On-line engine blitz tourney September

[Joost Buijs]

The monthly on-line engine blitz tourney for September will take place on:

Saturday September 19, 2:00 PM EST (Boston time), 20:00 CET (Amsterdam time)

To connect:

winboard -zp -ics -icshost nightmare-chess.nl -icshelper timeseal -fcp ENGINE.exe -fd ENGINEFOLDER -autoKibitz

(for UCI engines, add -fUCI)

People without an account on the server can submit a request for an account to admin@nightmare-chess.nl

Our tournament manager will be: Eendje (Lisebeth) from ICC

I still didn't have time to look at the problem that Mamer gives when it is compiled with a recent version of GCC, it compiles without a hitch but it seems to produce a partly broken executable. Until this is fixed we keep the old tourney format of 9 rounds Swiss 5/1

[Joost Buijs]

Just a reminder for people who missed the first announcement!

[chrisw]

Just a reminder for people who missed the first announcement!

Logged on earlier today, and got challenged, auto accepted (I assume) and then the engine hung. Will try and fix it before 20:00.
I’m guessing WinBoard compatibility with some too-clever-for-its-own-good UCI code to handle pondering. Works fine in cutechess, weird.

[Joost Buijs]

Just a reminder for people who missed the first announcement!

Logged on earlier today, and got challenged, auto accepted (I assume) and then the engine hung. Will try and fix it before 20:00.
I’m guessing WinBoard compatibility with some too-clever-for-its-own-good UCI code to handle pondering. Works fine in cutechess, weird.

Besides showing EGTB hits (which works rather strange) I never have a problem with Winboard to let my engine play on chess-servers. It is possible that pondering is handled by Polyglot, this is something I can't tell without looking at the source. I use Winboard 4.80b, never tried a later one.

[chrisw]

Just a reminder for people who missed the first announcement!

Logged on earlier today, and got challenged, auto accepted (I assume) and then the engine hung. Will try and fix it before 20:00.
I’m guessing WinBoard compatibility with some too-clever-for-its-own-good UCI code to handle pondering. Works fine in cutechess, weird.

Besides showing EGTB hits (which works rather strange) I never have a problem with Winboard to let my engine play on chess-servers. It is possible that pondering is handled by Polyglot, this is something I can't tell without looking at the source. I use Winboard 4.80b, never tried a later one.

Fixed it now. It was my fault for trying to be too clever. Cutechess does a isready/readyok handshake after go position, Winboard doesn't. I had some code that was (not really necessary) waiting for the handshake that never arrived. Only in certain cases, but enough to hang it.

New problem is losing on time in sudden death mode (eg 5/1). I'm playing some test games to see if that is fixed, and throwing rating points in the process, but, so.

And I have no book. So, very quickly seeing if that can be fixed, but as far as rapid research tells, I need to incorporate polyglot into the source and compile it, which isn't going to happen between now and 20:00 CET

[Ras]

Is there any howto for getting this working using xboard under Linux?
xboard just quits with "xboard: Error writing to ICS: Broken pipe" when I try to write something into the chat window, and I don't get the control text window.

[Joost Buijs]

Is there any howto for getting this working using xboard under Linux?
xboard just quits with "xboard: Error writing to ICS: Broken pipe" when I try to write something into the chat window, and I don't get the control text window.

Maybe ask HGM, he maintains xboard, I have no experience with Linux and xboard at all.

[Joost Buijs]

It was a fun tournament, at the end there was an issue with an adjourned game between Nemorino and rpiRofchade, but nothing serious.

Belfish was (again) a little bit too strong and ended at the first place with 8.5 points.
Nemorino ended second with 7 points.
Five engines ended on a shared thirth place with 5.5 points.

NightmareX had a problem with the endgame table-bases, they were loaded, but in several endgames the engine suddenly played weird moves and it didn't see the table-bases at all. Nothing had changed since the August tournament, sometimes strange things happen.

Code: Select all

:Tourney Players: Round 9 of 9 
:
:     Name              Rating Score Perfrm Upset  Results 
:     ----------------- ------ ----- ------ ------ ------- 
:  1 +BelFish           [2973]  8.5  [3180] [   0] +14w +08w +10b +03w =02b +13w +04b +09w +12b 
:  2 +Nemorino          [2838]  7.0  [2991] [ 186] +21w +07w =06b +16b =01w =04b +13b =03w +05w 
:  3 +rofChade          [2970]  5.5  [2849] [   0] +15b +09w =05w -01b -13w +16b +08w =02b =07w 
:  4 +Schooner          [2921]  5.5  [2861] [   0] =19b =12w +11b +05w =10b =02w -01w =07b +09b 
:  5 +rpiRofChade       [2834]  5.5  [2828] [ 119] +17w +11w =03b -04b +16w =12b =07w +13w -02b 
:  6 +NightmareX        [2833]  5.5  [2773] [  38] +18w =16b =02w =07w =08b +10w -09b =12b +14w 
:  7 -Marvin            [2733]  5.5  [2786] [ 398] +25w -02b +17w =06b =12w +11w =05b =04w =03b 
:  8 +IgelRB            [2814]  5.0  [2729] [  27] +22w -01b +20w -12b =06w +15b -03b +19w =13b
:  9 +Goldbar           [2762]  5.0  [2736] [  71] +23w -03b +21w -13b +15w +14b +06w -01b -04w 
: 10 +Amoeba            [2739]  5.0  [2757] [ 285] +24b +13w -01w +19b =04w -06b =12w =14w =11b 
: 11 -WaDuuttie         [2638]  5.0  [2549] [  50] +26w -05b -04w +21b +20w -07b =19b +16w =10w 
: 12 +ArasanX           [2905]  4.5  [2723] [   8] -16w =04b +22b +08w =07b =05w =10b =06w -01w 
: 13 -WaspX             [2850]  4.5  [2760] [ 120] +20w -10b +15w +09w +03b -01b -02w -05b =08w 
: 14 +Arminius          [2621]  4.5  [2552] [  59] -01b -19w +18b +17w +22b -09w +20w =10b -06b 
: 15 +atomNightmare     [2566]  4.5  [2485] [   0] -03w +23b -13b +18w -09b -08w =22w +25b +20w 
: 16 +CoronaVirusChess  [2476]  4.5  [2611] [ 658] +12b =06w +19b -02w -05b -03w +17b -11b +26w
: 17 +Nemeton           [2329]  4.5  [2361] [  99] -05b +26w -07b -14b +25w +18b -16w +23w =19b 
: 18 +Barbarossa        [2270]  4.5  [2276] [   0] -06b =22w -14w -15b +23b -17w +25w +26b +24b 
: 19 +atomGoldbar       [2527]  4.0  [2513] [ 346] =04w +14b -16w -10w =21b +24b =11w -08b =17w 
: 20 +rpiArminius       [2348]  4.0  [2435] [   0] -13b +24w -08b +23w -11b +21w -14b +22w -15b 
: 21 -RookieMonster     [2336]  4.0  [2295] [  95] -02b +25w -09b -11w =19w -20b +26b +24w =23b 
: 22 +mhouppin          [2189]  4.0  [2323] [ 228] -08b =18b -12w +24b -14w +26w =15b -20b +25w 
: 23 +feligres          [2158]  3.5  [2177] [  89] -09b -15w +26b -20b -18w +25b +24w -17b =21w 
: 24 +Isa               [2151]  2.0  [2022] [   0] -10w -20b +25b -22w +26b -19w -23b -21b -18w
: 25 -Skiull            [2007]  1.0  [1951] [   0] -07b -21b -24w +26w -17b -23w -18b -15w -22b 
: 26 -Skipper           [1630]  0.0  [1883] [   0] -11b -17b -23w -25b -24w -22b -21w -18w -16b 
:
:     Average Rating    2554.5 

[chrisw]

It was a fun tournament, at the end there was an issue with an adjourned game between Nemorino and rpiRofchade, but nothing serious.

Belfish was (again) a little bit too strong and ended at the first place with 8.5 points.
Nemorino ended second with 7 points.
Five engines ended on a shared thirth place with 5.5 points.

NightmareX had a problem with the endgame table-bases, they were loaded, but in several endgames the engine suddenly played weird moves and it didn't see the table-bases at all. Nothing had changed since the August tournament, sometimes strange things happen.

Code: Select all

:Tourney Players: Round 9 of 9 
:
:     Name              Rating Score Perfrm Upset  Results 
:     ----------------- ------ ----- ------ ------ ------- 
:  1 +BelFish           [2973]  8.5  [3180] [   0] +14w +08w +10b +03w =02b +13w +04b +09w +12b 
:  2 +Nemorino          [2838]  7.0  [2991] [ 186] +21w +07w =06b +16b =01w =04b +13b =03w +05w 
:  3 +rofChade          [2970]  5.5  [2849] [   0] +15b +09w =05w -01b -13w +16b +08w =02b =07w 
:  4 +Schooner          [2921]  5.5  [2861] [   0] =19b =12w +11b +05w =10b =02w -01w =07b +09b 
:  5 +rpiRofChade       [2834]  5.5  [2828] [ 119] +17w +11w =03b -04b +16w =12b =07w +13w -02b 
:  6 +NightmareX        [2833]  5.5  [2773] [  38] +18w =16b =02w =07w =08b +10w -09b =12b +14w 
:  7 -Marvin            [2733]  5.5  [2786] [ 398] +25w -02b +17w =06b =12w +11w =05b =04w =03b 
:  8 +IgelRB            [2814]  5.0  [2729] [  27] +22w -01b +20w -12b =06w +15b -03b +19w =13b
:  9 +Goldbar           [2762]  5.0  [2736] [  71] +23w -03b +21w -13b +15w +14b +06w -01b -04w 
: 10 +Amoeba            [2739]  5.0  [2757] [ 285] +24b +13w -01w +19b =04w -06b =12w =14w =11b 
: 11 -WaDuuttie         [2638]  5.0  [2549] [  50] +26w -05b -04w +21b +20w -07b =19b +16w =10w 
: 12 +ArasanX           [2905]  4.5  [2723] [   8] -16w =04b +22b +08w =07b =05w =10b =06w -01w 
: 13 -WaspX             [2850]  4.5  [2760] [ 120] +20w -10b +15w +09w +03b -01b -02w -05b =08w 
: 14 +Arminius          [2621]  4.5  [2552] [  59] -01b -19w +18b +17w +22b -09w +20w =10b -06b 
: 15 +atomNightmare     [2566]  4.5  [2485] [   0] -03w +23b -13b +18w -09b -08w =22w +25b +20w 
: 16 +CoronaVirusChess  [2476]  4.5  [2611] [ 658] +12b =06w +19b -02w -05b -03w +17b -11b +26w
: 17 +Nemeton           [2329]  4.5  [2361] [  99] -05b +26w -07b -14b +25w +18b -16w +23w =19b 
: 18 +Barbarossa        [2270]  4.5  [2276] [   0] -06b =22w -14w -15b +23b -17w +25w +26b +24b 
: 19 +atomGoldbar       [2527]  4.0  [2513] [ 346] =04w +14b -16w -10w =21b +24b =11w -08b =17w 
: 20 +rpiArminius       [2348]  4.0  [2435] [   0] -13b +24w -08b +23w -11b +21w -14b +22w -15b 
: 21 -RookieMonster     [2336]  4.0  [2295] [  95] -02b +25w -09b -11w =19w -20b +26b +24w =23b 
: 22 +mhouppin          [2189]  4.0  [2323] [ 228] -08b =18b -12w +24b -14w +26w =15b -20b +25w 
: 23 +feligres          [2158]  3.5  [2177] [  89] -09b -15w +26b -20b -18w +25b +24w -17b =21w 
: 24 +Isa               [2151]  2.0  [2022] [   0] -10w -20b +25b -22w +26b -19w -23b -21b -18w
: 25 -Skiull            [2007]  1.0  [1951] [   0] -07b -21b -24w +26w -17b -23w -18b -15w -22b 
: 26 -Skipper           [1630]  0.0  [1883] [   0] -11b -17b -23w -25b -24w -22b -21w -18w -16b 
:
:     Average Rating    2554.5 

Yes, good tournament. I liked the random Doors quotes from one the engine authors. Mine started well, never a good idea in a Swiss because the middle was pretty bad but then with a minor recovery at the end. I must get myself a book.
Why not ask each author for his most outstanding game? Then select best for a prize of fame and (no) fortune? Brilliancy prize or something. Anyway, it’s a lot of fun and I like deadline targets.

[jdart]

Is there any howto for getting this working using xboard under Linux?
xboard just quits with "xboard: Error writing to ICS: Broken pipe" when I try to write something into the chat window, and I don't get the control text window.

I use icsdrone, with a script something like this:

Code: Select all

icsdrone  -icsHost nightmare-chess.nl -icsPort 5000 -handle arasanx -password xxxxxx -owner jdart -easyMode off -feedback off -resign off -acceptDraw off -program "/home/jdart/chess/engines/arasan/arasanx-64-avx2 -ics -H 32G -c 32" -logAppend on -daemonize on

The only problem with icsdrone is, it is really hands-off once it connects the engine to the server. You need a second, non-computer account to control it. For example from my jdart account, I can issue the command "tell arasanx tell mam join 1" and Arasan will join the tourney.

--Jon