UCI: "bestmove xxxx ponder zzzz"

[benstoker]

If ponder is off, then should a uci engine nevertheless add a "ponder ...." string to the "bestmove ..."? Seems to me that if ponder is off, the engine should simply report "bestmove xxxx" and nothing else.

[AlvaroBegue]

It doesn't hurt to always put the ponder move there. For the most part an engine doesn't need to know if pondering is on or off. The UCI protocol specification explains that the GUI will send this option to the engine "because the engine might change its time management algorithm when pondering is allowed."