DON Chess Engine

[erashid]

My (and ChatGPT's, of course) logo proposal:

Thanks for the logo @Sylwy

I have now designed the logo for DON.

Thanks

[erashid]

DON – Next Dev Release


This update introduces a refreshed and modernized DON logo design, giving the engine a cleaner and more distinctive console presence across platforms.

In addition, new time management options have been added to provide finer control over move allocation and search behavior. These enhancements allow better adaptation to different time controls, improving practical performance in both short and long time formats.

This release also brings major improvements to Syzygy tablebase integration, significantly enhancing probing efficiency and stability. Memory management has been refined to reduce overhead and improve cache behavior, resulting in more consistent performance across long analysis sessions. Several internal search optimizations and robustness fixes are included to further strengthen overall engine reliability and stability.

Stay tuned for future updates.

Try to enjoy.

I uploaded to 3 servers.

1. mediafire
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/06ewg9vo8mfuj/DON

2. mega
https://mega.nz/folder/Cc1zkbAR#bnycmCX38aGjK6YavnMWqw

3. pixeldrain
https://pixeldrain.com/l/6zXkH7hf

I uploaded the following builds:
I added 4 new binaries for Windows.

Windows:
1. DON-windows-armv8
2. DON-windows-armv8-dotprod
3. DON-windows-x86-64-ssse3
4. DON-windows-x86-64-ssse3-popcnt
5. DON-windows-x86-64-sse41-popcnt
6. DON-windows-x86-64-avx2
7-. DON-windows-x86-64-bmi2
7*. DON-windows-x86-64-bmi2-cmp
8-. DON-windows-x86-64-avxvnni
8*. DON-windows-x86-64-avxvnni-cmp
9-. DON-windows-x86-64-avx512
9*. DON-windows-x86-64-avx512-cmp
10-. DON-windows-x86-64-vnni512
10*. DON-windows-x86-64-vnni512-cmp
11-. DON-windows-x86-64-avx512icl
11*. DON-windows-x86-64-avx512icl-cmp

Ubuntu:
1. DON-ubuntu-x86-64-sse41-popcnt
2. DON-ubuntu-x86-64-avx2
3-. DON-ubuntu-x86-64-bmi2
3*. DON-ubuntu-x86-64-bmi2-cmp
4-. DON-ubuntu-x86-64-avxvnni
4*. DON-ubuntu-x86-64-avxvnni-cmp

macOS:
1. DON-macos-x86-64-sse41-popcnt
2. DON-macos-x86-64-avx2
3-. DON-macos-x86-64-bmi2
3*. DON-macos-x86-64-bmi2-cmp
4. DON-macos-m1-apple-silicon

Andriod:
1. DON-android-armv7
2. DON-android-armv7-neon
3. DON-android-armv8
4. DON-android-armv8-dotprod

*NOTE: *cmp = Compressed version
- ~50% lower memory usage, typically 1–2% faster.
- Recommended for long gameplay and analysis.
Source File also given.

Thanks
Ehsan Rashid

[erashid]

My (and ChatGPT's, of course) logo proposal:

Thanks for the logo @Sylwy

Please check my latest version for your design logo implementation.

And please tell me if you like the DON logo.

Thanks

[Aleksey52]

Dear Eshan Rashid, thank you for compiling the Don engine for Android!
The logo  @Sylwy is good, I like it.
[Google translator used, sorry for my English.]

[Sylwy]

Dear Eshan Rashid, thank you for compiling the Don engine for Android!
The logo  @Sylwy is good, I like it.
[Google translator used, sorry for my English.]

This is my main logo for DON:

[Faraz]

I am using DON engine right now. This is exactly what the chess community needs. Traditional engines give us raw numbers, but this engine explain why a move is bad in plain English is a total game-changer for regular players.

[Faraz]

DON engine has beaten top chess engines including Stockfish recently and its one of the top engine in the world.
Please download latest version from here:

https://github.com/ehsanrashid/DON/releases

[erashid]

# Introducing DON Chess Engine

I'm pleased to introduce **DON Chess Engine** — an ambitious chess-engine project that combines the strengths of classical chess programming with modern neural-network evaluation.

DON is designed around a hybrid approach, bringing together ideas from **Stockfish and Leela Chess Zero**, with the goal of building a powerful, efficient, and competitive UCI chess engine.

### What is DON?

DON combines traditional alpha-beta search techniques with NNUE-based neural-network evaluation to achieve strong playing strength while maintaining the efficiency of classical chess engines.

### Key Features

- **Advanced Search:** Classical search techniques with modern search optimizations.
- **NNUE Evaluation:** Neural-network-based position evaluation.
- **Optimized Performance:** Focus on speed, efficiency, and hardware-specific optimizations.
- **Polyglot Opening Books:** Support for Polyglot opening books.
- **Cross-Platform:** Development and builds targeting Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and other platforms.
- **Continuous Development:** Regular improvements to search, evaluation, performance, and overall playing strength.
- **UCI Compatibility:** Works with popular chess GUIs and analysis tools.

### Development Philosophy

DON is developed with a strong emphasis on performance, clean C++ implementation, efficient memory management, and continuous experimentation.

The project explores different approaches to search algorithms, move ordering, pruning, reductions, transposition tables, neural-network evaluation, and low-level optimizations.

Chess-engine development is an ongoing process, and every improvement is an opportunity to make DON stronger and more efficient.

### Project & Downloads

**GitHub Repository:**
https://github.com/ehsanrashid/DON



You can explore the source code, follow development, download available builds, report issues, and contribute to the project.

### Final Words

DON is an independent project built out of a passion for chess, algorithms, and high-performance C++ programming.

Whether you're a chess enthusiast, engine developer, or programmer interested in chess-engine architecture, you're welcome to explore DON and follow its development.

**Thank you for your interest and support!**

— DON Chess Engine Development