Any WinBoard bugs I missed?

[Roger Brown]

I missed that ini file, I only have values.txt and book.smt. So this is the solution.
Could you post your typical .ini file?

I wonder how winboard will install the engine as uci. Can you install it as uci in the wb version that you use?

Hello Ferdinand,

See below:

Code: Select all

;  Setup file for the SmarThink

;
;  TranspositionSize - the size of transposition table
;                                                  
;  Value                   Size (bytes)
;
;  15                      655360
;  16                      1310720
;  17                      2621440
;  18                      5242880
;  19 *                    10485760
;  20                      20971520
;  21                      41943040
;  22                      83886080
;  23                      167772160
;  24                      335544320
;
;  * - default
;

TranspositionSize=19

;  
;  PawnHashSize - the size of pawn hash
;
;  Value                   Size (bytes)
;
;  14                      360448
;  15                      720896
;  16                      1441792
;  17                      2883534
;  18 *                    5767168
;  19                      11534336
;  20                      23068672
;  21                      46137344
;  22                      92274688
;  23                      184549376
;
;  * - default
;

PawnHashSize=19

;
; Aggressivity (%) - causes SmarThink to attack enemy king stronger
; (100 by default)
;
; 0 <= Aggressivity <= 300
;

Aggressivity=100

;
; Cowardice (%) - causes SmarThink to make care of own king
; (100 by default)
;
; 0 <= Cowardice <= 300
;

Cowardice=100

; In learning mode SmarThink saves a costly miscalculations in special
; file for using this info in next games

Learning=off

; When UseLearningData on, SmarThink uses data from learning file

UseLearningData=off

; If LogLearningIntoFile is on than SmarThink shows all learning positions
; in log-file (EPD-notation and several additional debug info)

LogLearningIntoFile=off

; If evaluation is less than *ResignValue* during *ResignTimes* moves
; than SmarThink resigns

ResignValue=800
ResignTimes=3

; In book learning mode SmarThink updates weights in openings book

BookLearning=off

; DISCOVER = play unchecked variations first to collect a weights,
; KILL = try to find best lines to overthrow opponent

BookLearningMode=KILL

; VarietyOfPlay (%) - play book move only if its weight is not less
; than weight of best move by *VarietyOfPlay* %.

VarietyOfPlay=15

; Update weight if abs(evaluation)>*BookLearningBound*

BookLearningBound=260

; No comments

UseBookWeights=on

; Support pondering or no?

Pondering=on

; Use endgame tablebases or no

UseEGTB=off

; Path to tablebase files

EGTBpath=

Installed as UCI here without any issues.

You can set basic parameters in the Winboard gui such as hash size. Engine #1 settings gives the specific engine settings.

Hope that this helps.

Later.

[Ferdy]

Thanks so much, now it works for both uci and winboard.

[hgm]

Looks like we will request Sergei to modify his warning message.

Indeed. The error message is non-compliant, so in principle will result in undefined behavior. What is described in the protocol specs is just how WinBoard would react, other GUIs might react differently.

If the engine wants to convey an error message to the user, the compliant way would be to use:

tellusererror EGTB file not found

If it just wants the info to go into the GUI log file, it can send feature debug=1 at startup, and send

# EGTB file not found

Both methods would 'disarm' the message, as WinBoard would not try to recognize other commands once it has seen the leading # or tellusererror.

[stegemma]

[...]
If you are somewhere in the search and something is wrong there I sometimes want to see a chessboard which shows the position. I don't want to inspect all bits of a bit board.

You only needs a function that output the chessboard in text format to the console and call it anywhere you want to debug. I oftne use something like this:

Code: Select all

if(nodes==NODE_TO_DEBUG)
   DebugBoard();

DebugBoard print the position in human readable way:

Code: Select all

RNBQKBNR
PPPPPPPP
--------
...

Often this is enough and you can redirect this output to a text file, from the console or changing DebugBoard() itself.

Any programmer has it own preferred way to debug and are all good, if you choose the right one for you.

Returning to the Winboard bugs, i've found very hard to use this software in the last live tournament. If i just want to adjust the clock, for sample, i haven't found a clean way to do it... loosing time during the game. But maybe this is not a true bug, only a lack on the software or... in my lower knowledge of it.

[hgm]

You click on the clock with the Shift key pressed (left subtracts a minute, right-click adds it). Auto-flag must be off for this to work, though. (But during OTB tourneys you want it off anyway, or it would likely flag your opponent and declare you winner when he still has plenty of time on the official clock.)

[stegemma]

You click on the clock with the Shift key pressed (left subtracts a minute, right-click adds it). Auto-flag must be off for this to work, though. (But during OTB tourneys you want it off anyway, or it would likely flag your opponent and declare you winner when he still has plenty of time on the official clock.)

Thanks, maybe a "set clock" feature could be nice, instead of up/down adjust.

[hgm]

Well, I don't know. It sounds a bit cumbersome to operate. You would have to open a dialog by several menu clicks, select an entry in it, go to the keyboard to type a time, click OK... Two or three mouse clicks on the clock now and then is much faster.

[stegemma]

Well, I don't know. It sounds a bit cumbersome to operate. You would have to open a dialog by several menu clicks, select an entry in it, go to the keyboard to type a time, click OK... Two or three mouse clicks on the clock now and then is much faster.

But you can open a dialog double-clicking on the clock and then, in that dialog, use +/- buttons for minutes/seconds but even type the time as text.

It requires some work, i don't know if anybody else could be interested, of course it's just an hint to improve the software.

PS: it's only because i hate pressing shift while using the mouse, to get some magic behaviour

[Henk]

[...]
If you are somewhere in the search and something is wrong there I sometimes want to see a chessboard which shows the position. I don't want to inspect all bits of a bit board.

You only needs a function that output the chessboard in text format to the console and call it anywhere you want to debug. I oftne use something like this:

Code: Select all

if(nodes==NODE_TO_DEBUG)
   DebugBoard();

DebugBoard print the position in human readable way:

Code: Select all

RNBQKBNR
PPPPPPPP
--------
...

Often this is enough and you can redirect this output to a text file, from the console or changing DebugBoard() itself.

Any programmer has it own preferred way to debug and are all good, if you choose the right one for you.

Returning to the Winboard bugs, i've found very hard to use this software in the last live tournament. If i just want to adjust the clock, for sample, i haven't found a clean way to do it... loosing time during the game. But maybe this is not a true bug, only a lack on the software or... in my lower knowledge of it.

As long as there are no files involved fine. Don't like working with files or databases. But programming is not fun.

[JVMerlino]

I am preparing a new WinBoard/XBoard release (4.8.0), but I have been busy with other stuff for the past 6 months, and I am not sure if I have solved all issues that have come up since then.

If you noticed a bug these past months, could you remind me of it (even if you already reported it)?

Not even sure you would classify the topic as a bug, and I know it's way down on your priority list, but we had this discussion a year ago. If there's anything from it that you wanted to make official, this is your reminder.

http://www.open-aurec.com/wbforum/viewt ... =2&t=52918

Thanks, H.G.!

jm