New Alfil 6.5.1 for Linux

[Enrique Sánchez]

The first version of Alfil in Linux, created with Anjuta over SuSE.

Test it please.
http://www.alfilchess.com

[Tord Romstad]

Hi Enrique,

Thanks a lot for the Linux version! I started a test match against Glaurung 1.1, and was able to finish 52 games before the computer crashed (hardware problem, nothing to do with Alfil, of course). Your Linux version seems to work very well, and I did not see any crashes, time losses or similar problems.

I hope you'll release Linux binaries of future versions as well. A Mac OS X binary would be very welcome, too.

Tord

[Roger Brown]

Hello Tord,

Just wanted to say welcome back!

You were missed....

Thanks for the engine update.

Later.

[Volker Pittlik]

... Your Linux version seems to work very well, and I did not see any crashes, time losses or similar problems.

Confirmed, Alfil (Liinux) is running here without problems too.

Volker

[Enrique Sánchez]

Hi Tord.
I admire your Glaugurun program, and it cheers much to me that you have considered to prove mine. I have decided to carry it to Linux so that it seems that there is very little on the matter. That it programs you use? XBoard? You know Knights? , I collaborated a little in the project. I hope that we follow in contact to interchange impressions. For when Scatha in Linux? I do not have Mac. The resources for the project Alfil are little. Thanks for your impressions with Alfil.

[Enrique Sánchez]

Thankyou Volker:

I know Linux very well, but I do not have myself bold to make a version so that it seemed that nontapeworm much espectaci?n, I hope that we pruned to perhaps work together so that this changes, with a new match. Or some applications for matches, animating to others to carry its program. Greetings

http://www.alfilchess.com

[Volker Pittlik]

... You know Knights? , I collaborated a little in the project. ...

I tried Knights and it looks promising in fact. However, I never managed it to get a engine match finishing. I have the impression the developement stopped. Do you have more information?

Regards

Volker

[Tord Romstad]

Hello Tord,

Just wanted to say welcome back!

You were missed....

Thanks!

I am not sure how often I will be able to post here the next few months, but I will drop in as often as I can.

I admire your Glaugurun program, and it cheers much to me that you have considered to prove mine. I have decided to carry it to Linux so that it seems that there is very little on the matter. That it programs you use? XBoard?

Yes, I use XBoard as my GUI for running engine vs engine matches under Linux and Mac OS X. I am mostly happy with it, except that it is not possible to run a match from a given set of positions (like the Silver, Nunn or Noomen positions) without restarting XBoard for each new position.

You know Knights? , I collaborated a little in the project.

I have heard about Knights, and I think I made an unsuccessful attempt to install it some time a couple of years ago. I think some library was missing, and I couldn't fix the problem because I don't have root access on my Linux machine. Perhaps I should have another look at it soon; thanks for reminding me.

I hope that we follow in contact to interchange impressions.

Would be nice, please feel free to drop me a personal message or an e-mail whenever you want. My e-mail is:

Code: Select all

printf("%s@%s.%s\n", "tord", "glaurungchess", "com");

For when Scatha in Linux?

Are referring to my hexagonal chess engine named Scatha, or to the GUI with the same name? It's confusing and very unfortunate that the two projects have the same name. The reason is that the GUI started out as a GUI for just the hexagonal chess engine, and only later evolved into a GUI with support for normal chess as well.

The Scatha engine can be compiled easily in Linux, and in case you or anybody else is interested, I would happily send you the source code of a version equivalent to Glaurung 1.1. However, it isn't really useful without a GUI. There is some hope that there will be a version of my GUI for Linux and Windows later this year, but I am far from sure.

I do not have Mac. The resources for the project Alfil are little.

Macs are nice computers, but of course not worth the expense just for compiling an OS X version of Alfil. Unfortunately I am currently not rich enough to donate a Mac to the Alfil project - the resources for the Glaurung project are also rather limited.

Tord

[Christos Gitsis]

However, it isn't really useful without a GUI. There is some hope that there will be a version of my GUI for Linux and Windows later this year, but I am far from sure.

Hello Tord,

Since your GUI runs on Mac systems, I suppose you are using the cocoa API. Now, you probably know more about this stuff than me, but I am wondering if you could make your program run on other platforms using the GNUstep framework (www.gnustep.org). Although I have not used it myself, from what I have read this seems possible, because the GNUstep developers try to remain compatible with cocoa.

Regards,
Christos.

[Christos Gitsis]

I played my first blitz game against Alfil and I was surprised to see Alfil announcing that it won, without giving mate! Apparently it sees forced mate, and it does not bother to play on any more.

[Event "Computer chess game"]
[Site "glorfindel"]
[Date "2006.05.18"]
[Round "-"]
[White "christos"]
[Black "Alfil 6.5.1"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "40/300"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9. Qd2 Rc8 10. O-O-O Be7 11. g4 O-O 12. g5 Nh5 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd5 f5 15. gxf6 Rxf6 16. Bh3 Nf4 17. Bxf4 Rxf4 18. Be6+ Kh8 19. Rhg1 b5 20. Rg3 Bh4 21. Rh3 Bg5 22. Rg1 Rg4 23. Rxg4 Bxd2+ 24. Nxd2 Rc7 25. Ne4 Nf6 26. Rgh4 h6 27. Nxf6 Qxf6 28. c3 Qg5+ 29. Kc2 Qg2+ 30. Kb3 a5 31. a3 a4+ 32. Ka2 Rxc3 33. Rg3 Qc2 34. Rb4 Rb3 35. Rxb3 {Alfil gana} 0-1

[Tord Romstad]

Hello Tord,

Since your GUI runs on Mac systems, I suppose you are using the cocoa API. Now, you probably know more about this stuff than me, but I am wondering if you could make your program run on other platforms using the GNUstep framework (www.gnustep.org). Although I have not used it myself, from what I have read this seems possible, because the GNUstep developers try to remain compatible with cocoa.

Hello Christos,

You are right, I use the Cocoa toolkit. Unfortunately, I cannot easily port it to other platforms using GNUstep, because I call the Cocoa API from Common Lisp, not Objective-C. As far as I know, there are no Lisp bindings for GNUstep. In order to use GNUstep, I would first have to port my program to Objective-C, which would be a huge task.

Tord