Abbess 2016

[Robert Pope]

I promised myself that once I got my new engine, Abbess, stronger than my last effort, I would publish it. Well, I think that day has finally come.

Introducing Abbess, a WinBoard compatible chess engine.

Main features:
Written in C/C++
Magic bitboards
Hard-coded 1M entry hash table
No pondering yet
Pretty vanilla evaluation
Small opening book

If anyone is kind enough to give some feedback (I don't publish to the web much):
1. Is the file reachable?
2. Did the exe run properly? I'm not sure if the compile I did requires you to have MSVC installed.
3. Anyone who wants to do some testing to get a benchmark would be appreciated. It is roughly on par with Gerbil in my own testing.

If this all went up okay, I'll see if I can get the source posted later this week.

[elpapa]

1. Yes.
2. Yes, but I have the C++ runtime libraries installed.
3. I've only tested it in one very fast game (against my own engine, Wraith). Pretty wild stuff:

[pgn]
[Event "Computer chess game"]
[Site "KELLY"]
[Date "2016.12.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Wraith 0.91a"]
[Black "Abbess2016"]
[Result "1-0"]
[BlackElo "2000"]
[ECO "A00"]
[Opening "Dunst (Sleipner-Heinrichsen-Van Geet) Opening"]
[Time "04:29:06"]
[Variation "1...e5 2.Nf3"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[TimeControl "20+0.25"]
[Termination "normal"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[WhiteType "program"]
[BlackType "program"]

1. Nc3 e5 2. Nf3 {+0.32/14 0} Nc6 {-0.06/7 0} 3. d4 {+0.32/14 0} exd4
{-0.02/7 0} 4. Nxd4 {+0.26/13 0} Nf6 {0.00/7 0} 5. Bg5 {+0.18/12 1} Nxd4
{+0.06/7 0} 6. Qxd4 {+0.45/12 0} Be7 {+0.04/7 0} 7. e4 {+0.41/12 0} O-O
{-0.09/6 0} 8. e5 {+0.48/13 1} Nd5 {-0.21/7 0} 9. Nxd5 {+0.47/14 0} Bxg5
{-0.05/7 0} 10. h4 {+0.34/13 0} Bh6 {+0.07/7 0} 11. Qe4 {+0.27/13 0} c6
{+0.73/7 0} 12. Nf6+ {+3.46/17 0} gxf6 {-2.29/7 1} 13. Bd3 {+3.99/17 0}
Qa5+ {-2.60/8 0} 14. Kf1 {+6.86/18 0} f5 {-2.70/8 0} 15. Qxf5 {+7.25/19 0}
Re8 {-2.87/7 0} 16. Qxh7+ {+7.25/17 0} Kf8 {-2.87/6 0} 17. Qxh6+ {+7.15/18
1} Ke7 {-3.48/6 0} 18. Qf6+ {+7.19/16 0} Kf8 {-3.48/6 0} 19. Qd6+ {+7.17/17
0} Kg7 {-5.64/6 0} 20. Rh3 {+7.35/16 0} Qxe5 {-6.51/7 0} 21. Rg3+ {+9.52/15
0} Qxg3 {-6.71/6 0} 22. Qxg3+ {+9.57/15 0} Kf8 {-6.71/6 0} 23. h5
{+10.06/16 0} Re6 {-7.29/7 0} 24. Qh4 {+11.29/15 1} d5 {-7.85/6 0} 25. h6
{+11.48/14 0} Bd7 {-11.02/7 0} 26. Qg5 {+12.22/14 0} Rxh6 {-11.20/7 0} 27.
Qxh6+ {+14.22/14 0} Ke7 {-11.41/6 0} 28. Qh4+ {+14.22/12 0} Kd6 {-11.53/6
0} 29. Qf4+ {+14.65/15 1} Kc5 {-11.55/6 0} 30. Qxf7 {+14.85/14 0} Kd6
{-12.04/7 0} 31. Qf4+ {+15.65/14 0} Kc5 {-12.53/6 0} 32. Qc7 {+16.22/15 0}
a5 {-14.20/6 0} 33. Qxd7 {+19.47/15 1} Kb6 {-14.57/7 0} 34. Re1 {+22.94/14
0} Rh8 {-15.54/8 0} 35. Re7 {+M8/15 0} Kc5 {-15.55/7 0} 36. Qxb7 {+M7/13 0}
Rh1+ {-18.79/6 0} 37. Ke2 Rc1 {-20.86/6 0} 38. Re6 {+M4/14 0} Rxc2+
{-M336/5 0} 39. Bxc2 {+M3/21 0} d4 {-M336/3} 40. Qxc6+ {+M2/29 0} Kb4
{-M336/1} 41. a3# {+M1/84 0} 1-0[/pgn]

[Guenther]

I promised myself that once I got my new engine, Abbess, stronger than my last effort, I would publish it. Well, I think that day has finally come.

Introducing Abbess, a WinBoard compatible chess engine.

Main features:
Written in C/C++
Magic bitboards
Hard-coded 1M entry hash table
No pondering yet
Pretty vanilla evaluation
Small opening book

If anyone is kind enough to give some feedback (I don't publish to the web much):
1. Is the file reachable?
2. Did the exe run properly? I'm not sure if the compile I did requires you to have MSVC installed.
3. Anyone who wants to do some testing to get a benchmark would be appreciated. It is roughly on par with Gerbil in my own testing.

If this all went up okay, I'll see if I can get the source posted later this week.

1. yes
2. no (dll dependencies which are missing here) WIN 7-64 Ultimate old Quadcore
3. if fixed

Thanks for the release Robert, could you create a static compile?

[Guenther]

BTW was it the intention to appear on first place now in all alpha lists? :)
I just noticed it when resorting my next update for the XB/UCI chronolgy.
'Abbess' now sits on the first place in the table.

[Robert Pope]

Okay, I'll try to create a static compile tonight.

[Robert Pope]

BTW was it the intention to appear on first place now in all alpha lists?
I just noticed it when resorting my next update for the XB/UCI chronolgy.
'Abbess' now sits on the first place in the table.

Just lucky coincidence.

Beaches was my first BITboard CHESS engine (spelling adjusted to protect the innocent).

Abbess was a MAgic BitBoard chESS engine. But Mabbess didn't seem to be a real word.

[Robert Pope]

Okay, I think I have replaced the file at the link above with an exe that is statically linked. Let me know if you have trouble with it.

[Guenther]

Okay, I think I have replaced the file at the link above with an exe that is statically linked. Let me know if you have trouble with it.

Thanks Robert! I downloaded it and there are no more dependencies.
Also it worked flawlessly in Winboard here in a first quick blitz game.

(Funny way of randomizing the log file names with letters instead of numbers)

[Robert Pope]

Saves me from having to figure out what log numbers have already been used.

[Graham Banks]

BTW was it the intention to appear on first place now in all alpha lists?
I just noticed it when resorting my next update for the XB/UCI chronolgy.
'Abbess' now sits on the first place in the table.

Just lucky coincidence.

Beaches was my first BITboard CHESS engine (spelling adjusted to protect the innocent).

Abbess was a MAgic BitBoard chESS engine. But Mabbess didn't seem to be a real word.

You could have named it Abyss.