Posting FENs (feedback welcome)

[hgm]

I improvised a method for posting position diagrams. Unlike the old method (which was handled by a server-side script, and thus needed modification of the forum software) it is based on JavaScript (and, like the PGN viewer, will thus not be viewable by people that have switched JavaScript off). It requires both an opening and a closing 'fen' tag (while the old method only required an opening 'd' tag).

[d]rnbq1b1r/pppp1k2/5ppp/5p2/3P1N2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKB1R b KQ - 0 7

It also is less pedantic than the old method; e.g. if your FEN contains too many ranks or files, it will faithfully display the requested number of ranks and files.

Note it has not been decided yet if this will be the permanent solution, so don't rely on it yet. Feel free to experiment with it in this thread, however, and provide feedback. By pressing the 'quote' button you can see what I had to post to summon the diagram above.

[peter]

it is based on JavaScript (and, like the PGN viewer, will thus not be viewable by people that have switched JavaScript off). It requires both an opening and a closing 'fen' tag (while the old method only required an opening 'd' tag).

Just wanted to write it was fine with me, but then tried the position following up to yours (tpoppin's one) with White to move (look with Quote) and that doesn't work now.

[d]rnbqrnbq3r/pppp1k2/3b1ppp/5p2/3P1N2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQ - 0 8

[AdminX]

[d]8/8/B6p/6k1/pP6/3Nr1P1/1K6/8 b - -
Simple Test
Might want to modify the color of the white pieces so they don't blend in to much with the yellow squares.

PS: Thank You

[hgm]

Just wanted to write it was fine with me, but then tried the position following up to yours (tpoppins one) with White to move (look with Quote) and that doesn't work now.

rnbqrnbq3r/pppp1k2/3b1ppp/5p2/3P1N2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQ - 0 8

Your FEN is malformed. (I stripped the {fen} tags in the quote above, so it became visible). The upper rank has 12 squares on it, the others 8. Although the script doesn't care about the number of board files, it is not resisitant to having ranks of unequal length.

[peter]

Just wanted to write it was fine with me, but then tried the position following up to yours (tpoppins one) with White to move (look with Quote) and that doesn't work now.

rnbqrnbq3r/pppp1k2/3b1ppp/5p2/3P1N2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQ - 0 8

Your FEN is malformed. (I stripped the {fen} tags in the quote above, so it became visible). The upper rank has 12 squares on it, the others 8. Although the script doesn't care about the number of board files, it is not resisitant to having ranks of unequal length.

Oops, sorry, copied and pasted last one from GUI too, but obviously did let rnbq from last but one pasting undeleated.

[d]rnbq3r/pppp1k2/3b1ppp/5p2/3P1N2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQ - 0 8
rnbqrnbq3r/pppp1k2/3b1ppp/5p2/3P1N2/4P3/PPP2PPP/RN1QKB1R w KQ - 0 8

[hgm]

Might want to modify the color of the white pieces so they don't blend in to much with the yellow squares.

I'd rather modify the color of the light squares, in that case. I tried to reproduce the colors of the old FEN (from memory, as there is no way to view these anymore), but perhaps this had thicker outlines on the white pieces. I could use the old WinBoard default square shading; this had good contrast.

[hgm]

BTW, it is possible to have boards with unequal-length ranks, but you have to indicate unused squares with an asterisk. E.g. for Omega Chess:

[d]w**********w/*arnbqkbnra*/*pppppppppp*/*10*/*10*/*10*/*10*/*10*/*10*/*PPPPPPPPPP*/*ARNBQKBNRA*/W**********W w

[Ozymandias]

The PGN posting problem seems to be solved, too:[pgn][Event "F/S Return Match"] [Site "Belgrade, Serbia JUG"] [Date "1992.11.04"] [Round "29"] [White "Fischer, Robert J."] [Black "Spassky, Boris V."] [Result "1/2-1/2"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 {This opening is called the Ruy Lopez.} 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. c4 c6 12. cxb5 axb5 13. Nc3 Bb7 14. Bg5 b4 15. Nb1 h6 16. Bh4 c5 17. dxe5 Nxe4 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. exd6 Qf6 20. Nbd2 Nxd6 21. Nc4 Nxc4 22. Bxc4 Nb6 23. Ne5 Rae8 24. Bxf7+ Rxf7 25. Nxf7 Rxe1+ 26. Qxe1 Kxf7 27. Qe3 Qg5 28. Qxg5 hxg5 29. b3 Ke6 30. a3 Kd6 31. axb4 cxb4 32. Ra5 Nd5 33. f3 Bc8 34. Kf2 Bf5 35. Ra7 g6 36. Ra6+ Kc5 37. Ke1 Nf4 38. g3 Nxh3 39. Kd2 Kb5 40. Rd6 Kc5 41. Ra6 Nf2 42. g4 Bd3 43. Re6 1/2-1/2[/pgn]

[Guenther]

Might want to modify the color of the white pieces so they don't blend in to much with the yellow squares.

I'd rather modify the color of the light squares, in that case. I tried to reproduce the colors of the old FEN (from memory, as there is no way to view these anymore), but perhaps this had thicker outlines on the white pieces. I could use the old WinBoard default square shading; this had good contrast.

I love those:

Code: Select all

/lightSquareColor=#e7d0a7
/darkSquareColor=#a77e5c

[hgm]

The PGN posting problem seems to be solved, too:

Indeed, Sam solved that yesterday.

As to Guenther's preferred color scheme: on my display the contrast between black pieces and dark squares is rather low with those

(I gave the following letters the proposed colors:)
@@@@@@

I now changed the FEN script to using WinBoard default colors. (But you might only see it if you refresh with the Shift key pressed, as the script is on a separate file, which gets cached in your browser.)

I now also made it such that FENs with unequal rank length do not crash the script anymore (so that nothing shows), but are displayed as requested, any unmentioned squares at the end of shorter ranks being interpreted as asterisk. This makes it easier in case of an error to diagnose what the error was. (E.g. see the first post by Peter in this thread.)