I want to thank TCEC for making this statement. They took a little bit of time in order to gain confidence, but in the end they came out and are one of, if not the, first organizations or rating groups to make this stance on Fire and Houdini publicly, and take action accordingly. I am sure that the many aspiring engine authors out there are grateful, as well as the people of Stockfish and Komodo, from whom code was used in violation of the spirit of their respective licenses, as well as the letter of their respective licenses.On behalf of TCEC I want to formally acknowledge that the later versions of Houdini and Fire that played at TCEC have unfortunately been found to covertly contain code copied and taken from other engines, and these two engines have therefore been removed from further participation as well as from those past final standings in which they took a prize place. - Kanchess [ One of the Event Administrators ]
I hope that other events, and rating lists, will take the same actions and steps, in order to uphold legitimacy in chess. This hobby of ours is supported by people of all different types, toiling away for the benefit of others and not for themselves. The least we can do is support and respect the many members that are doing things right, by keeping the playing field fair for all.
