Rodent 1.1 released

[PK]

source and Windows compiles (both 32 and 64 bit) are available at

http://www.pkoziol.cal24.pl/rodent/rodent_download.htm

Strength improvement is modest, about 20 Elo, but it seems that current version plays a bit better-looking chess. Changes include

- more conservative King safety function
- LMR scheme borrowed from Stockfish
- tuned passed pawn eval
- a couple of small eval tweaks

current developement version is always available at https://github.com/nescitus/rodent_code

opening book files (updated about twice a month) and personality files are available at https://github.com/nescitus/rodent_addons

If some kind soul can provide me with Linux compiles, I would be grateful (and will mention it in the readme file)

Enjoy!

[carldaman]

source and Windows compiles (both 32 and 64 bit) are available at

http://www.pkoziol.cal24.pl/rodent/rodent_download.htm

Strength improvement is modest, about 20 Elo, but it seems that current version plays a bit better-looking chess. Changes include

- more conservative King safety function
- LMR scheme borrowed from Stockfish
- tuned passed pawn eval
- a couple of small eval tweaks

current developement version is always available at https://github.com/nescitus/rodent_code

opening book files (updated about twice a month) and personality files are available at https://github.com/nescitus/rodent_addons

If some kind soul can provide me with Linux compiles, I would be grateful (and will mention it in the readme file)

Enjoy!

Thanks, Pawel! I like the part about playing 'better looking chess". You're one of the few developers that cares about this aspect.

Much appreciated,
CL

[Graham Banks]

source and Windows compiles (both 32 and 64 bit) are available at

http://www.pkoziol.cal24.pl/rodent/rodent_download.htm

Thanks Pawel.

[PK]

I added a Linux 64-bit compile by Martin Sedlak (thank You) and additional 32-bit Windows compile made under MSVC 2010, as I had a report that current 32-bit compile didn't work on the older systems.

[GenoM]

source and Windows compiles (both 32 and 64 bit) are available at

http://www.pkoziol.cal24.pl/rodent/rodent_download.htm

Strength improvement is modest, about 20 Elo, but it seems that current version plays a bit better-looking chess. Changes include

- more conservative King safety function
- LMR scheme borrowed from Stockfish
- tuned passed pawn eval
- a couple of small eval tweaks

current developement version is always available at https://github.com/nescitus/rodent_code

opening book files (updated about twice a month) and personality files are available at https://github.com/nescitus/rodent_addons

If some kind soul can provide me with Linux compiles, I would be grateful (and will mention it in the readme file)

Enjoy!

Thanks, Pawel! I like the part about playing 'better looking chess". You're one of the few developers that cares about this aspect.

Much appreciated,
CL

+1

Respect,
Geno

[chetday]

Pawel, thank you for your engine and especially for including the various playing levels, which make it really fun for me to play, as well as to improve my own game of chess without getting frustrated from losing all the time. Your work is much appreciated here at my house.

[PK]

Right now I'm running some tests for fun, inspired by the post by Ed Schroder (http://talkchess.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49421). Tu cut the long story short, I made two alternative king safety functions: approximating scores returned by Stockfish and those described in Toga Log User Manual. I don't go as far as changing data structures, everything is driven by tables and uses just one additional switch instruction, so speed loss is negligible.

The great thing is that scores are really close, so far within error bars, and next Rodent will definately use this stylistic feature. Default setting is not very attack-minded, Stockfish-like often plays with a material deficit, Toga-like (the furthest removed from the original) can be regarded as something of a middle ground.

This will fix unfortunate problem that under current settings Attacker personality does not want to attack.