Piphisto Project

[AdminX]

Hi Frank Quisinsky,

Man did you step in it now! That's right, I think you just spilled the beans. So can you tell me more about this Piphisto project?

Thanks

[Frank Quisinsky]

Hi Ted,

yes, I can give some information more.
Yesterday I had a nice meeting with Alex.
Second prototyp for Alpha testing is ready.
I can help him now much more as before.
But after all I am thinking ... Alex need no helps.

Can make some pics and can give some information more (of course not the complete information about the development and possibilities). For that reason that different features are not complete ready for take-off.

Tomorrow I will make this:

Shortly:
In the last half year Alex is working most on time on a web interface. Very nice what he have. Via Wlan you can make the connection and you can start the webinterface on PC. Here you do a lot of things.

Example:
You can config an engine.
The webinterface read the UCI features (a lot in cases of Lc0 or Rodent ... we know) and you can changed what you like and give it a new name. I am thinking not very complicated for the most of us. Systems have the name "Oscar" and much more is possible.

Important if you like to play "eng-eng" with Mephisto Modular.
Or if you like Rodent vs. Rodent, or Rodent with special settigns vs. Lc0 with special settings.

Now if ready with engines updates you can start the online-updates directly from the Modular board.
Updater looking for system updates, engine updates, other updates (example the opening book) ... looking for 5 different updates to the same time.

Works fine ...
Absolutly perfect ...

Example:
If I find anything I can give the programmer the information and can start later very easy the online-update.

---

Different things are new for me after the last meeting I had with Alex.

Now the modul / engine show me eval, main-line and the important information we all like to see.
Different ideas I have here to give it a little booster but after all ...

What Alex do in programmings, never I saw before in such a perfection.
All works very easy with a lot of possibilites for easy-users, experts and very sure our programmers with interest on it.

Menu-systems is very easy, the important langauages are inside.

During a game ... different views:
- a side with the chessboard and main line.
- a side with a very big clock and what we need for self playing.
- a side with information comes by engines.
- I think a forth site Alex can create here ... not ready.

Yesterday ...
My first test game ... a blitz game vs. Wasp 5.50
After 28 moves +0,7 for me.
But the position on the board is very complicated (full board, very tactcial).
I am out, lost my overview suddenly!

With white I am thinking Nd2-b1 and directly Nb1-c3.
But I am not sure ...

Alex ... no problem Frank.
We can switched from Human mode to an other engine.
OK Alex, do it and please CT-800 ...

Now CT-800 is playing with my white position.
Nd2-b1 ... ha, what I found out ... CT-800 is a good program.



But after ...
Not Nb1-c3, sure I am playing this move directly after ... CT-800 is playing Nb1-a3.
Nb1-c3 lost the good position and probably the complete game.
Nb1-a3 hold the advantage ... the human problem are complex situations.

Not important ...
But the possiblities in detail.

I stopped the blitz clock, changed the mode and game can running again.
All what I do I can see later on web client software, the position on a nice board ... all!

---

What I have is a prototyp and what I have to do is to test what Alex have now inside the system.
For me looks to 80% ready for the first moment. I gave him yesterday some ideas more.

Different nice features can be added, different things are really not ready (engine information for PGN files, webclient is not ready).

Testing here with 1Ghz ... Wasp 5.50 have around 2670 Elo on 1Ghz ... next Wasp release will be have over 2700 Elo with 1Ghz only.
More with 1Ghz hardware is possible later (chief Alex is testing with 1.5Ghz) but I am thinking not very important to have.

Wasp 5.50 NN have in my rating list 3200 Elo and on 1Ghz 2670.
Should be enough for 99,99999% chess players in the World.
And all this with the very nice style Wasp have.

I test yesterday with an Typ4 Modular board and a normaly APS-1000 (Ansman power supply).
But possbile to use a special power supply for different of all the Mephisto boards (not a problem).

Hardware is super, temp is super, electricity comsumption is super ...
All the important things at first ... but these milestones are a longer time ready for take-off.

Yes, this it what I am looking for and what I await in the year 2022.
Really a lot of work ... the connection to the Mephisto boards ... here Alex is working a very long time.
Complete new programmings with love to the detail.

Enough ...
Tomorrow I will add pics from the web client and different views from the modul and display.

Again ...
The web-client software ...
Users will love that work a lot.
I am to more as 100% sure!

That's computer chess ... not Elo only.
Elo only is more and more boring ...
I want to hop ...



Best
Frank

[Frank Quisinsky]

For the readers, sorry again for my bad English ...

[Scally]

Hi all,

I first heard of the PiPhisto Project when Alex emailed me back in January 2020, I’m glad he has persisted

I’ll email him and see if he needs any assistance.

Al.

[lithander]

Hi Frank,

The machine learning breakthroughs didn't only provide us with NNUE engines but also pretty good natural language processing.
You might want to consider just writing your text in german and then use DeepL for the translation to english. Here's an example from an old text of yours:

Da mich Schach immer schon begeisterte begann ich 1996 mit der Unterstützung von Amateurschachentwicklungen. Mein hauptsächliches Ziel war es, die Kompatibilität der Programme untereinander zu beschleunigen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt gab es an Winboard kompatiblen Programmen lediglich Crafty, SSEChess, The Crazy Bishop und GnuChess. Es war für mich nicht logisch, Schachprogramme ausschließlich manuell gegeneinander antreten lassen zu können und auf Dauer waren vier Winboard Engines einfach zu wenig. Dies alles musste doch einfacher gehen! Die Schachprogrammierer sollten von Winboard überzeugt werden. So erstellte ich eine Webseite zu "Winboard und Amateurschachprogrammen" und berichtete dort über Computerschach oder schrieb Artikel für Computerfachzeitschriften, wie z.B. Gambit-Soft etc., auch um Freeware mit kommerziellem Schach zu mischen.

...get's translated to...

Since I have always been enthusiastic about chess, I started supporting amateur chess developments in 1996. My main goal was to speed up the compatibility of the programs with each other. At that time the only Winboard compatible programs were Crafty, SSEChess, The Crazy Bishop and GnuChess. It was not logical for me to let chess programs compete only manually and in the long run four Winboard engines were simply too few. This all had to be simpler! The chess programmers should be convinced of Winboard. So I created a web page about "Winboard and amateur chess programs" and reported there about computer chess or wrote articles for computer magazines, like Gambit-Soft etc., also to mix freeware with commercial chess.

...and I think that's an excellent translation.

[Frank Quisinsky]

Hi Scally,

for the moment a silence "alpha" phase only.
I know what Alex have on the ToDo list.
That need around 4 months I think, maybe a little bit longer.

If ready = Project-Milestone 9 out of 10.
So, Alex will send the third prototyp to Volker ... from chesscomputer.info.
Alex or Sascha can give it a second look if they like to help.
For us is chesscomputer info the most important site for such things!!

I had in the past all of the "stronger" older chess-computer at home!
So I will looking in Alpha phase more or less not from the view of GUI development I do in Arena times ... more from the view of normally users.
To many ideas I am thinking are for the moment not good for this project.
Stablity and missed main-feature are most important.

Furthermore, Houston have a problem ...
The hardware ... prices for things we need from China!
Time is really bad!

In questions of programmers ...
Houston have no problems.

John Stanback and Wasp as main engine ... dream constellation!
I wish me CT-800 and Rodent as basic engines with Wasp for that system.
Three are enough because users can later install others if they like.

And what Alex do is really very strong!!
For any helps (I believe not necessary) I have a list of programmers like to help me every time.
Connections I have are all the time very good.

With the "updater" Alex can changed all.
If we overlook in alpha / beta phase bugs ... not very important with the updater inside the system.

Best
Frank

[mephisto]

Hi Frank

Is Alex project similarly to this one?

https://hiarcs.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=10861

Regards
Bryan

[Frank Quisinsky]

Dr. Alexander Lürken, no!
This is an other project!

Many people I have contacts never have the idea to write in chess fora.
My wife is thinking ... I should stop that after all the bad mails I got often from people have no other things in brain as to be right or "Know-it-all". Internet is full of such people and many time lost ... unfortunately!

Hard but right.
But here I am ... all the years and try to give my contribution for the community if I can.

[Frank Quisinsky]

Thomas,

I know and forget it again and again.
In German language I can write with 400 stops per minute.
I do the same in my bad English ... should changed that ... I know that.
Sorry again!

Best
Frank

[Frank Quisinsky]

Correction:
Speaking from Micha and Sascha from chesscomputer.info (not Volker).
Allways the same, I don't know why I give Micha the name Volker!

To many names in my brain ...