I have found the problem., after inspecting the debug files and putting a lot of "cout<<" sections in my code!
When communicating with the ICC, my engine receives the command 'white' if playing white, and moves. It then reads the 'go' command, which is also sent, and moves for the opponent. Then things become messy.
So, I turned the recognition of 'go' off when in ICS mode, and things work fine.
My engine handle is Xiphosura, and it has played its first few games on the ICC. Bullet rating around 1400 and Blitz around 1300.
Weak, I know, but I am very much a beginning programmer (started learning 12 months ago). I'm delighted with the results, anyhow!!
It searches using alpha-beta, and, from depths one to four, orders the moves according to the evaluation of the poition on that move. This helps the search speed a lot. Without move ordering, the engine would take up to 10s to reach depth four, and 40s to 50s hit depth five. Now, it hits depth five in around 5s, which is nice
Next up is a quiescence (sp) search function.
) .. my engine finishes playing a rated game, seeks a new one, and begins playing again. For some reason, it always makes an illegal move. This never happens when playing the engine in winboard without the ICC.