Best Computer Chess Gifts

[towforce]

My vote: it wasn't given to me personally - but when Franz Huber took the MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) and uploaded many of the great dedicated chess computers of old onto it. Suddenly, all the machines I used to salivate over were there for me!

https://fhub.jimdofree.com/

[Frank Quisinsky]

My vote: Yes, the work by Franz Huber is incredibly good, no doubt about it. For me absolutely the "Best computer chess gifts".

[Rubinus]

I also agree. And it amuses me that the likes of Mephisto Berlin 68000, which I almost couldn't beat - I didn't resort to anti-computer play, of course - turns out to be so weak that it loses the royal gambit very quickly against Stockfish. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore and it sells quite dearly on e-bay, if cheap then the sale is limited to Germany...

And since Shredder's *.eng files are identical to Fritz's *.uci files, it can be run in ChessBase, it just can't have a GUI book.

example:
[ENGINE]
Name=Mephisto Berlin 68000 v0.03 (24 MHz) (must be no longer than 29 characters or the tournament will not work)
Author=MessChess
FileName=c:\chess\programy\CB-Emu\MessChess\MessChess.exe
Parameter=berl16_oc

[OPTIONS]
Speed=1000 (It runs 10x faster this way, so at Fritz's 15+10 pace it should be able to do 2min/drag. However, you have to find that level in Zanchetta's manual and I can't get it right for all types...)
Level=NORM_07

[F.Huber]

However, you have to find that level in Zanchetta's manual and I can't get it right for all types...)

No, you don't need the manual for finding the level - in the engine window just go to the menu 'Help > Show Engine Levels'.

[pohl4711]

On my website, there are many more gifts:
https://www.sp-cc.de/downloads--links.htm

And Norm Pollocks Tools are helpful, too:
http://www.nk-qy.info/40h/

And, of course, the incredible powerful pgn-tool pgn-extract (all of my tools are made, using pgn-extract. And all my work on my ratinglist-databases is done with pgn-extract. And building my UHO-openings would be impossible without pgn-extract):
https://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/people/staff/djb/pgn-extract/

[Frank Quisinsky]

Hi Stefan,

yes, that's right.
Stefan, you also wrote a bit computer chess history with your tools and the work you do.
Can be said calmly without taking a jag from the crown.



Also, Ferndinand Mosca wrote some helpful tools, Ed Schröder too.
But most important is pgn-extract since many years and the work Norm Pollock do since many years.

Please note:
All this comes not from the commercials.
They are not able for such things ... if a bit more complicated, that's fact.

Again, congratutalions for your work from me.
A very, very important animation for programmers to give here engines an own face.
A good example is Ed Schröder ... he is fighting for a higher ranking with your EAS.
And if Ed have fun ... all is wonderful. I have fun too.

Best
Frank

[Modern Times]

The best chess gift that I haven't got yet: well a Threadripper 7980X would be nice

[pohl4711]

A good example is Ed Schröder ... he is fighting for a higher ranking with your EAS.

Yes. It is really sad, that most of the community did not understand, that, what Ed was doing, was a milestone for deep learning chess neural-nets:
It was the first time, the quality of new net generations (during the construction (=learning) time of the net) was not measured only by playing-strength (=Elo), but also by the EAS-Score of my EAS-Tool, which means a measurement of the aggressiveness. And the best: It worked !

https://www.sp-cc.de/eas-ratinglist.htm

Rebel EAS is on the 3rd places for sacrifices and high sacrifices, only Stockfish is better here, all other 12 engines play not so many sacrifices:

A: Most high-value sacrifices (3+ pawnunits): [1]:04.45% Stockfish 231210 avx2 [2]:04.02% Stockfish 16 230630 [3]:02.99% Rebel EAS avx2
B: Most sacrifices overall : [1]:22.47% Stockfish 231210 avx2 [2]:21.42% Stockfish 16 230630 [3]:18.71% Rebel EAS avx2

So, the Rebel EAS nnue-net evolved not only towards higher strength, but also towards playing more sacrifices. How awesome is that?

[towforce]

...So, the Rebel EAS nnue-net evolved not only towards higher strength, but also towards playing more sacrifices. How awesome is that?

+1 . One approves wholeheartedly!

[Rubinus]

However, you have to find that level in Zanchetta's manual and I can't get it right for all types...)

No, you don't need the manual for finding the level - in the engine window just go to the menu 'Help > Show Engine Levels'.

Yes, of course you are right, I remember there is such a file somewhere.
Otherwise, I've already figured out how to run a tournament in ChessBase - the database must be sorted so that no machine ever plays two games in a row. It's a bit of work, but by copying back and forth through ChessBase it can be done.