Nightrider chess

[hgm]

(the fix actually defers the variant change until just before the 'new' command)

Yes, it is a bit inconvenient that WB protocol prescribes the 'variant' command is send after the 'new', while defining 'new' as setting up the opening position. This causes logical problems, especially if the opening position or board size depend on the variant.

So it is necessary to have 'new' imply a switch back to variant 'normal' (as WB does not send an explicit 'variant' command when the variant is 'normal'). And it is necessary to have 'variant' set up the initial position, if that is different from the normal one. Note that 'variant' is the first command WB will send after 'new', if the variant is not 'normal'.

[Jim Ablett]

Updated versions of Dabbaba and Faile are now available on
my homepage that can play Nightrider chess variant in Winboard-F.

Nightrider Chess is identical to regular chess except that
the knight (nightrider) can make long moves in the same direction
like bishops and rooks.

All other rules are the same as regular chess.

Jim.

[hgm]

OK, I am in Belgium now, for Richard's tournament. When I get back I will also configure Fairy-Max for Nightrider Chess, and will try to setup another small life internet tourney with the 3 engines.

[Jim Ablett]

OK, I am in Belgium now, for Richard's tournament. When I get back I will also configure Fairy-Max for Nightrider Chess, and will try to setup another small life internet tourney with the 3 engines.

I'll look forward to it and good luck in the tournament.

Jim.

[JensBNielsen]

OK, I am in Belgium now, for Richard's tournament. When I get back I will also configure Fairy-Max for Nightrider Chess, and will try to setup another small life internet tourney with the 3 engines.

I have played a few games between Dabbaba and FaileNR now.
As usual dabbaba uses too much time in the beginning.
And from move 20 up to move 40 it has very little time and makes bad moves.
I will try to correct this soon.

In the game below dabbaba should have won.
But it had to be satisfied with a draw.

Notice that a Nightrider on:
f3 threats h7
e2 threats h8
d2 threats g8 and a8

[Event "Computer Chess Game"]
[Site "PRIVATPC"]
[Date "2008.06.28"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Dabbaba 1.12 JA by Jens Bæk Nielsen"]
[Black "FaileNR"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[TimeControl "40/300"]

1. d3 d6 2. e4 e5 3. Nd2 Be6 4. Nd2xa8 Nd7 5. Na8d2 Nd7xa1 6. b3 Ne7 7. g3
Bg4 8. f3 Nxb3 9. axb3 Be6 10. Ne2 g6 11. Bg2 Bh6 12. Nf1 Bg7 13. Be3 b6
14. b4 O-O 15. b5 Qd7 16. c4 Bh3 17. Bxh3 Qxh3 18. Kf2 Ra8 19. Bc1 Qc8 20.
Nf1d5 Nxd5 21. Ne2c6 Kf8 22. exd5 a6 23. bxa6 Rxa6 24. Nb4 Qa8 25. Qe2 b5
26. cxb5 Ra5 27. Qb2 Qb7 28. Nc2 Kg8 29. Ne3 Qb6 30. f4 f5 31. d4 Rxb5 32.
Qd2 exf4 33. Nf1 Bxd4+ 34. Kf3 Be3 35. Qe2 Bxc1 36. Qe6+ Kg7 37. Qe7+ Kg8
38. Qe8+ Kg7 39. Qe7+ Kg8 40. Qd8+ Kf7 41. Qd7+ Kg8 42. Qe6+ Kg7 43. Qe7+
{Draw} 1/2-1/2

With games like this I find this variant interesting and amusing.

I look forward to an evt. coming tournament although Dabbaba is not very strong.

Jens

[JensBNielsen]

The next game showed a lot of tactical action:

[Event "Computer Chess Game"]
[Site "FAMNIELSEN-PC"]
[Date "2008.06.28"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Dabbaba 1.12 JA by Jens Bæk Nielsen"]
[Black "FaileNR"]
[Result "0-1"]
[TimeControl "40/300"]

1. g3 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Ng1e5 Bd6 4. Ng4 f6 5. Nd2 e5 6. Ne3 exd4 7. Ne3xg7+
Kf8 8. Nh5 Bb4 9. c3 dxc3 10. bxc3 Bxc3 11. Ba3+ Ke8 12. Nf4 f5 13. e4
Ng8xe4 14. Nf4xh8 Bxh8 15. Bb5+ c6 16. Nd2xa8 Qa5+ 17. Kf1 f4 18. Qxd5 Bh3+
19. Ke2 cxb5 20. Kf3 Qxa3+ 21. Qb3 Nb8d4+ 22. Kxf4 Qc5 23. Nc7+ Qxc7+ 24.
Kxe4 Qe5+ 25. Kd3 Qe2+ 26. Kc3 Nc6#
{Black Mates} 0-1

Jens

[Jim Ablett]

Another competitor in the 'Nightrider Challenge'.

LimeNR v62 JA by Richard Allbert
Converted to play Nightrider chess variant.

http://www.zshare.net/download/14394707a6c7ec51/

Jim.

[hgm]

I am not sure how you configured WB and the engines to let them play a game of Nightrider Chess: WinBoard_F does not accept /variant=nightrider (yet?), so I suppose you play either as fairy or as normal (unlike what you write in the FaileNR readme).

Faile seems to be a protocol 1 engine, so it doesn't tell me which variants it supports when I run it from the console. I did type variant fairy, and used the edit menu to feed it a position, where I used the letter H for Nightrider. This seemed to work: when I then give a 'go'command it prints a number of PVs, amongst which I see the move b1d5. So it seems to understand the H as Nightrider.

But if I try Dabbaba from the console, (having set the Nightrider switch to 1 in dabbaba.ini), it chokes on the 'setboard' command containing the H pieces in the FEN. It is not even capable of echoing the 'go'command anymore (which I give later), and uses full CPU without producing any output ever. The same happens when I run under WB in /variant=fairy with the FEN position containing Nightriders (H), or even normal Knights (N).

So how should I use Dabbaba?

[hgm]

Hmm, Lime is a strong engine... Perhaps I should convert Joker as well, to provide a bit of balance!

[PK]

hi,

I've got two questions:

- do I understand correctly that a nightrider is basically a sliding knight? does it slide in all directions?
- how strong is the beast - 6 pawns perhaps?

I am seriously considering modifying CCCP, so that stronger engines may kick its soviet ass once again.

regards,

Pawel Koziol