Raspberry Pi 4 compiled chess engines

[Ras]

I would like to know but it seems to me that what would take 1 year to me learning without success warranty

Linux offers that readily. It's not like Windows where you have to install quite some stuff beforehand. There are some things that are really easy under Linux, and compiling happens to be among them.

Aren't the engines with different languages ?

Most of them are in C or C++, and the compiler GCC is installed by default already. That's why it's so easy.

For example Stockfish 12. You download the source release from Github, the "Source code (tar.gz)":
https://github.com/official-stockfish/S ... h/releases

You extract that in your file manager, on your Raspi-64 (not on a PC). You go into the extracted folder, there in the sub-folder "src". If your file manager is any good, you can right-click and choose "Open in Terminal". That opens a terminal window. Now you just type (the Raspi needs to have an internet connection for downloading the neural network):

Code: Select all

make profile-build ARCH=armv8

After some time, that is done, and a new file "stockfish" is there, a little over 20MB large. That's the compiled program.

[Pi4Chess]

Wow Ras ! If it is that much easy i will give it a try !!

Don't i have to put aarch64 instead of armv8 ? Or the fact i am compiling from Raspberry will automatically do so ?

Thanks. I will try and tell you if it works.

[Ras]

Don't i have to put aarch64 instead of armv8 ?

The "Makefile" file lists the available CPU options, and the Stockfish devs called that one "armv8", but it's for ARM 64 bit.

[Ras]

And here's another one, my own engine CT800 v1.41 (around 2400 on CCRL): https://www.ct800.net/download.htm

You download and use your file manager to extract the ZIP file on the Raspi. In the extracted folder, you go into "source", then into "application-uci". Right-click on the file "make_ct800_linux.sh" and click "Properties". Go to the "Permissions" tab and check that the "Execute" checkbox is ticked. Then double-click that file, and your file manager should ask you whether to run this in a terminal. Do that, and in the previously empty folder "output", a new file "CT800_V1.41" appears - that's the engine program. Since it compiled on the Raspi itself, it's right for that system.

[Pi4Chess]

And here's another one, my own engine (around 2400 on CCRL): https://www.ct800.net/download.htm

You download and use your file manager to extract the ZIP file on the Raspi. In the extracted folder, you go into "source", then into "application-uci". Right-click on the file "make_ct800_linux.sh" and click "Properties". Go to the "Permissions" tab and check that the "Execute" checkbox is ticked. Then double-click that file, and your file manager should ask you whether to run this in a terminal. Do that, and in the previously empty folder "output", a new file "CT800_V1.41" appears - that's the engine program.

It worked !! Thank you very much ! I was precisely looking at your website and yes i will compile your engine also

It will be 64 bits also ?

Now i am trying to compile every open source engine i am going to see for my little raspberry but i think there will be more troubles to fo it right
If i manage i will post some compressed files with the engines i succeded compiling.
Again thank you for your help. I don't understand why there was no Stockfish 12 in the ubuntu repositories since it is that easy to do it...

[Ras]

It worked !!

Congrats! The specific way to compile varies from engine to engine, but you mostly have either such a "Makefile" as basis (like with Stockfish), or build scripts (like with mine).

It will be 64 bits also ?

Yes, the Linux build script uses whatever the system has where it is compiling. So, on a 64 bit Raspi, this will give you a 64 bit engine. If you register it in Arena, it will tell its name, and that includes whether it's 32 or 64 bit.

Now i am trying to compile every open source engine i am going to see for my little raspberry but i think there will be more troubles to fo it right

Given that you succeeded with your first compile that easily, most engines that have a Linux versions will be similarly easy. And the best, you can do that whenever you want.

I don't understand why there was no Stockfish 12 in the ubuntu repositories since it is that easy to do it...

That's because Ubuntu 20.04 was released in April 2020, hence the name, but Stockfish 12 was only released in September 2020. Ubuntu 20.04 is a "long term support" (LTS) release where they don't update the programs except for security fixes. The advantage is that updates are unlikely to break anything - the downside is that applications aren't available in the newest release.

[Pi4Chess]

Given that you succeeded with your first compile that easily, most engines that have a Linux versions will be similarly easy. And the best, you can do that whenever you want.

That's because Ubuntu 20.04 was released in April 2020, hence the name, but Stockfish 12 was only released in September 2020. Ubuntu 20.04 is a "long term support" (LTS) release where they don't update the programs except for security fixes. The advantage is that updates are unlikely to break anything - the downside is that applications aren't available in the newest release.

I have already compiled 8 other engines (the easiest ones with makefile)
Some others give errors for missing files or because bad flags or asking for clang instead of gcc.

I will learn thx to your showing a beginning "how to".

[Ras]

asking for clang instead of gcc.

You can go into the package manager (probably Synaptic) and install the packages "clang" and "clang-10" (plus whatever the package manager also recommends), then clang should be available.

[Pi4Chess]

I changed clang by gcc in the makefile