MCEC anyone?

[hgm]

]What features does Fairy-Max actually have?

Search: always-replace hash table, null move, LMR (1 ply for non-capture, non-Pawn, non-hash moves), hash move searched first (and then all moves in move-generation order), obtained by internal iterative deepening when necessary (and using the MVV/LVA key as score in the 'depth = -1' iteration).
Evaluation: piece values, a moderate (shared) centralization bonus for KBNP, a hefty penalty for King moves (but bonus for castling), a Pawn-push bonus that increases towards the end-game, a penalty for Pawn pushes when no Pawn is present on the same rank two files left or right of it.

Latest Fairy-Max version in the on-line repository should never lose on time, as it implements a cold-turkey dead-line. (An unnamed patch on, version 5.0b.) BTW, the time losses were not a bug, but an optimization: the code needed to prevent those was not worth the tiny Elo increase preventing the time losses would cause. (As the time forfeits tended to happen most of the time in badly lost positions.)

[amanjpro]

Sorry for the late response; I was away on vacation this week. I have two engines that satisfy the requirements: Fairy-Max and KingSlayer. But I don't know whether it is allowed to register those both. (But I have done that anyway! )It seems good to have Fairy-Max in the tournament as a calibration standard for how strong a bug-free engine with virtually no features should be. KingSlayer should be a lot stronger, though, because it does have Pawn Structure end King Safety evaluation, and knowledeg of drawish end-games, and use move-sorting alorithms like MVV/LVA and killer.

As to the tournament page: it would be nice if there was a possibility for the spectators to chat.

Upon second try, both of them can be downloaded. But I cannot run them:

Code: Select all

amanj@zahaktop:~/Documents/engines$ ./kingslayer 
uci
Error: unknown command
\q
Error: unknown command
^C
amanj@zahaktop:~/Documents/engines$ ./fairymax 
tellics say     Fairy-Max 5.0b
tellics say     by H.G. Muller
telluser piece-description file '/usr/local/share/games/fairymax/fmax.ini'  not found

Maybe kingslayer uses XBoard? If so, I need to teach myself how to set hash size

[hgm]

Both your download links for FiaryMax and KingSlayer binaries are broken, can you please post them here?

This was because I gave the links before I actually uploaded the files there. The links should work now.

Upon second try, both of them can be downloaded. But I cannot run them:

Code: Select all

amanj@zahaktop:~/Documents/engines$ ./kingslayer 
uci
Error: unknown command
\q
Error: unknown command
^C
amanj@zahaktop:~/Documents/engines$ ./fairymax 
tellics say     Fairy-Max 5.0b
tellics say     by H.G. Muller
telluser piece-description file '/usr/local/share/games/fairymax/fmax.ini'  not found

Maybe kingslayer uses XBoard? If so, I need to teach myself how to set hash size

Both Fairy-Max and KingSlayer are XBoard engines.

And I forgot to supply the fmax.ini data file, sorry about that. I uploaded that now to http://hgm.nubati.net/fmax.ini . You would have to put it in the directory mentioned in the error message.

[amanjpro]

Both your download links for FiaryMax and KingSlayer binaries are broken, can you please post them here?

This was because I gave the links before I actually uploaded the files there. The links should work now.

Upon second try, both of them can be downloaded. But I cannot run them:

Code: Select all

amanj@zahaktop:~/Documents/engines$ ./kingslayer 
uci
Error: unknown command
\q
Error: unknown command
^C
amanj@zahaktop:~/Documents/engines$ ./fairymax 
tellics say     Fairy-Max 5.0b
tellics say     by H.G. Muller
telluser piece-description file '/usr/local/share/games/fairymax/fmax.ini'  not found

Maybe kingslayer uses XBoard? If so, I need to teach myself how to set hash size

Both Fairy-Max and KinSlayer are XBoard engines.

And I forgot to supply the fmax.ini data file, sorry about that. I uploaded that now to http://hgm.nubati.net/fmax.ini . You would have to put it in the directory mentioned in the error message.

Great, I have them both running. I am very very very bad at XBoard, can you tell me how can I set:

Hash to 256
CPU/Threads to 1?

[hgm]

That should be done through the GUI (i.e. the engine expects the GUI to send them the applicable command). With XBoard I just specify a hash size in the Engines-> Common Settings dialog, and all engines (both UCI and CECP) would use that.

It doesn't matter how you set the number of threads, btw, because Fairy-Max and KingSlayer are not SMP.

[amanjpro]

That should be done through the GUI (i.e. the engine expects the GUI to send them the applicable command). With XBoard I just specify a hash size in the Engines-> Common Settings dialog, and all engines (both UCI and CECP) would use that.

It doesn't matter how you set the number of threads, btw, because Fairy-Max and KingSlayer are not SMP.

Ah then... I can only add them to the test run later today when I have physical access to the desktop to run GUI

[hgm]

I don't get that. Which GUI are you using to run the tourney then. And how could you ever add any engine without access to the GUI that runs the tourney?

[Henk]

Which version of Fairy-Max. Fairy-Max 4.8V may loose on time and you wrote a while ago that an engine should never loose on time.
So 4.8V is not bug free.

O wait compared to Skipper Fairy-Max is bug free.

Well , i've played tons of games vs fairy may / Umax 4.8 , when I've tested my old engine Jars , LOT occured not very often with fairy max ... you must doing another thing very wrong
And : every engines are bugfree compared to skipper

Hi hi hi. 20s. Maybe your engine is too strong for fairy-max and it wins through check mate before fairy max loses on time.

[pgn]

[Event "Computer Chess Game"]
[Site "LAPTOP-1FK7MTIP"]
[Date "2021.06.04"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Skipper_8_16"]
[Black "Fairy-Max 4.8V"]
[Result "1-0"]
[TimeControl "20"]
[Annotator "1. +0.06 3... +0.17"]

1. Nc3 {+0.06/7} d5 2. e4 {-0.16/7 0.3} c6 3. Bd3 {+0.25/7 0.3} dxe4
{+0.17/5 0.4} 4. Nxe4 {+0.35/7 0.3} f5 {+0.04/6 0.7} 5. Ng3 {+0.25/6 0.3}
g6 {-0.13/6 0.9} 6. Nf3 {+0.70/7 0.3} Nd7 {-0.02/6 0.3} 7. O-O
{+0.42/7 0.3} Ngf6 {+0.18/7 1.0} 8. Rb1 {+0.28/7 0.3} Nc5 {+0.18/7 0.5} 9.
Bc4 {+0.13/7 0.3} Be6 {+0.12/7 0.9} 10. Bxe6 {+0.95/7 0.3} Nxe6
{-0.05/7 0.4} 11. d4 {+0.62/7 0.3} Qd5 {+0.14/7 1.4} 12. a4 {+0.74/6 0.3}
Qa2 {+0.57/6 0.4} 13. Bd2 {+0.91/6 0.3} Qxa4 {+0.74/6 0.2} 14. Ne2
{+1.04/6 0.3} O-O-O {+0.94/5 0.3} 15. Ra1 {+0.88/6 0.3} Qb5 {+0.50/6 0.2}
16. Rxa7 {+0.69/6 0.3} Qxb2 {+0.34/6 0.2} 17. Ra8+ {+1.35/7 0.3} Kc7
{+0.27/6 0.2} 18. Ba5+ {+1.11/6 0.3} b6 {+0.39/6 0.2} 19. Rxd8
{+1.11/7 0.3} Nxd8 {+0.59/7 0.2} 20. Bd2 {+1.04/6 0.3} Ne6 {+0.77/5 0.2}
21. Nf4 {+1.43/7 0.3} Ng7 {+0.39/7 0.3} 22. Nd3 {+1.51/5 0.3} Qa2
{+0.44/6 0.2} 23. Bf4+ {+1.26/7 0.3} Kb7 {+0.49/5 0.3} 24. Be5
{+1.28/6 0.2} Ng4 {+0.79/7 0.8} 25. Bf4 {+1.11/5 0.3} Ne6 {+0.80/6 0.5} 26.
Bg3 {+0.60/6 0.2} Bg7 {+0.69/5 0.2} 27. h3 {+0.79/5 0.2} Nf6 {+0.71/6 0.2}
28. Be5 {+0.71/6 0.2} Ne4 {+0.78/6 0.2} 29. Nb4 {+0.63/6 0.2} Qa5
{+0.74/5 0.2} 30. Bxg7 {+0.72/7 0.2} Nxg7 {+0.67/7 0.3} 31. Nd3
{+0.40/6 0.2} Ne6 {+0.82/6 0.3} 32. Nde5 {+0.02/6 0.2} Rd8 {+0.77/6 0.3}
33. Nf7 {+0.22/6 0.2} Re8 {+0.68/6 0.2} 34. Re1 {+0.18/5 0.2} Rg8
{+0.72/4 0.2} 35. Nh6 {+0.31/5 0.2} Rf8 {+0.73/4 0.2} 36. g4 {-0.10/4 0.2}
Nf4 {+0.97/5 0.2} 37. Rf1 {-0.88/5 0.2} Nxh3+ {+1.91/6 0.3} 38. Kg2
{-0.98/7 0.2} Nf4+ {+1.88/6 0.2} 39. Kg1 {-1.36/6 0.2} Qd5 {+1.89/5 0.2}
40. Qe1 {-1.55/6 0.2} Nh3+ {+1.89/4 0.2} 41. Kg2 {-2.06/6 0.2} fxg4
{+2.37/6 0.2} 42. Nxg4 {-2.65/6 0.2} Rxf3 {+2.52/5 0.2} 43. Kxf3
{-2.79/6 0.2} Qf5+ {+1.86/5 0.2} 44. Ke3 {-2.71/6 0.2} Qxg4 {+1.87/6 0.4}
45. f3 {-2.29/7 0.2} Qf4+ {+1.90/6 0.2} 46. Kd3 {-2.23/7 0.2} Nef2+
{+2.05/7 0.2} 47. Rxf2 {-2.31/7 0.2} Qf5+ {+2.05/6 0.1} 48. Ke3
{-2.37/6 0.2} Qe6+ {+2.16/6 0.1} 49. Kd2 {-2.24/8 0.2} Qxe1+ {+1.99/7 0.1}
50. Kxe1 {-2.38/10 0.2} Nxf2 {+1.61/11 0.2} 51. Kxf2 {-2.52/9 0.2} e6
{+1.64/10 1.1} 52. f4 {-3.20/8 0.2} c5 {+1.65/9 0.2} 53. dxc5 {-3.05/9 0.2}
bxc5 {+1.66/9 0.1} 54. c4 {-3.11/9 0.2} h6 {+1.71/8 0.2} 55. Kg3
{-3.06/9 0.2} Kc7 {+1.72/9 0.2} 56. Kf2 {-3.12/9 0.2} Kd6 {+1.70/9 0.1} 57.
Kg3 {-3.10/10 0.2} e5 {+1.71/9 0.2} 58. Kf3 {-3.39/10 0.2} g5 {+1.63/9 0.2}
59. fxg5 {-3.47/10 0.2} hxg5 {+1.75/10 0.2} 60. Kg4 {-3.99/11 0.2} e4
{+2.91/11 0.2} 61. Kg3 {-5.30/11 0.2} Ke5 {+2.89/11 0.2} 62. Kf2
{-5.75/11 0.2} g4 {+2.92/9 0.1} 63. Ke2 {-6.66/11 0.2} Kf4 {+8.50/9 0.2}
64. Kf2 {-14.10/12 0.2} g3+ {+9.90/10 0.2} 65. Ke1 {-14.43/11 0.2} e3
{+9.91/2 0.1} 66. Kf1 {-21.38/11 0.2} Kf3 {+16.80/10 0.2} 67. Ke1
{-22.01/10 0.1} g2 {+16.87/9 0.1} 68. Kd1 {-22.01/9 0.1} g1=Q+
{+16.86/8 0.2} 69. Kc2 {-327.58/9 0.2} e2 {+17.04/7 0.1} 70. Kb3
{-327.60/8 0.2}
{White wins on time} 1-0
[/pgn]

[amanjpro]

I don't get that. Which GUI are you using to run the tourney then. And how could you ever add any engine without access to the GUI that runs the tourney?

I'm using cute chess cli... And currently only have ssh access... And I'll use the cute chess gui to add the engines to my list, as this is the first time to add an XBoard engine, and I don't really know how to do it in cli...

[hgm]

Ah, OK. I am afraid I cannot help there, as I have never used CuteChess (neither CLI nor GUI). I suppose you can add engines hrouh editing some settings file. I wouldn't expect the setting of the hash size to be any different depending on the engine type. (But you probably would have to specify the engine type.) But perhaps CuteChess-CLI is more low-level than I expect.