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Understand now.

Nice idea to allow such a file to be generated by the user, albeit for specialised use. To be fair to Arena, am aware its debug file is for the benefit of engine developers.

Thanks for clarifying.

Well, using the debug is a good idea. Tommy Inoz's live game viewer (TLCV / TLCS) uses that same principle on WinBoard debug files.

The problem is that some engines abuse the large tolerance of GUIs w.r.t. protocol violations by sending enormous loads of cr*p to the GUI, which all ends up in the debug file. Of course WinBoard itself also send debug messages to this file (it was really intended to debug WinBoard rather than the engines), which might differ from version to version, and on which TLCS occasionally chokes.

To make life simpler for applications that use the debug file, I have built an option into WinBoard that allows you to comment out any non-compliant output from the engine (good for users that recognize the commenting), or completely block it out from the debug file (would work for any debug-file user, but makes it impossible to debug the engine).

7pm, Wednesday 28th July, 2010 (UTC+1/GMT+1/British Summer Time).

IvanHoe 81 v Fire 1.31

Challenger IvanHoe needs to win the last game in order to push Fire off rank 4 on the ladder.

Those who saw the previous live game, and witnessed the miraculous transformation of a Queen move into a queenside castle, might wonder if it's going to be worth it.

Can only say the presentation went better than the first, so I have high expectations for the third.

7pm, Wednesday 18th August, 2010 (UTC+1/GMT+1/British Summer Time).

IvanHoe 52 v Deep Rybka 4

Challenger IvanHoe needs to win the last game in order to usurp Rybka from rank 1 on the ladder.

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3pm, Saturday 25th September, 2010 (UTC+1/GMT+1/British Summer Time).

IvanHoe 52 v Deep Rybka 4

Challenger IvanHoe trying to usurp Rybka from rank 1 on the ladder for the second time. Down 5-4 currently. Previously ended 6-6.

IvanHoe as White now gets the chance to see if it can win from the same 8-ply start position as Rybka did as White.

3pm Wednesday, 6th October 2010 (UTC+1/GMT+1/British Summer Time).

Houdini 1.03a v Fire 1.31

Challenger Fire tries to topple Houdini from rank 2 on ladder. Up 6-2. Needs half a point from 4 games.

Found this challenge the most interesting of the fifteen completed.

7pm Thursday, 7th October 2010 (UTC+1/GMT+1/British Summer Time).

Fire 1.31 v Houdini 1.03a

Challenger Fire tries to topple Houdini from rank 2 on ladder. Up 6-3. Needs half a point from 3 games.

Fire as white plays same start position as Houdini won from in game 9.

3pm Sunday, 10th October 2010 (UTC+1/GMT+1/British Summer Time).

Igorrit 0086v9 v IvanHoe 52

Challenger Igorrit needs half a point from last game to topple IvanHoe from rank 4.

3pm Thursday, 21st October 2010 (UTC+1/GMT+1/British Summer Time).

Igorrit 0086v9 v Houdini 1.02

Challenger Igorrit needs to win last game to topple Houdini from rank 5.

3pm Saturday, 20th November 2010 (UTC+0/GMT).

Fire 1.31 v Stockfish 1.9.1

Challenger Stockfish needs just half a point from the last two games to topple Fire from rank 4.

This match so far has had only 4 draws from ten games.