Re: On-line engine blitz tournament September

[Bart Weststrate]

Thanks!

[jshriver]

I'm thinking about removing the FICS protocol completely, and replacing it with json messages. The only thing needed is a simple GUI for Linux and Windows that connects an UCI engine to the server, with the help of Claude or Codex this can be built in half a day. Supporting CECP engines is not necessary because nobody uses this anymore.

I hacked together icsdrone-rs for your ICS and willing to adapt it to the new server. While ascii-ansi based it does have a plain style 1 board and a ANSI color board (shows piece movement).

Will check out your new server, congrats! Have all the accounts been migrated? Was going to test Erebus and no other engines were on 5000.

-Josh

[jshriver]

FYI, Arasan mostly plays on lichess these days. It is open-source (https://github.com/lichess-org/lila), and there is a python client (lichess-bot). It is approaching 80,000 games on that server. It's sometimes on FICS, too, but not often.

If you've not tried it I recommend Botli a lot over the lichess bot.
https://github.com/Torom/BotLi

[flok]

I'm thinking about removing the FICS protocol completely, and replacing it with json messages. The only thing needed is a simple GUI for Linux and Windows that connects an UCI engine to the server, with the help of Claude or Codex this can be built in half a day. Supporting CECP engines is not necessary because nobody uses this anymore.

I hacked together icsdrone-rs for your ICS and willing to adapt it to the new server. While ascii-ansi based it does have a plain style 1 board and a ANSI color board (shows piece movement).

Will check out your new server, congrats! Have all the accounts been migrated? Was going to test Erebus and no other engines were on 5000.

-Josh

Josh, please check the github-issues tab: there's a problem with promotion. Apart from that your adapter works great! Love the colors.

[jshriver]

Josh, please check the github-issues tab: there's a problem with promotion. Apart from that your adapter works great! Love the colors.

Thanks for the heads up will take a look at it when I can. Will post here when it's fixed, should be pretty simple.

[hcyrano3]

Oh that’s cool, are there test engines online always (like with Joost’s server) or does one need to prearrange matches?

Hi,

Yes, there are different online bots (mainly variants of the Logistello legend).

A tournament is organized every month, and we're seeing renewed interest from the Land of the Rising Sun.

[jshriver]

Josh, please check the github-issues tab: there's a problem with promotion. Apart from that your adapter works great! Love the colors.

It's been fixed and v1.0.7 has been released.
https://github.com/jshriver/icsdrone-rs

Note, I have not tested it on the new server running on port 5001 so hope it mimics the old FICS style a2a1=Q notation instead of the raw UCI move.

[Joost Buijs]

The old server has been shut down, and I've put the new server on port 5000.

It's already quite capable, and runs tournaments way better than the old Lasker server.

Code: Select all

:Tourney Players: Round 5 of 16
:
:     Name              Rating Score Perfrm SB      Results
:     ----------------- ------ ----- ------ ------- -------
:  1 +TestCaissa        [2864]   3.5 [2927] [ 8.25] +10w =03b +07b +05w
:  2 +TestAstra         [2838]   3.0 [2644] [ 5.50] +16b =06w =04b +12w
:  3 +atomNightmare     [2625]   2.5 [2723] [ 6.00] +13b =01w =06b =11w
:  4 +atomGoldbar       [2581]   2.5 [2672] [ 6.00] +12b =05w =02w =07b
:  5 +Samoza            [2712]   2.5 [2694] [ 5.75] +14b =04b +08w -01b
:  6 +TestMarvin        [2592]   2.5 [2636] [ 4.75] +17w =02b =03w =10w
:  7 +TestCheng         [2635]   2.5 [2518] [ 4.75] +09w +15b -01w =04w
:  8 +TestDefenchess    [2469]   2.5 [2671] [ 4.50] =11b +16w -05b +09w
:  9 +Orion             [2318]   2.5 [2381] [ 3.00] -07b +13w =10b -08b +BYE
: 10 +TestNalwald       [2537]   2.0 [2632] [ 4.50] -01b +11w =09w =06b
: 11 +Goldbar           [2754]   2.0 [2385] [ 3.50] =08w -10b +15w =03b
: 12 +atomFloyd         [2103]   2.0 [2495] [ 2.00] -04w +BYE +14b -02b
: 13 +Euwe              [2285]   2.0 [2397] [ 2.00] -03w -09b +16w +17b
: 14 +Nightmare1997     [2465]   2.0 [2217] [ 2.00] -05w +17b -12w +15b
: 15 +zzzzzz            [1909]   1.0 [2218] [ 0.00] +BYE -07w -11b -14w
: 16 +Arthur1997        [2501]   1.0 [2130] [ 0.00] -02w -08b -13b +BYE
: 17 +Gyatso            [2145]   1.0 [2047] [ 0.00] -06b -14w +BYE -13w

fics% 

It mimics most commands of the old server, probably some things are still missing, and I didn't implement things we don't need (like variants). Currently it is stable enough to run our next tournament on it.

[Joost Buijs]

Although the server is working fine there are still some FICS protocol incompatibilities that needed to be fixed.

The server sent the style <12> boards with piece-counts 0, not all clients liked this, this is fixed now.
There was only a single guest login allowed, this is fixed too.
TCP keep-alive was not implemented, this has been added.

I can only test with Winboard, ICSDrone and my own UCI to FICS adapter, these all work fine. However it can be that there are still some issues with other adapters like for instance ChessPartner. Of course, everything can and will be fixed, but this will take time.

[flok]

Although the server is working fine there are still some FICS protocol incompatibilities that needed to be fixed.

The server sent the style <12> boards with piece-counts 0, not all clients liked this, this is fixed now.
There was only a single guest login allowed, this is fixed too.
TCP keep-alive was not implemented, this has been added.

I can only test with Winboard, ICSDrone and my own UCI to FICS adapter, these all work fine. However it can be that there are still some issues with other adapters like for instance ChessPartner. Of course, everything can and will be fixed, but this will take time.

Works perfectly with jshriver's adapter.