Gaviota 0.74 released

[Dann Corbit]

Finally, after a long time... version 0.74 for Win32 (other versions later, particularly for Linux).

http://sites.google.com/site/gaviotachessengine/

I may move the site to google sites from the previous one, but I am not sure yet. Do not cast in stone the links.

What is new:
A gazillion changes since 0.33 (6.5 years ago).
It is SMP
It has its own tablebases. It come with 3-pc tbs as an example.
You can generate 4 or 5-pc after opening the engine in console mode and typing tbgen 4 or tbgen 5 (the last one may take a couple of days on a fast dual).
I comes with a new book (~10 Mb), but it still can use the old one.
It may be 200 or 250 elo points stronger than the previous version and apparently has a very agressive style of play.
It supports all the new winboard features, AFAIK.
The documentation is non-existent. I will try to put something decent later.

Regards,
Miguel

Hi Miguel,

Will there be a 64-bit version, or is there no extra benefit to be gained by this?

Thanks

64-bit Linux is at least 30% faster that 32-bits if we compare Intel compiler or 50% if we compare gcc (because gcc32 is not good). Gaviota was always a bitboard engine.

I do not have a 64 bit windows compiler, but I was planning to bug Dann Corbit in private to compile it for me. In the past he helped me, so he may do that again. I am hereby bugging him in public.
I used Microsoft Visual studio express 2008, so port it to a Win64 should be one click away, considering that it compiles in 32 and 64 bit Linux without problems.

Miguel

I already sent you an email asking if you want me to build it for you.

I can also build binaries for any other platform you might need (we have everything here).

[Dann Corbit]

few days ago I was with your website in front of me and was thinking... why he haven't released anything newer..

and now whoa.. scary..

Finally, after a long time... version 0.74 for Win32 (other versions later, particularly for Linux).

Wow! You have a powerful brain.
Now think about all the other engines so that we can have MORE MORE MORE!

[Matthias Gemuh]

few days ago I was with your website in front of me and was thinking... why he haven't released anything newer..

and now whoa.. scary..

Wow! You have a powerful brain.
Now think about all the other engines so that we can have MORE MORE MORE!

Thinking alone doesn't cut it.
He needs to have the websites infront of him

.

[gerold]

Thanks Miguel.

Best to you.

Gerold.

[Graham Banks]

Thanks Miguel.

[swami]

Thanks, Miguel.

I hope the Arena bug that forced Gaviota 0.33 to lose the game due to the unexistant +(check) has now been resolved.

[michiguel]

Thanks, Miguel.

I hope the Arena bug that forced Gaviota 0.33 to lose the game due to the unexistant +(check) has now been resolved.

Some GUIs are not compliant by design according to their authors (ChessGUI, for instance). I do not know about Arena. For that reason, I decided to solve it once and for all by offering the user the chance to disable SAN support. From gaviota.ini.txt:

Code: Select all

;-------------------------------------------------------------------
; SAN support (Standard Algebraic Notation) (e.g. Nf3)
; on  ==> will try to send and accept SAN moves if GUI supports it
; off ==> will use default coordinate notation (e.g. g1f3)
;
; Some GUIs (Arena, ChessGUI etc.) are NOT fully SAN compliant
; and send wrong SAN moves. Use SAN = off with those GUIs 
;-------------------------------------------------------------------

SAN = off

Miguel

[michiguel]

Thanks Miguel.

IIRC, you test engines that do not learn. You will have to edit gaviota.ini.txt to disable it:

Code: Select all

;-------------
; book info
;-------------

book        = on
book_file   = "cleanbook.bin"
book_learn  = off

;------------------------------------------------
; learning of positions when is out of book.
; learn = on --> will save what just learned,
; use_learned = on --> will use any previous stored
; information in the "learn_file"
; learn_file = "/properpath/whatevername.epd"
;------------------------------------------------

learn       = off
use_learned = off
learn_file  = "learn.epd"

Regards,
Miguel

[Graham Banks]

Thanks Miguel.

IIRC, you test engines that do not learn. You will have to edit gaviota.ini.txt to disable it:

Code: Select all

;-------------
; book info
;-------------

book        = on
book_file   = "cleanbook.bin"
book_learn  = off

;------------------------------------------------
; learning of positions when is out of book.
; learn = on --> will save what just learned,
; use_learned = on --> will use any previous stored
; information in the "learn_file"
; learn_file = "/properpath/whatevername.epd"
;------------------------------------------------

learn       = off
use_learned = off
learn_file  = "learn.epd"

Regards,
Miguel

Thanks again Miguel.

[michiguel]

few days ago I was with your website in front of me and was thinking... why he haven't released anything newer..

and now whoa.. scary..

Wow.

Are you going to play on the ACCA? We need the South to be well represented (and I do not mean Alabama )

Miguel

Finally, after a long time... version 0.74 for Win32 (other versions later, particularly for Linux).