It's Fabien.

[Xann]

Hi all,

I was reading CPW pages, and clicking at random on related forum posts. One of them was about Marcel Vanthoor implementing transposition-table improvements, perhaps in 2020. Some code he posted looked very wrong, missing an important part. I download a more recent version (Rustic 3.0.5), and the wrong code is still there. I looked for a way to contact Marcel, but couldn't find his email address. So I used this forum to send him a message.

Anyway, I thought I'd say hello.

I lost access to my Hotmail account (thanks 2FA!). Sorry if one of you tried to contact me there. My new address is tutamail.com, same user name as on this forum.

I switched to the Rust programming language about 4 years ago. Not perfect but good at reducing errors. I have the beginning of an engine; not much yet. Probability that it becomes Senpai 3 by the end of the year: not more than 30% (it actually jumped from 20% by writing this post).

I might write or answer a couple of technical posts as well.

How are you guys doing?

Fabien Letouzey.

[Frank Quisinsky]

Good morning, Fabien,

how you are is much more important.

It's nice to see that one of the real programming experts is here.

Often I am thinking that if you and Tord are building the dream team, what chess engine can be the result?

I asked him around the year 2009 in the Stockfish interview, and he gave a great answer. For me you, Tord, and John Stanback are the maestros in chess programming. It's good that your sources of Fruit, Senpai are freely available or that you and John are working on GnuChess for many years.

From time to time I am working on my own private opening book. I like it to create rating systems to complicate opening positions. A good method to make my opening book better. Often hard to see, that most programs have same ideas but indeed a handfull very strong engines comes often with special ideas.

Furthermore, I have fun with different children in the town I life in. All have interest in computer chess and my waffles and freshly squeezed orange juice. Maybe often more my waffles as chess ... but I have fun.



Best
Frank

Have a look ...
Jim Ablett is active, one of the heroes in Winboard times, like you!
The good and old times, also the time I working many years with Martin Blume on Arena GUI.
Your engines are years after Winboard every time the real highlights for so many other programmers and gave our free work around Arena the certain extra.

Tipp: Test your Senpai III vs. the engine from Adam Kulju ... more as a shooting star. Maybe he can also thinking like a machine, you can.
Chess program: Patricia, v5 since 1-2 days available.

[mclane]

Welcome back Fabien.

[Steve Maughan]

Hi Fabien — welcome back!

Have you looked at the zig programming language? I think it could be perfect for chess programming.

Looking forward to Senpai 3

— Steve

[Graham Banks]

Hi Fabien. Great to see you posting here.

[Essay]

Hello Fabien,
I've enjoyed lots of time with Fruit and Senpai, both great programs.
I would love to see Senpai 3 one day.
Whatever you decide, thanks for all your effort, it's much appreciated.

[Robert Flesher]

Welcome back!

[Xann]

Have you looked at the zig programming language? I think it could be perfect for chess programming.

Steve, I have not; I want unlimited abstractions.

My understanding is that while Rust is a candidate replacement for C++, Zig is the same for C; that's why I haven't looked. But I feel that you are right, and for chess, Zig could be perfect! One thing I like about it is the separation between 'release safe' and 'release fast' modes; Rust only has the former, with bound (and other) checks.

If you think Zig deserves it, I will have a closer look and report back.

[Xann]

Hi Fabien. Great to see you posting here.

Graham,

I see that Senpai is still on the rating list. What are the rules for non-updated engines?

[Graham Banks]

Hi Fabien. Great to see you posting here.

Graham,

I see that Senpai is still on the rating list. What are the rules for non-updated engines?

There are none.

It's only for my Amateur Series that I exclude engines for which the latest version was more than 2 years ago. Otherwise there would be too many.