Testing Stockfish, Lc0, Banksia GUI for iOS (iPhone, iPad, iWatch)

[phhnguyen]

BanksiaGUI for iOS 1.0 released (with source code)

I am very glad to officially release BanksiaGUI for iOS on AppStore. It can run on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. I guess it can run directly on Apple computers with M1 processors too.

You may search the app with keywords “BanksiaGUI” or use the below link:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/banksiagui/id1534720619

The app released with 8 open-source strongest chess engines, integrated and ready to use:

• Stockfish, version: 13Dev, authors: Stockfish team

• LeelaChess Zero, version: 0.26.3, authors: LeelaChessZero team

• Ethereal, version: 12.50, authors: Andrew Grant

• Xiphos, version: 0.5, authors: Milos Tatarevic

• Defenchess, version: 2.2, authors: Can Cetin, Dogac Eldenk

• RubiChess, version: 1.8, authors: Andreas Matthies

• Laser, version: 1.6, authors: Jeffrey An, Michael An

• Igel, version: 2.6, authors: Medvedev, Shcherbyna

I planned to release several apps, say, BanksiaGUI with all available engines, Lc0 = BanksiaGUI + lc0... However, AppStore has accepted only one (BanksiaGUI) but refused other apps with the reason they are quite similar in functions. The positive point is that they accepted quickly the way I use Blas library for Lc0, even someone told me how difficult to use that library with iOS apps.

I have also released the source code of BanksiaGUI for iOS at the below link. It uses swift + Swiftui - the latest technology to develop the user interface for all Apple platforms (iOS, macOS, Apple Watch)

https://github.com/nguyenpham/banksiagui-ios

I have a list of functions/engines someone requested to implement/add. They will be implemented for the next versions. You may help me to implement them too.

Any requests, bug reports are more than welcome and can be posted on the Issues of the GitHub repository.

PS: If you want to play Xiangqi (Chinese chess), you may try my new app Saola which was developed from BanksiaGUI for iOS and released recently. The link:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/saola/id1537753019

[supersharp77]

Well I could use Banksia for Android as long as it allows Swiss System Chess tourneys and a plug in for engine ratings....it would solve a long backlog in ratings for all of these new (and older) untested android engines....Thanks AR

It is a nice surprise if someone can run BanksiaGUI on an Android
I use Qt to develop BanksiaGUI and have read that I can compile it for Android but have not tried yet. I will try later.

BTW, I have been working to integrate a rating system to BanksiaGUI for a while. It is not easy thus it will take me some time.

No the ratings system you already have with Banksia will work just fine...All I /we need is a box to put in a estimated rating for the engine and your GUI will spit out a performance rating for the Swiss tourney just as it does now...I just need the capability for doing Swiss tourneys (just as you do already) that way I can get the results out much faster because a 50 or 100 RR android tourney just takes way too long and No one has that kind of time to wait on the results..plus by the time you get the RR results more chess engines have arisen...AR

[ernest]

Just got BanksiaGUI, seems to work fine on my iPad 2019.

Great achievement, thanks a lot !!!

(small) question : in a game (book on) e4 is always answered by c5. How to get more variety ?

[MikeB]

BanksiaGUI for iOS 1.0 released (with source code)

I am very glad to officially release BanksiaGUI for iOS on AppStore. It can run on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. I guess it can run directly on Apple computers with M1 processors too.

You may search the app with keywords “BanksiaGUI” or use the below link:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/banksiagui/id1534720619

The app released with 8 open-source strongest chess engines, integrated and ready to use:

• Stockfish, version: 13Dev, authors: Stockfish team

• LeelaChess Zero, version: 0.26.3, authors: LeelaChessZero team

• Ethereal, version: 12.50, authors: Andrew Grant

• Xiphos, version: 0.5, authors: Milos Tatarevic

• Defenchess, version: 2.2, authors: Can Cetin, Dogac Eldenk

• RubiChess, version: 1.8, authors: Andreas Matthies

• Laser, version: 1.6, authors: Jeffrey An, Michael An

• Igel, version: 2.6, authors: Medvedev, Shcherbyna

I planned to release several apps, say, BanksiaGUI with all available engines, Lc0 = BanksiaGUI + lc0... However, AppStore has accepted only one (BanksiaGUI) but refused other apps with the reason they are quite similar in functions. The positive point is that they accepted quickly the way I use Blas library for Lc0, even someone told me how difficult to use that library with iOS apps.

I have also released the source code of BanksiaGUI for iOS at the below link. It uses swift + Swiftui - the latest technology to develop the user interface for all Apple platforms (iOS, macOS, Apple Watch)

https://github.com/nguyenpham/banksiagui-ios

I have a list of functions/engines someone requested to implement/add. They will be implemented for the next versions. You may help me to implement them too.

Any requests, bug reports are more than welcome and can be posted on the Issues of the GitHub repository.

PS: If you want to play Xiangqi (Chinese chess), you may try my new app Saola which was developed from BanksiaGUI for iOS and released recently. The link:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/saola/id1537753019

Excellent - job well done.
If you are still taking suggestions ...

board colors : light squares ffdedede , dark squares : ff538835
and for the moves/analysis section a black or nearly black background with green or yellow font color

if you need a color converter #ff538835 is green https://8-digit-hex-converter.website/ aRGB format

[phhnguyen]

A better os for mobile chess is android.

Stockfish is on android much faster as on ios.

So interesting info! Look like my knowledge is not up to date since I always think the Android apps would be slow since they run on Java's JVM.

BTW, do you have some benchmarks of Stockfish NNUE on some latest Android phones? Thanks

[phhnguyen]

Just got BanksiaGUI, seems to work fine on my iPad 2019.

Great achievement, thanks a lot !!!

(small) question : in a game (book on) e4 is always answered by c5. How to get more variety ?

Thanks for the feedback.

The opening line is almost fixed because BSG always picks the best reply for a given position. I will add more options to change that from the next release.

[phhnguyen]

Excellent - job well done.
If you are still taking suggestions ...

board colors : light squares ffdedede , dark squares : ff538835
and for the moves/analysis section a black or nearly black background with green or yellow font color

if you need a color converter #ff538835 is green https://8-digit-hex-converter.website/ aRGB format

Thanks for the suggestion. More colors will be added to the next release!

[mephisto]

[quote=phhnguyen post_id=874467 time=1606255130 user_id=5042]
[quote=ernest post_id=874132 time=1605925709 user_id=36]
Just got BanksiaGUI, seems to work fine on my iPad 2019.

Great achievement, thanks a lot !!!

(small) question : in a game (book on) e4 is always answered by c5. How to get more variety ?
[/quote]

Thanks for the feedback.

The opening line is almost fixed because BSG always picks the best reply for a given position. I will add more options to change that from the next release.
[/quote]

This would be great as the opening repertoire definitely needs to have variation.

[mclane]

How do the different versions of the Apple Watch behave concerning the engines on the hardware ?
Is there a need for the latest generation 6 or is the SE also usable ?

[phhnguyen]

This would be great as the opening repertoire definitely needs to have variation.

Sure, that will be a new feature for the next release!