Chess engines on C64, Amiga, ST (like Colossus Chess), how did they work?

[Vinvin]

Thank you Ras for the detailed answers! Makes perfect sense

A lot of details here : https://www.chessprogramming.org/Coloss ... Evaluation

I saw that, but wasn't sure which version it referred to, the original C64 one or a much later version.

Yes, thanks for the remarks, you're probably right, this long list is probably for recent versions
A week ago, Martin Bryant repost the link to his site with more information about the old Colossus : http://www.colossusgames.somee.com/ches ... schess.htm

[rdhoffmann]

Very interesting! I didn't know Colossus was such a big commercial success. Obviously well deserved!

[mclane]

And martin is still working on updates. After so many years.

[towforce]

And martin is still working on updates. After so many years.

41 years!

[mclane]

In 1978 philips came out with a game console. The videopac machine.
The hardware was not very fast and the ram small.

Thats maybe why wim rens , NL programmer decided to use an external module for chess for this machine.
In the external chess module is faster cpu and 2 KB ram and 8 kb rom.

For chess the original videopac machine itself had not enough hardware . Only 64 bytes ram + 128 bytes in an ic.


Now there is a new homebrew cartridge for the videopac that makes it possible to run chess on this machine without external module. Chess 4k is a julio kaplan adaption for this console.

Can it survive against other programs??

[mclane]

Here the hardware:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey_2

And the chess module from Netherlands chess programmer wim rens:

https://www.chessprogramming.org/Videopac_C_7010

This is wim rens who made this early engine gambiet and also the external chess module for the console:
https://www.chessprogramming.org/Wim_Rens

And this is the new homebrew module chess 4K for this old gaming console:
https://bataais.blogspot.com/2024/11/ch ... eopac.html


I do quote from this blog:

CHESS 4K
- Plays in accordance with international chess rules:
Knows en-passant, castling and pawn promotions
- Does not accept illegal moves
- 11 Levels of difficulty, changeable during a game
- Check, stalemate and mate announcement
- Computer can play against itself
- Take back 2 half moves
- Setup positions with clear or full board
- 8049 Chess engine by IM Julio Kaplan, 1982
- Easy joystick move entering
- Works on Odyssey2, Videopac and Videopac+, universal binary
- No need for an external computer module
- All in 4kB ROM!

[Vinvin]

...
Thats maybe why wim rens , NL programmer decided to use an external module for chess for this machine.
In the external chess module is faster cpu and 2 KB ram and 8 kb rom.

For chess the original videopac machine itself had not enough hardware . Only 64 bytes ram + 128 bytes in an ic.
...

At this time, I was playing on an Atari 2600, about the same hardware power.
The cartridge game Video Chess https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Chess had no special CPU but was very weak.

[mclane]

I have almost all those older machines in a tournament.

Also Videochess on Atari VCR.

Today i tried out the external Modul C7010 for Videopac with Wim Rens engine.

https://www.schach-computer.info/wiki/i ... opac_C7010

Here the tournament results so far:
https://www.schachcomputer.info/forum/s ... post130792