,
before I start I want to make a bit of publicity for the AEGT Usergroup Subforum.
AEGT should be nothing secretly done, it should be understandable for engine authors participating and for all interested in chess tournaments. Although it is hidden even for those who are members in Winboard Forum, anyone who wants can read and post there, without having to partipate in testing. We already have some guests and I will add a special thread for guests, where this guests can make proposals or add critics, when more will apply for membership. All who apply will be accepted, but trouble makers will be excluded. The AEGT Usergroup offers insight in votings, benchmarks, problems we might have with running some engines and results from test tournaments. You can cancel membership in AEGT subforum at any time.
Independent of this new testers are still and at all times welcome and will receive all the help they need.
Although there was a conflict in AEGT 1 we are a nice group of chess and engine loving people, who just want to add a good tournament, without damaging others that are already traditional and that we all love, like for example Chess War, RWBC and WBEC, just to mention a few. It is the big variety of tournaments that make Winboard Forum so interesting. So RWBC and Chess War are good for suspense and WBEC and AEGT are good for statistics and instead of competition there is help and support. All of the mentioned tournaments are also trying to include the weaker engines, what I like.
How to become a member?
Click:
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Alternatively just tell here or via email or a private message to me in the forum and you will be added.
Okay, main classes in AEGT 3 will be started on January, 1st and deadline will be definitely and without exception December, 28th. As usual six double round robins will be played in all classes, giving that way 132 games 40/40 repeated (adapted via benchmark to 2 Ghz CPU) to all engines. We will try to play more double round robins in King Class this time, but this can?t be promised and depends on motivation of the testers.
Votes:
1. Starting only with AEGT 4 (March, April) we will change to a time control 40/40 + 40 minutes for the rest. The reasons were explained in "Questions about time controls" here. So the authors interested in AEGT still have enough time to add this to their engines, if they have not already done it. A test tournament will be run beforehand to make sure that it works for all engines (thanks to Richard for this proposal).
2. Testers are free to start a few weeks before the official start date from AEGT 4 onwards, but in case of updates, the games have to be replayed with the new version then.
3. We will keep to classes with 12 engines only. More would run into difficulties to coordinate such bigger groups to what has to be done by each tester. So everyone can run his double round robin either in 10-14 days or if he has less CPU time in about six weeks.
4. I proposed to build a directory group from AEGT 3 onwards to give those people who are most engaged in AEGT the opportunity to add some work with organization. This was accepted unanimously and the voluntary members of the directory group are:
Roger Brown (Winboard and Arena assistance for new testers)
Bryan Hofmann (Benchmarks and technical stuff)
Igor Gorelikov (King Class organizer)
Johan Havegheer (Queen Class organizer)
Heinz van Kempen (Rook/Bishop/Knight/Pawn Class organizer, until more volunteers apply to organize)
In case of problems with engines or questions so please contact the organizer of the group your engine is participating in by email.
Task of the Class organizers is also to collect games from all testers in that group, add them to databases and give overall crosstables in Tournaments section. We want to have one thread only for each class, but testers who have fun in posting can of course also add their results individually to this thread. Additionally games are send to me and others who want to add all the results and downloads to their website.
4. From AEGT 4 onwards it was voted unanimously that below Queen Class only those engines will be added to AEGT tournaments (no matter if 40/4 or the main event with 40/40), who are interested at least in the results. To show this interest it will be sufficient to apply with one word only (the name of the engine) to the posting when we will ask or by email.
This will remove engines where authors already have a lot of other tournaments and no time to watch AEGT and give a better chance for the weaker and newer ones to come in.
Additionally any AEGT tester is free to propose engines of his interest here (maybe some new engine or version). Accepted are still non-commercial and also private amateur engines.
Promotion from AEGT 3 to AEGT 4 will be done normally for the upper classes (four going up and down from each group, including ranks 1-4 from Rook Class). In the classes from Rook Class downwards engines where the authors want to participate will be added to the classes depending on their rating and success in AEGT 3. New engines will be estimated by running a short test tournament.
5. Engines without book will receive a small general book. One proposal here is Hyatt?s gm2600.pgn
6. There will be an exception from the rule only to take the latest version, if tournament results show without any statistical doubt that a former version had been stronger (this might be only applied to Crafty).
Names of the testers in each class can be found tomorrow here:
http://www.husvankempen.de/nunn/aegt3.htm
Best Regards
AEGT group