DON Chess Engine

[Modern Times]

Unsurprisingly, I would not recommend wasting your time with it. Mildly tweaked Stockfish's are a dime a dozen. Plenty of more interesting things going on that are worth looking into. Some day someone will come around with a very profound Stockfish fork perhaps, but I don't think that day has come yet.

I've told Ehsan that it won't be tested for CCRL.

You changed your mind about this ?

https://kirill-kryukov.com/chess/discus ... 94#p146094

[Graham Banks]

Unsurprisingly, I would not recommend wasting your time with it. Mildly tweaked Stockfish's are a dime a dozen. Plenty of more interesting things going on that are worth looking into. Some day someone will come around with a very profound Stockfish fork perhaps, but I don't think that day has come yet.

I've told Ehsan that it won't be tested for CCRL.

You changed your mind about this ?

https://kirill-kryukov.com/chess/discus ... 94#p146094

No. It won't be rated.

[erashid]

Introducing DON Chess Engine – A Fast and Tactical Chess AI
I’m excited to introduce DON, my custom-built chess engine designed for speed, tactical depth, and efficient search algorithms.
Developed in C++, DON utilizes bitboards, SSE/AVX optimizations, and advanced search techniques to evaluate positions accurately and play strong, dynamic chess.

Key Features:
Bitboard Representation – Efficient board handling for lightning-fast move generation.
Search & Evaluation – Implements alpha-beta pruning, transposition tables, and late move reductions for deeper analysis.
Parallel Processing – Multi-threaded search for optimal performance.
Endgame Awareness – Specialized heuristics for better endgame play.
Tactical Strength – Finds strong sacrifices and tactical shots with SEE (Static Exchange Evaluation) and quiescence search.

I’m continuously improving DON, fine-tuning its search algorithms, evaluation functions, and optimizations. I’d love to hear feedback from fellow engine developers and chess enthusiasts.

Stay tuned for updates, and feel free to test DON against other engines!

[erashid]

Source Code & Testing:

Here is the link to the source code:
GitHub - DON Chess Engine
https://github.com/ehsanrashid/DON/tree/main/


Feel free to use, test, and contribute!

Any feedback or suggestions are welcome. Let’s make DON even stronger together!

[erashid]

DON 3.0 x64 BMI2 version



For the other versions, you need to compile it.
run this command:
make -help .... for more info on compiling.

[erashid]

Introducing DON Chess Engine – A Hybrid Engine with Polyglot Book Support

I’m excited to introduce DON, a powerful chess engine that blends the efficient search techniques of Stockfish with the neural-inspired evaluation of Leela Chess Zero. Designed for both strength and flexibility, DON also comes with Polyglot book support, allowing it to play strong, diverse opening moves based on precomputed opening books.

Key Features:
Hybrid Search Engine – Uses Stockfish-style alpha-beta pruning with NNUE-inspired evaluation for strong positional play.
Bitboard-Based Move Generation – Highly optimized for speed and efficiency.
Neural Network Evaluations – Inspired by Leela Chess Zero, improving positional understanding.
Multi-Threaded & SIMD Optimized – Uses SSE/AVX instructions for better performance.
Polyglot Opening Book Support – Reads and utilizes Polyglot .bin books, allowing DON to play strong, well-studied openings.
Strong Tactical & Positional Play – Blends Stockfish’s brute-force calculation with Leela’s pattern-based evaluation.

Now I updated the master branch with the latest changes.

Here is the link to the source code:
GitHub - DON Chess Engine
https://github.com/ehsanrashid/DON/

Feel free to test, contribute, and provide feedback! Let’s push the boundaries of chess engine development together!

[erashid]

DON Chess Engine – Major Update Released!
I’ve just pushed a major update to my DON chess engine on GitHub! This update includes several improvements, optimizations, and new features that enhance DON’s strength, efficiency, and overall performance.

Key Improvements in This Update:
Search Optimizations:

Enhanced move ordering with improved history heuristics and killer move tracking.
Improved quiescence search for better tactical accuracy.
Refined null move pruning and late move reductions, leading to deeper searches.
Evaluation Enhancements:

More accurate pawn structure evaluation including isolated and doubled pawns.
Improved king safety evaluation and mobility factors.
Enhanced tuning of piece-square tables for better positional play.
Bitboard & Move Generation Speed-Up:

Optimized bitboard operations for faster move generation.
Improved magic bitboards for efficient sliding piece attacks.
Threading & Parallel Search Improvements:

Improved multi-threading support for better scaling on multi-core systems.
More efficient lazy SMP (Shared Memory Parallelism) implementation.
UCI Protocol Enhancements:

Improved time management and move selection in bullet and blitz games.
Fixed minor UCI bugs for smoother interaction with GUI interfaces like Arena and Cute Chess.
Bug Fixes & Stability Improvements:

Fixed rare crashes in endgame scenarios.
Improved hash table efficiency, reducing collisions and increasing hit rates.


Now I updated the master branch with the latest changes.

Here is the link to the source code:
GitHub - DON Chess Engine
https://github.com/ehsanrashid/DON/

Feel free to test, contribute, and provide feedback! Let’s push the boundaries of chess engine development together!

[erashid]

DON Chess Engine – Major Update Released!
I’ve just pushed a major update to my DON chess engine on GitHub! This update includes several improvements, optimizations, and new features that enhance DON’s strength, efficiency, and overall performance.

Key Improvements in This Update:
Search Optimizations:

Enhanced move ordering with improved history heuristics and killer move tracking.
Improved quiescence search for better tactical accuracy.
Refined null move pruning and late move reductions, leading to deeper searches.
Evaluation Enhancements:

More accurate pawn structure evaluation including isolated and doubled pawns.
Improved king safety evaluation and mobility factors.
Enhanced tuning of piece-square tables for better positional play.
Bitboard & Move Generation Speed-Up:

Optimized bitboard operations for faster move generation.
Improved magic bitboards for efficient sliding piece attacks.
Threading & Parallel Search Improvements:

Improved multi-threading support for better scaling on multi-core systems.
More efficient lazy SMP (Shared Memory Parallelism) implementation.
UCI Protocol Enhancements:

Improved time management and move selection in bullet and blitz games.
Fixed minor UCI bugs for smoother interaction with GUI interfaces like Arena and Cute Chess.
Bug Fixes & Stability Improvements:

Fixed rare crashes in endgame scenarios.
Improved hash table efficiency, reducing collisions and increasing hit rates.


Now I updated the master branch with the latest changes.

Here is the link to the source code:
GitHub - DON Chess Engine
https://github.com/ehsanrashid/DON/

Thanks
Ehsan Rashid

[cpeters]

Thanks for your program!. I find it useful because you did include polybook.

For me the market is always on fire and it's crucial to use only the best tools to gain a competitive edge. I tend to make chessbooks with moves to play on servers for dominating win; I call them dombooks btw. and they're designed to give you just that advantage. With unparalleled precision and profound analysis I'll ensure that my customers stay ahead of competition, even when the heat is on.

Experience the pinnacle of chess strategy and elevate your game with my books and this engine—where excellence meets innovation. Checkmate! Format is bin and they are very deep to cover much and I think is best.

I'll sell the books with this engine but will likely use another name thought of chessdragon, dragonchess, firedragon or dragonfire. Not sure yet. Will use other options and maybe change weights I doesn't likes. Source will be included no problem here.

Maybe so in my blog:

Experience the revolution in chess mastery with ChessFireDragon, your ultimate companion in the ever-evolving world of strategic gaming. In an era where AI is transforming every aspect of our lives, why settle for anything less than the best? ChessFireDragon is meticulously engineered to give you the competitive edge you've been seeking.

Imagine a tool that not only understands the complexities of each move but also anticipates the strategies of your opponents with unparalleled accuracy. Whether you're a novice or a grandmaster, ChessFireDragon offers in-depth analysis that is both incredibly precise and remarkably profound. It’s your secret weapon, even when the game heats up and the pressure is on.

With ChessFireDragon, every move counts. Our state-of-the-art algorithms ensure that your gameplay is analyzed down to the minutest detail, providing insights and recommendations that can turn the tide in your favor. Say goodbye to uncertainty and hello to a new era of chess excellence.

Don’t just play chess—master it. Elevate your game with ChessFireDragon and stay ahead of the competition, no matter how fierce. Experience the future of chess today, and let ChessFireDragon ignite your passion for the game like never before. Checkmate is just the beginning!

Are you ready to unleash your full potential with ChessFireDragon?

Thank you! I like the quote of mine: "Checkmate is just the beginning!" It's simply brilliant! Because the checkmate ends the game! This is funny!

So thanks again for your engine. I have to test now!

[Brunetti]

Evaluation Enhancements:

More accurate pawn structure evaluation including isolated and doubled pawns.
Improved king safety evaluation and mobility factors.
Enhanced tuning of piece-square tables for better positional play.

Question for the moderator: would commenting 'clown' here be subject to a penalty?

Thanks,
Alex