UCCI2WB adapter available (XQ)

[hgm]

It is now possible to run any UCCI engine under WinBoard 4.3, using the UCCI2WB adapter that is available for download at

http://home.hccnet.nl/h.g.muller/ucci2wb.zip

UCCI is the protocol used by some of the strongest XiangQi engines in the World. It seems it is only described in Chinese, though. But fortunately I found a GPLd UCCI2QH adapter, which converts UCCI engines to Qianhong plugins. Now QH protocol is described in English, and extremely simple (just some 5 commands, or so). So I was able to hack UCCI2QH to make it recognize the WB-protocol commands in stead of the corresponding QH commands. I only had to add some time accounting (QH protocol does not support anything like the WB 'time' command) to get a working UCCI2WB command, practically without having to know anything about UCCI protocol at all!

I tested it with Elephant Eye 3.1 (which is the major engine of Huang Chen, who was also the author of the UCCI2QH adapter). It is a very strong open-source engine. (The XiangQi equivalent of Fruit?) Other UCCI engines can be found at http://www.elephantbase.net (a site which crashes my Internet explorer, but could be viewed without problems with FireFox under Ubuntu).

[Denis P. Mendoza]

Thanks HG. I was about to ask you about it when you released your XQWlite . Now i'll have something to keep myself busy these days. I'm still learning the game though! Great work!

Denis

[hgm]

Bugfix: (needed because not all UCCI engines want to have the time in msec) now avalable at the same link. I tested it with a lot of UCCI engines I downloaded from http://www.elephantbase.net/league/enginelist.htm, and most seem to work without problems:

Code: Select all

engine          result

3DChess         OK
Anita           OK
Binghewusi      OK
BitStronger     seems to ignore clock, is ~2x too slow at 40/1
Blcx            OK
Coony           OK
EyChesU         Does get stuck after some moves
Hice            OK
Jiaolong        OK
Jupiter         OK
King            first moves fast, then very slow, forfeits in second session without moving
Kou             OK
Lily            Seems to use no CPU time (swapping?)
Mars            completely dead at UCCI level
mrsd            is the Ki11egg Qianghong plugin with QH2UCCI adapter
NymphChess      OK
QStar           seems to ignore clock, is ~2x too slow at 40/1 (does not print PV)
Sixteener       Seems to move instantly (no PV)
Swallow         OK
THT             OK
TLXJ            OK
XQ Cyclone      OK
XQ Spirit       OK
Yssy            OK

[hgm]

Sorry, the version I posted was broken, as in implementing the WB post and nopost commands, I duplicated the code for the time command, and then modified the wrong line. The result was that the function of the time and post command were interchanged, so the time was no longer updated, and all UCCI engines forfeited on time. I discovered and fixed this almost imemdiately, but due to a mistake (it wa 1 a.m. by then) I forgot to rezip before I uploaded again, so up till now the broken version remained on my website.

I uploaded the correct version now (same link).

A 40/1 test tourney I have been running overnight with 15 UCCI and 3 WB engines:

Code: Select all

Rank Name            Elo    +    - games score oppo. draws
   1 Binghewusi      316  188  150    17   88%   -19   12%
   2 Tlxj            226  160  139    17   79%   -13   18%
   3 Kou             223  162  143    17   76%   -13   12%
   4 Cyclone         167  153  139    17   71%   -10   12%
   5 Swallow         163  155  142    17   71%   -10   12%
   6 NymphChess      155  154  141    17   71%    -9   12%
   7 Blcx             98  144  139    17   62%    -6   18%
   8 Anita 0.2        94  150  143    17   62%    -6    6%
   9 Yssy             64  136  135    17   56%    -4   29%
  10 Thought          54  127  128    17   53%    -3   47%
  11 XQ Spirit        -8  138  144    17   47%     0   12%
  12 Coony           -11  138  146    17   44%     1   18%
  13 Jupiter         -34  137  142    17   44%     2   18%
  14 HIce           -129  144  160    17   32%     8    6%
  15 HaQiKi D flat  -223  151  183    17   21%    13    6%
  16 TJxiangqi      -324  164  218    17   12%    19    0%
  17 XQWLight       -325  166  222    17   12%    19    0%
  18 Jiaolong       -506  200  332    17    0%    30    0%