Ponder=on in cutechess-cli?

[Jose Carlos]

Hi. I'm giving a try to cutechess-cli. I can't find a way to set ponder=on. Is it possible?

If not, what other command-line tool would you recommend for two programs matchs with ponder on (the easier to use, the better)?

Hi José,

I think you can include a command in the 'each' section of the command line such as:

-each option.Ponder=on

if the UCI engine has an option named Ponder.

PS. A new Averno in the works?

Hi Gabor.

I'm using winboard engines now, so that trick won't work. I might modify my program to ignore the "easy" command and set pondering=on always, but I wonder if cutechess-cli will get messed by the unexpected output from the program.

I lost Averno's source code. It was in a computer that was stolen.
I have the sources for an old version of another program I wrote, which I called Anubis, and I'm trying to fix it and make it work, just for fun. That's what I wanted cutechess-cli for.

Additionally, as that Anubis had such a crap design, I've started a new one from scratch, and I've reused the name. The new one is well designed and has much more potential, but it's not complete yet, it can't play chess.

I planned to give the sources along with the program because I believe this design is really good, but all the mess around the Rybka case has made me change my mind. Too much trouble for what should be an enjoyable hobby. So I'm not going to release any chess program nor participate in any tournament.

[ilari]

Hi. I'm giving a try to cutechess-cli. I can't find a way to set ponder=on. Is it possible?

If not, what other command-line tool would you recommend for two programs matchs with ponder on (the easier to use, the better)?

Hi José,

I think you can include a command in the 'each' section of the command line such as:

-each option.Ponder=on

if the UCI engine has an option named Ponder.

PS. A new Averno in the works?

Nope, that has no effect. Cutechess-cli doesn't support pondering yet. It's been on the TODO list for a long while but it's quite tricky to implement without dirty hacks. Maybe before summer...

[Jose Carlos]

Hi. I'm giving a try to cutechess-cli. I can't find a way to set ponder=on. Is it possible?

If not, what other command-line tool would you recommend for two programs matchs with ponder on (the easier to use, the better)?

Hi José,

I think you can include a command in the 'each' section of the command line such as:

-each option.Ponder=on

if the UCI engine has an option named Ponder.

PS. A new Averno in the works?

Nope, that has no effect. Cutechess-cli doesn't support pondering yet. It's been on the TODO list for a long while but it's quite tricky to implement without dirty hacks. Maybe before summer...

Will it ignore my output if I just ponder in spite of the the "easy" command, or will it get messed and have trouble?

Thanks in advance.

[ilari]

Nope, that has no effect. Cutechess-cli doesn't support pondering yet. It's been on the TODO list for a long while but it's quite tricky to implement without dirty hacks. Maybe before summer...

Will it ignore my output if I just ponder in spite of the the "easy" command, or will it get messed and have trouble?

Thanks in advance.

I don't see why it wouldn't work - pondering output shouldn't bother cutechess-cli.

[hgm]

I'm using winboard engines now, so that trick won't work.

Note that the trick also won't work on UCI engines, not even on those that support the option Ponder. That is, it will set their option Ponder to on, but that will not make them ponder. It will just mess up their time control.

I don't know how hard your requirement is that it should be a command-line tool. If it is sufficient that it can be iconized, you could use WinBoard / XBoard.

[Jose Carlos]

I'm using winboard engines now, so that trick won't work.

Note that the trick also won't work on UCI engines, not even on those that support the option Ponder. That is, it will set their option Ponder to on, but that will not make them ponder. It will just mess up their time control.

I don't know how hard your requirement is that it should be a command-line tool. If it is sufficient that it can be iconized, you could use WinBoard / XBoard.

Thanks for the suggestion, but it'd better be a command-line tool because I'm using it at work and my boss can see my screen from the distance (he can't read it, but definetly would see a chess board)

[Guenther]

Thanks for the suggestion, but it'd better be a command-line tool because I'm using it at work and my boss can see my screen from the distance (he can't read it, but definetly would see a chess board) :oops:

AFAIK there exists a noGUI flag too, but I have never tried it. HG will surely comment on this.

Guenther

edit: from the xboard manual =>

Code: Select all

4.6 User interface options

-noGUI
    Suppresses all GUI functions of XBoard (to speed up automated ultra-fast engine-engine games, which you don't want to watch). There will be no board or clock updates, no printing of moves, and no update of the icon on the task bar in this mode. 

[michiguel]

I'm using winboard engines now, so that trick won't work.

Note that the trick also won't work on UCI engines, not even on those that support the option Ponder. That is, it will set their option Ponder to on, but that will not make them ponder. It will just mess up their time control.

I don't know how hard your requirement is that it should be a command-line tool. If it is sufficient that it can be iconized, you could use WinBoard / XBoard.

That highlights one of the differences between protocols. Ponder responsibility goes to the GUI in UCI, to the engine in WB. So, a GUI needs nothing to implement pondering in WB protocol (but the engine will have to do the work).

Miguel

[hgm]

The -noGUI flag of WinBoard suppresses the GUI actions, for speed gain, but it does not prevent the window with the menus to exist (so that you an intervene whenever you want), and to put a visible icon on the task bar. Of course you can close the window, but the icon will still betray you.

Perhaps in future XBoard versions I can really make it run X-free when -noGUI is used. I have an XBoard version now (in the 'refactor' branch of my repository) where I did away with almost all of the old X11-code. All windows, including the main window, are now generated by my own GenericPopUp routine (originally the engine Settings dialog), so I can easily switch off everything by just disabling that funtion. There still is a bit of initialization for the graphics (creating pixmaps and such), which I could also collect in a routine (that I would then skip calling in -noGUI mode).

The only thing I would have to find an alternative for is the dispatching of input events from the various pipes, and it would really be a command-line tool that could run without X-server.