ChessV
Encyclopedia
ChessV is a free
computer program
designed to play a large number of chess variant
s.
ChessV is an open-source, universal chess variant program with a graphical user-interface, sophisticated AI, support for opening books and other features of traditional chess programs. The developer of this program, Gregory Strong, has been adding more variants with each release of ChessV. Currently, over 50 chess variants are supported. ChessV is designed to be able to play any game that is reasonably similar to Chess
. ChessV is one of only a few such programs that exist. The source code of this program is freely available for download as well as the executable program.
As of ChessV 0.93, it is possible to customize the variants it supports. Of all chess variants currently supported, two of the most-played variants are probably Fischer Random Chess and
Grand Chess
.
ChessV is currently capable of playing:
(including 10 Capablanca Chess
variants)
Some of the provided variants can be customized in their details. It is also possible to create custom variants with ChessV 0.93. While the board sizes have to be 6×6, 8×8, 10×8, 10×10 or 12×8 and the pieces in a custom variant have to be chosen from a limited list, this allows ChessV to play hundreds or thousands of variants of each game it directly supports.
, Archchess, Berolina Chess, Bird's Chess, Cagliostro's Chess, Capablanca Chess
, Capablanca Chess (Aberg variant), Capablanca Chess (Paulowich variant), Carrera's Chess, Chess
, Chess480
, Chess with Augmented Knights, Chess with Different Armies
, Chess with Ultima Pieces, Courier Chess
, Cylindrical Chess
, Diagonal Chess, Diamond Chess, Embassy Chess
, Emperor's Game, Eurasian Chess, Extinction Chess
, Fischer Random Chess
, Great Chess, Great Shatranj, Grand Chess
, Grotesque Chess
, Janus Chess
, Janus Kamil Chess, Kinglet, Ladorean Chess, Legan's Game, Lions and Unicorns Chess, Los Alamos Chess
, Modern Kamil, Modern Shatranj, Odin's Rune Chess, Opulent Chess, Polymorph Chess, Roman Chess, Royal Court, Schoolbook Chess
, Shatranj
, Shatranj Kamil
, Shatranj Kamil (64), Sosarian Chess, Switching Chess, TenCubed Chess, Three Checks Chess
, Ultima
, Unicorn Chess, Unicorn Great Chess, Unicorn Grand Chess, Univers Chess.
Computer World Championship
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
computer program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
designed to play a large number of chess variant
Chess variant
A chess variant is a game related to, derived from or inspired by chess. The difference from chess might include one or more of the following:...
s.
ChessV is an open-source, universal chess variant program with a graphical user-interface, sophisticated AI, support for opening books and other features of traditional chess programs. The developer of this program, Gregory Strong, has been adding more variants with each release of ChessV. Currently, over 50 chess variants are supported. ChessV is designed to be able to play any game that is reasonably similar to Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. ChessV is one of only a few such programs that exist. The source code of this program is freely available for download as well as the executable program.
As of ChessV 0.93, it is possible to customize the variants it supports. Of all chess variants currently supported, two of the most-played variants are probably Fischer Random Chess and
Grand Chess
Grand chess
Grand chess is a popular large-board chess variant invented by Dutch games designer Christian Freeling in 1984. It is played on a 10×10 board, with each side having two additional pawns and two new pieces: the marshall and the cardinal....
.
ChessV is currently capable of playing:
- 2 variants on 6×6 squares
- 17 variants on 8×8 squares
- 15 variants on 10×8 squares
(including 10 Capablanca Chess
Capablanca chess
Capablanca chess is a chess variant invented in the 1920s by former World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca. It incorporates two new pieces and is played on a 10×8 board. Capablanca proposed the variant while World Champion, and not as a "sour grapes" rationalization after losing his title as...
variants)
- 15 variants on 10×10 squares
- 3 variants on 12×8 squares
Some of the provided variants can be customized in their details. It is also possible to create custom variants with ChessV 0.93. While the board sizes have to be 6×6, 8×8, 10×8, 10×10 or 12×8 and the pieces in a custom variant have to be chosen from a limited list, this allows ChessV to play hundreds or thousands of variants of each game it directly supports.
Engine features
- SearchingSearch algorithmIn computer science, a search algorithm is an algorithm for finding an item with specified properties among a collection of items. The items may be stored individually as records in a database; or may be elements of a search space defined by a mathematical formula or procedure, such as the roots...
: Alpha-BetaAlpha-beta pruningAlpha-beta pruning is a search algorithm which seeks to decrease the number of nodes that are evaluated by the minimax algorithm in its search tree. It is an adversarial search algorithm used commonly for machine playing of two-player games...
Nega-MaxNegamaxNegamax search is a slightly variant formulation of minimax search that relies on the zero-sum property of a two-player game.This algorithm heavily relies on the fact that max = -min to simplify the implementation of the minimax algorithm. More precisely, the value of a position to player A in such...
Principal Variation search, Iterative DeepeningIterative deepening depth-first searchIterative deepening depth-first search is a state space search strategy in which a depth-limited search is run repeatedly, increasing the depth limit with each iteration until it reaches d, the depth of the shallowest goal state...
, Null-moveNull-move heuristicIn computer chess programs, the null-move heuristic is a heuristic technique used to enhance the speed of the alpha-beta pruning algorithm.- Rationale :...
Forward Pruning, Static Exchange Evaluation (SEE).
-
- Search Extensions: check extension, recapture extension, null-move threat extension, PV extension, Futility Pruning and Razoring, History HeuristicHeuristicHeuristic refers to experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery. Heuristic methods are used to speed up the process of finding a satisfactory solution, where an exhaustive search is impractical...
, Killer-move HeuristicKiller heuristicIn competitive two-player games, the killer heuristic is a technique for improving the efficiency of alpha-beta pruning, which in turn improves the efficiency of the minimax algorithm. This algorithm has an exponential search time to find the optimal next move, so general methods for speeding it...
.- Evaluation: PieceChess pieceChess pieces or chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. The pieces vary in abilities, giving them different values in the game...
-square tables, PawnPawn (chess)The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
structure evaluation, Mobility evaluation, KingKing (chess)In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
Safety, King Tropism, Lazy EvaluationLazy evaluationIn programming language theory, lazy evaluation or call-by-need is an evaluation strategy which delays the evaluation of an expression until the value of this is actually required and which also avoids repeated evaluations...
. - Hash TablesHash tableIn computer science, a hash table or hash map is a data structure that uses a hash function to map identifying values, known as keys , to their associated values . Thus, a hash table implements an associative array...
: Transposition TableTransposition tableIn computer chess and other computer games, transposition tables are used to speed up the search of the game tree. Transposition tables are primarily useful in perfect information games, meaning the entire state of the game is known to all players at all times....
, Pawn Structure Table, Evaluation CacheCacheIn computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere...
, Repetition Detection.
- Evaluation: Piece
- Search Extensions: check extension, recapture extension, null-move threat extension, PV extension, Futility Pruning and Razoring, History Heuristic
Current limitations
- No games with more than two players are supported.
- No game with a move order other than the usual white-black is supported (such as double-move chess).
- No games with randomness or hidden information are supported.
- No ability to edit the board mid-game is provided. This is under development.
Supported games
Alapo, Almost Chess, Angels & DevilsAngel problem
The angel problem is a question in game theory proposed by John Horton Conway. The game is commonly referred to as the Angels and Devils game. The game is played by two players called the angel and the devil. It is played on an infinite chessboard...
, Archchess, Berolina Chess, Bird's Chess, Cagliostro's Chess, Capablanca Chess
Capablanca chess
Capablanca chess is a chess variant invented in the 1920s by former World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca. It incorporates two new pieces and is played on a 10×8 board. Capablanca proposed the variant while World Champion, and not as a "sour grapes" rationalization after losing his title as...
, Capablanca Chess (Aberg variant), Capablanca Chess (Paulowich variant), Carrera's Chess, Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, Chess480
Chess960
Chess960 is a chess variant invented and advocated by former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer, originally announced on June 19, 1996 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It employs the same board and pieces as standard chess, but the starting position of the pieces is randomized along the players' home...
, Chess with Augmented Knights, Chess with Different Armies
Chess with different armies
Chess with different armies is a chess variant in which two sides use different sets of fairy pieces. There are several armies of equal strength to choose from, including standard FIDE army...
, Chess with Ultima Pieces, Courier Chess
Courier Chess
Courier Chess or Courier Spiel or the Courier Game is a board game in the chess family. The original form is known to have been played for at least six hundred years, after which it was replaced by a more modern form...
, Cylindrical Chess
Cylinder chess
Cylinder chess is a chess variant with an unusual board. The game is played as if the board were a cylinder, with the left side of the board joined to the right side...
, Diagonal Chess, Diamond Chess, Embassy Chess
Embassy Chess
Embassy chess is a chess variant created in 2005 by Kevin Hill. It borrows the opening setup from Grand chess by Christian Freeling and adapts it to the 10x8 board....
, Emperor's Game, Eurasian Chess, Extinction Chess
Extinction chess
Extinction chess is a variant of western Chess where the objective of the game has changed. Instead of the winning condition of the game being the checkmate of the opponent's king, the object of the game is to capture all of a particular kind of piece the opponent has...
, Fischer Random Chess
Chess960
Chess960 is a chess variant invented and advocated by former World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer, originally announced on June 19, 1996 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It employs the same board and pieces as standard chess, but the starting position of the pieces is randomized along the players' home...
, Great Chess, Great Shatranj, Grand Chess
Grand chess
Grand chess is a popular large-board chess variant invented by Dutch games designer Christian Freeling in 1984. It is played on a 10×10 board, with each side having two additional pawns and two new pieces: the marshall and the cardinal....
, Grotesque Chess
Capablanca chess
Capablanca chess is a chess variant invented in the 1920s by former World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca. It incorporates two new pieces and is played on a 10×8 board. Capablanca proposed the variant while World Champion, and not as a "sour grapes" rationalization after losing his title as...
, Janus Chess
Janus chess
Janus Chess is a chess variant played on a 10×8 board. It features a new piece, the Janus , with the combined moves of a bishop and a knight. This piece is named after the Roman god Janus because this god was usually depicted with two faces looking in opposite directions...
, Janus Kamil Chess, Kinglet, Ladorean Chess, Legan's Game, Lions and Unicorns Chess, Los Alamos Chess
Los Alamos chess
Los Alamos chess is a chess variant played on a 6×6 board without bishops. This was the first chess-like game played by a computer program. This program was written in Los Alamos laboratory by Paul Stein and Mark Wells for the MANIAC I computer in 1956...
, Modern Kamil, Modern Shatranj, Odin's Rune Chess, Opulent Chess, Polymorph Chess, Roman Chess, Royal Court, Schoolbook Chess
Capablanca chess
Capablanca chess is a chess variant invented in the 1920s by former World Chess Champion José Raúl Capablanca. It incorporates two new pieces and is played on a 10×8 board. Capablanca proposed the variant while World Champion, and not as a "sour grapes" rationalization after losing his title as...
, Shatranj
Shatranj
Shatranj is an old form of chess, which came to the Western world from India. Modern chess has gradually developed from this game.-Etymology and origins:...
, Shatranj Kamil
Tamerlane Chess
Tamerlane chess is a strategic board game related to chess and derived from shatranj. It was developed in Persia during the reign of Timur, also called Tamerlane . Some sources attribute the game's invention to Timur, but this is by no means certain...
, Shatranj Kamil (64), Sosarian Chess, Switching Chess, TenCubed Chess, Three Checks Chess
Three checks chess
Three-check chess is a variation of chess, in which a player wins if he checks his opponent three times. Anatoly Karpov is said to excel in this chess variant ....
, Ultima
Baroque chess
Baroque chess is a chess variant invented in 1962 by Robert Abbott. In 1963, at the suggestion of his publisher, he changed the name to Ultima, by which name it is also known...
, Unicorn Chess, Unicorn Great Chess, Unicorn Grand Chess, Univers Chess.
Competitions
ChessV software won third place in a 2004 Gothic ChessGothic chess
Gothic Chess is a chess variant derived from Capablanca Chess by Ed Trice. It was patented in 2002, but the patent expired in 2006.It is played on the same 10×8 board and additional pieces as in Capablanca Chess...
Computer World Championship