Python chess engine

[Dann Corbit]

http://code.google.com/p/shatranjpy/sou ... #svn/trunk

[tmokonen]

Apparently, there's a chess program out there written entirely in DOS batch language.

http://lf.8k.com/BAT/CHESS.HTM
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H07AB1Q0

I have not tried it, as I believe you actually have to have an honest-to-goodness version of DOS installed. Not only is it a rarity in that it is written in DOS batch language, it is rare in the sense that it is written by a woman, one Laura Fairhead.

[UncombedCoconut]

PyChess also deserves mention. It is a bit slower, but has implemented time management and a much more sophisticated evaluation.

Note that PyChess is a GUI, but contains a stand-alone xboard engine ( lib/pychess/Players/PyChess.py ). One should be able to run it as-is in Windows, although I don't know how much effort is needed.

The batch chess program is very impressive, but it's a UI rather than an AI. This is fortunate: I've written an engine in UNIX shell language, but I think I'd soil myself if I saw a DOS shell implementation.

[Nimzovik]

Fascinating..... I am an old dinosaur that for some inexplicable reason still likes DOS. Hail to kasparov's Gambit! Hail to Battle Chess! Hail to M- chess. I am the more intrigued pursuant to the the discovery that it is written by a woman. Bless them. So is it any good? Should I fire up my old dos DX4 machines with their 13 inch monitors (with 12 inch viewable space?)

[UncombedCoconut]

So is it any good?

It looks like an interactive board supporting undo/redo, save/load, and position editing. It does test moves for legality, but can't play chess on its own.

[tmokonen]

I didn't take a close look at the code, and had assumed there was some sort of primitive AI there. Still, it's quite an achievement to write something like this in such a limited language.