fine showing engine output and making moves. I can connect to ICC and challenge people, but the engine never makes any move. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Some details:

here is my batch file to start winboard_x:
cd "\Program Files\Winboard"
winboard_x /fd="C:\Program Files\winboard" /fcp="polyglot.exe now.ini"

here is the contents of now.ini:

[Polyglot]
EngineName = NOWx
EngineDir = C:\
EngineCommand = best1.exe
Resign = true
ResignMoves = 3
ResignScore = 600
Book = false
BookFile =

[Engine]
Hash = 64
NalimovPath = c:\egtb
NalimovCache = 4
OwnBook = false

One more thing. When I try to use regular winboard, it report this error "Unrecongized argument /moveHistoryFont".

So, what am I doign wrong?

I have not checked yet what could be wrong with your server
problem but the last error is no error.
WB_x has a lot of of new options and extensions thus the
old original WB will of course complain about several unknown
entries in your new WB.ini.
If you still wanted to use the old WB at the same time you
should have saved the old WB.ini file.(the readme says this too)

It should be no big deal though to restore an old style WB.ini
from your new one.
IIRC you just have to delete all entries after this:

Code: Select all

}
/showButtonBar=true

Regards,
Guenther

P.S. Any progress in a Now version which doesn't use
50% of the cpu, when ponder is off?

[Marc Lacrosse]

I cannot seem to get winboard_x to use my chess engine via Polyglot when connected to ICC. It does work starting with the other option (to play against the engine). In that case it runs fine showing engine output and making moves. I can connect to ICC and challenge people, but the engine never makes any move. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Hmm, things are a little bit more complicated.

Here is an exemple of how to have WB log in on ICC and post a "seek" offer for a blitz rated game at 5 min + 3 sec / move. It will repost the same offer after each game end and will reconnect automatically if the connection closes accidentally.

You should have an additional ini file in your WB folder with the following items :

Code: Select all

MyICCpseudo
MyICCpassword
seek 5 3 r

You can add any other valid ICC command that you wish to be sent at logon in this file (such as changing your online parameters, issuing other "seek" calls and so on). You can also log in in this way without issuing any "seek".
The file can have any name (let's say "logon53.ini" as an example)

And here the batch :

Code: Select all

:loop
start /w winboard_x.exe -zp -ics -fd "C:\Program Files\winboard" -fcp "MyChessProg.exe" -icshost chessclub.com -icshelper timestamp -icslogon logon53.ini -zippyGameEnd='say Thanks\nseek 5 3 r\n'
goto loop

a few comments :

-zp means that you intend to use "zippy" commands (see after)

-ics you will use winboard in ICS mode

-icshost address or IP of the chess server

-icshelper timestamp the timestamp.exe prog needs to be in WB directory (it is by default). It adjusts thinking times of both opponents according to real transmission time.

-icslogon logon53.ini sends one after another each line of the ini file to the server at logon so you do not need to enter your username and password at each reconnection.

-zippyGameEnd sends the following commands at the end of each game (in the exemple : calls for a new opponent). requires the -zp switch at the beginning of the line

... But you should find many more details in WB excellent help file

Once you are online through such a batch you can also issue any other command by hand, and any game that you begin there will be plyaed by your engine.

Hope this helps a bit

This is only the basis. I suggest you play a little bit with these parameters before any real automated activity on ICC or FICS.
Among other options : specifying on the command line a name for the file in which you will record your games, stating that you wish to save WB debug files, ...

Marc

[mjlef]

Unfortunately, NOW does not use 50% of the time when an opponent is playing on my machine with all the GUIS I have access to. It uses very close to 0% of the time when waiting on the other engine for me, so I cannot duplicate this problem. Sorry.

[mjlef]

First, thanks.

I am sorry for asking stupid questions, but is the command line/full auto the only way to get the engine to play on ICC? I would like to be able to make comments and chat with oponents. I will try out the parametrs you sent. Thanks!

Mark

[Niyaz Khasanov]

I cannot seem to get winboard_x to use my chess engine via Polyglot when connected to ICC. It does work starting with the other option (to play against the engine). In that case it runs fine showing engine output and making moves. I can connect to ICC and challenge people, but the engine never makes any move. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

(snipped)

One more thing. When I try to use regular winboard, it report this error "Unrecongized argument /moveHistoryFont".

So, what am I doign wrong?

Open your winboard.ini file and add the following lines into the end:

Code: Select all

/firstChessProgramNames={
crafty
ruffian
"polyglot now.ini"
}
/secondChessProgramNames={
crafty
ruffian
"polyglot now.ini"
}


(Lines with Crafty and Ruffian are for example only. You do not need write them.).
Then delete the line containing /moveHistoryFont.
Save the edited winboard.ini.
Try an engine-engine game without ICC (i.e. now versus now).
If all is right, try ICC.

[mjlef]

I cannot seem to get winboard_x to use my chess engine via Polyglot when connected to ICC. It does work starting with the other option (to play against the engine). In that case it runs fine showing engine output and making moves. I can connect to ICC and challenge people, but the engine never makes any move. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong?

(snipped)

One more thing. When I try to use regular winboard, it report this error "Unrecongized argument /moveHistoryFont".

So, what am I doign wrong?

Open your winboard.ini file and add the following lines into the end:

Code: Select all

/firstChessProgramNames={
crafty
ruffian
"polyglot now.ini"
}
/secondChessProgramNames={
crafty
ruffian
"polyglot now.ini"
}


(Lines with Crafty and Ruffian are for example only. You do not need write them.).
Then delete the line containing /moveHistoryFont.
Save the edited winboard.ini.
Try an engine-engine game without ICC (i.e. now versus now).
If all is right, try ICC.

Thanks for the suggestions. I did them and NOW was able to play locally against itself or crafty. But when I added back the -ics command line parameter, it logged into ICC correctly, I challenged a program, and the server reported the game starting. The clock for NOW started ticking down, but nothing went to the engine.

I know this must be something simple. More suggestion? I know it is connecting to ICC since I can seek and sought and match. And Arena works perfectly allowing engine play.

I am willing to let someone use logmeon.com to check out what I

Mark

[mjlef]

Hey, I was not using the "/zp" command, which seems to be mandatory. I finially playing with wnboard_x! Thanks everyone!

next question. The match next week requires kibitizing the pV. Does the "auto comment" checkbox make that happen? I am sending an"tellics" command fromt he engin to Polyglot, but I have no idea if it is passing it on or not. How can I tell if the kibitizing is working? I do not see the kibity PV line appearing in the login wondow, but maybe it is not supposed to.

Mark

[Tord Romstad]

Hey, I was not using the "/zp" command, which seems to be mandatory. I finially playing with wnboard_x! Thanks everyone!

next question. The match next week requires kibitizing the pV.

Easy. Just add a line with "KibitzMove = true" to the polyglot.ini file. There are also a few related PolyGlot options worth mentioning. Have a look at KibitzMove, KibitzPV, KibitzDelay and KibitzCommand in the PolyGlot documentation.

Tord

[mjlef]

Thanks Tord. I happened to find it a little after I sent the message. I will assume it works. I get a vague "whispered to 0 observers" type message from ICC. I will assume the that is the kibitz being sent.

Thanks everyone for the help!

[Marc Lacrosse]

Thanks Tord. I happened to find it a little after I sent the message. I will assume it works. I get a vague "whispered to 0 observers" type message from ICC. I will assume the that is the kibitz being sent.

I confirm that this is good :

"whispered" means it is shown to any oberserver at the exception of your opponent

"to 0 observers" because nobody was actually following your test game

Thanks everyone for the help!

You are welcome!

Marc

[Guenther Simon]

Unfortunately, NOW does not use 50% of the time when an opponent is playing on my machine with all the GUIS I have access to. It uses very close to 0% of the time when waiting on the other engine for me, so I cannot duplicate this problem. Sorry.

So you never tested it with WB/Polyglot and ponder off despite the
header of this thread?
I run engine tournaments and do engine testing for a very long time,
thus you should really trust me, if I report a serious problem.
Otherwise you'll exclude e.g. most users of this forum if you
ever gonna release NOW. As reported it happens here on all
my machines with WB and Polyglot, e.g. with WINXP SP2
and WIN2K SP5.

It seems the answers you got in the other thread about NOWs
problem didn't help you? (None of the Delphi programs I know
has the problem BTW, so there must be a solution)
http://wbforum.volker-pittlik.name/viewtopic.php?t=5220

Regards,
Guenther