Slow Chess Blitz Classic

[jonk]

After a 14-year hiatus, there is a new version of Slow Chess Blitz.
Slow Chess Blitz Classic should be better all-around than WV2.1.
It searches a couple ply deeper on average, and often but not always finds checkmates much sooner.
(It is 64-bit only now.)

Page w/ download : https://www.3dkingdoms.com/chess/slow.htm
Readme with some details update : https://www.3dkingdoms.com/chess/ReadmeClassic.txt

It still has own gui, with Develop menu options / multi-pv / right-click on piece for eval.
Eval in general is more elaborate with positional eval cranked up a bit, I did some test blitz matches against very old programs with good results.
A few games against modern programs that search twice as deep show it's playing strength isn't in same league as current chess programs though.
Let me know if there are any issues or bugs.

-Jon

[Graham Banks]

Exciting news! Welcome back. Jonathan.

[Guenther]

After a 14-year hiatus, there is a new version of Slow Chess Blitz.
Slow Chess Blitz Classic should be better all-around than WV2.1.
It searches a couple ply deeper on average, and often but not always finds checkmates much sooner.
(It is 64-bit only now.)

Page w/ download : https://www.3dkingdoms.com/chess/slow.htm
Readme with some details update : https://www.3dkingdoms.com/chess/ReadmeClassic.txt

It still has own gui, with Develop menu options / multi-pv / right-click on piece for eval.
Eval in general is more elaborate with positional eval cranked up a bit, I did some test blitz matches against very old programs with good results.
A few games against modern programs that search twice as deep show it's playing strength isn't in same league as current chess programs though.
Let me know if there are any issues or bugs.

-Jon

Hi Jon, nice to see you come back.

The new version probably is compiled with popcount, because it crashes on my old quadcore w/o popcount?

[Gabor Szots]

Sometimes the incredible happens. Welcome back Jonathan.

[Gabor Szots]

First tests.

Shredder 13 recognizes the engine and properly identifies its name as SlowChess Blitz Classic 1.4. When playing, only displays move upon execution, no PV.
The engine does not install under Fritz 15 (engine name row remains empty). Had to edit its .eng file manually to make it recognize the engine.

[jonk]

I'll compile a no popcount tonight.
The UCI pv might not be correctly formatted will check that. For UCI support I tested using Arena, unfortunately don't have the Shredder or Fritz GUI to test, but can find some other UCI tests. Otherwise I used Winboard for any regular testing, but probably every engine is UCI now.
If any more issues let me know can look into them tonight too.
I am curious where it would end up on rating lists.

[BrendanJNorman]

After a 14-year hiatus, there is a new version of Slow Chess Blitz.
Slow Chess Blitz Classic should be better all-around than WV2.1.
It searches a couple ply deeper on average, and often but not always finds checkmates much sooner.
(It is 64-bit only now.)

Page w/ download : https://www.3dkingdoms.com/chess/slow.htm
Readme with some details update : https://www.3dkingdoms.com/chess/ReadmeClassic.txt

It still has own gui, with Develop menu options / multi-pv / right-click on piece for eval.
Eval in general is more elaborate with positional eval cranked up a bit, I did some test blitz matches against very old programs with good results.
A few games against modern programs that search twice as deep show it's playing strength isn't in same league as current chess programs though.
Let me know if there are any issues or bugs.

-Jon

Seems really strong and really positional in playing style...reminds me of Schooner's return actually.

[Roland Chastain]

Very good news! Slow Chess is one of my favourite chess programs.

[Gabor Szots]

For UCI support I tested using Arena, unfortunately don't have the Shredder or Fritz GUI to test, but can find some other UCI tests. Otherwise I used Winboard for any regular testing, but probably every engine is UCI now.
If any more issues let me know can look into them tonight too.

Under Arena in both UCI and WB mode I always get an Error Loading Opening Book message. After I acknowledge that, all is well, PV's are shown.

[jonk]

I updated the download on the webpage to also include a slow64_noPop exe and also to hopefully fix uci pv display. (It wasn't outputting to algebraic notation like it should have been, Arena must not care.) Still 1.4 since no other changes. Let me know if the noPop works, not sure if anything else might be an issue. Also not sure why not finding opening book with arena, that means probably not finding bitbases either. Expects working directory same as exe, and sub-directories same as in the .zip with bitbases and openingBook.

Thanks everyone who replied so far. The style is definitely more positional with a bigger eval than the older Slow Chess versions. It is tactically stronger too, though not on level with the current chess programs. It probably follows more variety of lines especially lines with threats (against pieces or mate threats.) It feels nicely stylish and is sometimes a dangerous attacker against old programs like Blitz WV2.1, Ruffian, GLC, Fruit 2.1 etc. but the new ones just feel like something from another planet still. When I started looking at chess again I expected easily a few hundred elo progress from more power spent on testing/tuning and and general advances, but was surprised to see the new best free programs are like 600-700 elo stronger than the programs I remember.