GNU chess 6 setup as UCI engine

[Adam Hair]

Oh no, I was not implying that GNUChess 6.02 was based on Fruit 2.3.3f. I was assuming that Nicu thought it might be stronger since it was newer. I understand that GNUChess 6.02 is based on Fruit 2.1.

[Mike S.]

I didn't try it, but it will most probably work with O.G.Malin's Wb2Uci software adapter:

http://home.online.no/~malin/sjakk/Wb2Uci/

I used it in the past to run WB. engines in Fritz. ProDeo includes it still, and I run it as UCI in Arena. The command line options are processed correctly.

Code: Select all

[OPTIONS]
Program = prodeo.exe w4 prodeo-174.eng

(From the config file wb2uci.eng which the adapter requires; in this example hash size and engine personality are set.)

Basically, this should work with every UCI capable interface. Good luck!

[pedrox]

No, unfortunately it does not. I tried with [Parameter] and [PARAMETER], no way. I have the Fritz GUI from 13 Jan 2009 (came with Fritz 11), perhaps you have a newer version, which works?

I have just created a file called "GNU Chess 6.0.2.uci" and put in the following lines:

[ENGINE]
Name=GNU Chess 6.0.2
Author=GNU Chess team
Filename=C:\Sakk\Engines\GNUchess\GNUchess_602.exe --uci
[Parameter]
OwnBook=false

Alas, the GUI (I have Fritz 13) does not recognize it.

So I can offer no solution.

In my view it is a bit odd that GNU chess requires --xboard or --uci to distinguish between xb and uci modes. The more so because after you have started it from the command line with the --uci parameter it still requires another uci command to enter uci mode (at least to list the uci options).

As I see the engine has the 2 protocols xboard and uci.

If you have problems with uci then you can use it with Wb2uci and xboard mode.

[ENGINE]
Name=GNU Chess 6.0.2
Author=GNU Chess team
Filename=Wb2Uci.exe

[OPTIONS]
Program=C:\Sakk\Engines\GNUchess\GNUchess_602.exe --xboard

[Sylwy]

Hi,

I just downloaded gnuchess-6.0.2 and wanted to play around on the Fritz GUI. This version behaves natively as XBoard engine (or at least goes in such a mode when receiving the xboard command). But it will behave like an UCI engine if it is started with the command line option --uci.

But!...

Fritz has no option to pass command line options to the engines,

AND

Windows has no mean to make a script to start a programm with options.

I tried with a cmd file containing just

Code: Select all

gnuchess-6.0.2-32-ja.exe --uci

but then the input and output are not redirected (instead a window opens and the program is connected to that, instead of the pipe from the GUI).

I know Windows is weird and Fritz is weird, and also I could use web2uci, but isn't it crazy this kind of incompatibility?

Has anybody found a solution to this?

Hello Mr. Jonnitza !

GNU Chess Project has nothing to do with the UCI communication protocol !

Take a look here and here:

http://www.gnu.org/software/chess/

http://wbec-ridderkerk.nl/html/enginesindex.htm

To run the last GNU (v.6.0.2 JA) Chess under Fritz 11 GUI you need:

1.-the executable file from here:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5047625/gnuches ... n32-ja.zip

2.-the Wb2Uci.exe file from here:

http://home.online.no/~malin/sjakk/down ... .3_B21.zip

3.-the Wb2Uci.eng file with the following content (make a .txt document , rename it Wb2Uci.eng , copy/paste the below content & save it):

[ENGINE]
Name=GNU Chess 6.0.2 JA
Author=Fabien Letouzey, France
Filename=Wb2Uci.exe

[OPTIONS]
Program=gnuchess-6.0.2-32-ja.exe xboard

4.-add please a.bmp logo renamed :

Wb2Uci.bmp

Enter under Fritzy 11 GUI - Engine (menu) - Create UCI engine - select Wb2Uci.exe like engine UCI.
Works without any problem !


Have a nice day !

SilvianR

[Sylwy]

But he would like to run it as a UCI engine, without the adapter. He would like to use the --uci command line parameter.

Under Arena and under WinBoard you can run the engine in both WB and UCI mode. You can specify command line parameters there.

I haven't yet tried Shredder but I am sure it is capable of accepting the --uci parameter because I can run Hamsters under Shredder with the -threads 2 command line parameter.

Hi Gabor !

Maybe via Polyglot ! Otherwise GNU Chess 6.0.2 JA ( like all GNUs) isn't an UCI chess engine !

Can you see an UCI=OK in console mode ??????



Have a nice day !

SilvianR

[hgm]

Now try it with --uci on the engine command line...

[tmokonen]

Hi Gabor !

Maybe via Polyglot ! Otherwise GNU Chess 6.0.2 JA ( like all GNUs) isn't an UCI chess engine !

Sorry Sylvain, but GnuChess 6.0.2 JA does indeed run as a native UCI engine, without an adapter, under non-Fritz GUIs. If you run the program using the --uci command line option, then issue a uci command, you will see something like this:



Your WB2UCI workaround works well, as does using Odd Gunnar Malin's InBetween utility with an InBetween.ini file that looks like:

Code: Select all

[InBetween]
CommandLine := gnuchess-6.0.2-32-ja.exe --uci

If one wishes for an adapter-less solution, then I guess they would need to ask Jim A. to make a special "Fritz" compile that defaults into UCI mode.

[Sylwy]

Hi Gabor !

Maybe via Polyglot ! Otherwise GNU Chess 6.0.2 JA ( like all GNUs) isn't an UCI chess engine !

Sorry Sylvain, but GnuChess 6.0.2 JA does indeed run as a native UCI engine, without an adapter, under non-Fritz GUIs. If you run the program using the --uci command line option, then issue a uci command, you will see something like this:



Your WB2UCI workaround works well, as does using Odd Gunnar Malin's InBetween utility with an InBetween.ini file that looks like:

Code: Select all

[InBetween]
CommandLine := gnuchess-6.0.2-32-ja.exe --uci

If one wishes for an adapter-less solution, then I guess they would need to ask Jim A. to make a special "Fritz" compile that defaults into UCI mode.

Well , that's news to me. I think it's the first GNU Chess being Wb/UCI.
WOW ! Nice !
Thank you again !

SilvianR

[hgm]

Well, it would be better to make a compile that would react to the 'uci' command by swithing to UCI mode, in stead of bleating that it does not understand that move.

GNU-Chess 6 contains Polyglot (this is how it runs as a WinBoard engine), but unfortunately a completely obsolete version. Modern Polyglots would in fact understand the 'uci' command, and then wirk as a UCI2UCI (book) adapter. If it only had contained one of those...

[nionita]

I was assuming that Nicu thought it might be stronger since it was newer.

Yes, exactly, that's what I was thinking.