Several years ago I had created some endgames for Xiangqi (Chinese chess) and a program (named EON) work with them as an endgame dictionary / solver. That program could show all games from a given endgame for users to select and view, display their results (draw or mate/lose in n moves) or extract instantly "perfect" answer for any given position or any custom move. IMO, that kind of tool may be useful and enjoyable for many of us.
From that experience, I decide to write a new one for chess to run on IOS devices.
I have just released a new free app for IPhone / IPad. That named Koala - a chess endgame program with all 3-4 men endgame database already inside. It is free and can run on both IPhone and IPad. It is available already and you can download it from App Store with key words "Koala chess" or "Koala chess endgames"
The purposes of program are:
- to help users to study how to play chess endgames. Simply observing endgames and moves, interact with board to see re-act, user can understand strategies to play, practise endgames
- to play a role of endgame solver: users can enter (via copy/paste FEN string) or edit directly any endgame (ofcause 3-4 men) position, program will display immediatly the result (draw or mate/lose in) as well as answer / solution. When viewing move by moves, user can change any of them (by making new move himself) to see react
- play a role of endgame dictionary. User can search, find any endgame positions, relative information and statistics (such as ratio WDL). Does't like moves from nomal chess engines (which usually are not the best / shorted to win, some cases are not solution at all) all moves here are "perfect" / the best sequence of moves which we can consider as the standard for both human and normal chess program.
- enjoyable tools: observing endgames, see their abilities of win, loss, draw, observing "perfect" moves of endgame may be high enjoyable
For chess programmers, it could be usefull when you:
- want to check solutions for endgames. It is usefull to constantly compare endgames' solutions of your engine with "dictionary" or "solver" to check and improve yours
- study how to write endgame functions. By observing and interacting with board,… you may get more endgame knowledge and / or discover new ways or new algorithms for your endgame code
- get some useful information such as statistics, ratios of win/draw/loss
Some features:
- all 3-4 men endgame databases are already inside program. User can study them fast and convinienly at everywhere, without the need of connection
- user can view, select any board from all end games
- all moves, solution, re-act are "perfect" / the best (in term of chess - cannot have better moves, solutions by human or using any other tools)
- interact with board: user can enter any position via FEN string or edit new position directly and then let program extract immediately answer. When viewing, user can modify any move and program will auto extract best answer for the new move
- usefull information on screen: program can display all usefull on screen such as all preview boards for a given endgames, distances to mate for those games and distances to mate for all available moves of a postion. User can understand why someone should select this move but not that move, which moves are similar, which move should be avoid
- all react is fast, almost instantly: it does not need chess engine thus it doesn't need spend time to search solution
Almost all graphic, main design, functions… are very similar to my prevous app - Banksia - chess databases. Thus if you are familiar with one, you will be easy to use others.
Any rating, comment, feedback under my app or here are very hight appreciated.
/Pham
PS: 5-men are on develement and will be released soon.
Below are a screen of the app:
The above screen is Koala running on an IPad. It is showing previous boards for KPKP endgame on the left side. On the right side, user is examining an endgame which white is losing (lose in -12). The board shows all DTM numbers (on color circles) for all availalbe moves of black. Gray circles denotes that they are draw moves, reds are lossing and greens are winning. The sequences of the best moves is on move list box of on the right edge (pinch to resize screen or rote devide to get bigger move list box).[/img]
