[ANNOUNCE] MacChess 5.0 PPC now at AOL
Richard A. Fowell
( it will be on the Internet soon - I've sent it into Info-Mac,
and I'll post again when it is available there).
Here's some info on it, but if you have a iMac/PowerMac, you want it!
On AOL, go to keyword "MGM", then "Software Libraries", then "Board Games".
Its posting date is 12/13/98
MacChess is FREE, master-strength, and commercial quality.
It includes easy levels and a "Learning Chess" file for learners.
Web site is: http://members.aol.com/macchess/
(I'll add a download link there when it is through Info-Mac)
Prior versions have over 50,000 total downloads on AOL!
No PowerMac? Download the 68K version, MacChess 2.5 - downloaded by
more people (25,000+) than any other Mac Board Game file on AOL.
(Only two arcade games had more downloads than MacChess 2.5 as of 12/1/98).
[ MacChess 2.5 is currently available through the Web site, BTW]
Have MacChess 2.5? Download this for the opening book -
12,000 more positions than the MacChess 4.0 opening book.
Last year, MacChess defeated a master and a near-master at the
Aegon 1997 computer-human tournament on an old Mac.
This year, 13,500+ AOL users downloaded MacChess 4.0.
18 Major New Features since MacChess 4.0, including.
- New large board option - great for iMacs or large displays
- "Learning Chess" file added
- Reworked chess engine finds forced mates faster
(solves the Shirov "computers can't find" Mate in the 11/98 Chess Life,
page 901, in 55 seconds on my 7300/180)
6r1/2rp1kpp/2qQp3/p3Pp1P/1pP2P2/1P2KP2/P5R1/6R1 w - - id "Shirov 1";bm Rxg7;
- Expanded opening book - 12,000 new positions added.
- Improved endgame knowledge
- New level settings: sudden death, increment, handicap
- Added quick level setting options to Level menu
- Setup window movable - eases copying Web diagrams
- PGN "result" tag now automatically generated, popup
Features introduced in MacChess 4.0:
- Analyze Game - MacChess will find where you went wrong
- Analyze Player vs. Player - analyzes while you move
- Copy and Paste positions (EPD), games (PGN) and analysis.
- More ending "smarts" added - ending test score up 180 pts.
- Expanded opening book - over 8,000 new positions added.
- Displays ECO opening codes
- Displays player names from PGN files above the board
- Displays your name as MacChess's opponent.
Features introduced in MacChess 3.0:
- PowerPC native - MUCH stronger on Power Macintoshes.
- Special "Easy" levels for learners to play against.
- "Next Best Move" option for getting the second best move.
- "Log" option records MacChess's analysis during a game.
- Analyzes sets of EPD test positions in "batch" mode
Retains the features that made MacChess 2.5 the most
frequently downloaded file in the "Board Games" area.
* 5 chess sets, each in b/w or color, can select board colors
* Strength adjustable by time allowed, or search depth
* Take back as many moves as you like
* Scroll through (back and forth) saved games
* Turn off its opening book or thinking on your time
* Ask for a hint, or force the computer to move now
* Move list has "VCR" controls, click to any move, animation
* Includes "American Style" piece set - most popular style
* iconic position setup, separate windows menu
* Preferences window for set choice, color, sound, etc.
* Choice of short/long notation, click or drag movement
*Reads/Writes PGN/EPD formats (used by chess archives)
* Batch position analysis feature, with detailed log files
* It displays:
- current opening
- what it thinks the best line is
- what move it is currently examining
- time taken by each player (on current move, and total)
* You can save or load games
* You can print out the game score (move sequence)
* You can save positions as graphics or text
* You can print positions as graphics
* You can have Black at the top or bottom of the screen
Mike Byrne
<snip>
>- Reworked chess engine finds forced mates faster
> (solves the Shirov "computers can't find" Mate in the 11/98 Chess Life,
GM Shirov is clearly mistaken!!
> page 901, in 55 seconds on my 7300/180)
>6r1/2rp1kpp/2qQp3/p3Pp1P/1pP2P2/1P2KP2/P5R1/6R1 w - - id "Shirov 1";bm
Rxg7;
>
modified crafty {standard crafty may be even faster} ...on dual pentium 400
finds the mate-in-15 move Rxg7 on the 12th ply in 2:18
12-> 2:18 Mat15 1. Rxg7+ Rxg7 2. Rxg7+ Kxg7 3. Qe7+
Kg8 4. Qe8+ Kg7 5. h6+ Kxh6 6. Qf8+
Kh5 7. Qf7+ Kh4 8. Qxh7+ Kg3 9. Qg8+
Kh4 10. Kf2 Qc5+ 11. Kg2 Qg1+ 12. Kxg1
Rc6 13. Qg5+ Kh3 14. Qg2+ Kh4 15. Qh2#
time=2:18 cpu=248% mat=0 n=60888999 fh=95% nps=440108
ext-> checks=6769614 recaps=221284 pawns=717693 1rep=1777126
predicted=0 nodes=60888999 evals=7077733
endgame tablebase-> probes done=77 successful=12
SMP-> split=3931 stop=494 data=11/64 cpu=5:43 elap=2:18
Mike Byrne
tweaking ..I did get it down to 1:10 for crafty:
12-> 1:10 Mat15 1. Rxg7+ Rxg7 2. Rxg7+ Kxg7 3. Qe7+
Kg8 4. Qe8+ Kg7 5. h6+ Kxh6 6. Qf8+
Kh5 7. Qf7+ Kh4 8. Qxh7+ Kg3 9. Qg7+
Kh3 10. Kf2 Qc5+ 11. Kf1 Qxc4+ 12.
bxc4 Kh4 13. Qg5+ Kh3 14. Qg2+ <HT>
time=1:10 cpu=232% mat=0 n=30640317 fh=93% nps=432772
ext-> checks=1766534 recaps=166029 pawns=93950 1rep=458706
predicted=0 nodes=30640317 evals=6843235
endgame tablebase-> probes done=0 successful=0
SMP-> split=3454 stop=470 data=8/64 cpu=2:44 elap=1:10
mate in 15 moves.
Richard A. Fowell
find the forced mate in:
6r1/2rp1kpp/2qQp3/p3Pp1P/1pP2P2/1P2KP2/P5R1/6R1 w - - id "Shirov 1"; bm Rxg7;
70 seconds is pretty good - though on a dual pentium 400, I think I'm
spotting you some MHz. With the released version of MacChess 5.0, and
8Mb hash, MacChess announces Mate in 15 at 52 seconds on my 180MHz Mac.
However, "The King", in its various variants, puts these both to shame -
with Chessmaster 4000 on my machine, it finds this in under 2 seconds,
and finds the short mate (mate in 14) to boot!
Try this mate in 12, found by MacChess 5.0, 8Mb hash in 108 sec:
4k2r/1p2np2/4p1p1/b2pP1N1/3p1P2/PR3NK1/2Q4P/R1B2q2 b k -
Har...@t-online.de
quoting a mail from fow...@netcom.com concerning Re: Computers can't find mate?? was [Re: [ANNOUNCE] MacChess 5.0 PPC n
> Certainly, Shirov put his foot in it when he said that computers wouldn't
> find the forced mate in:
>
> 6r1/2rp1kpp/2qQp3/p3Pp1P/1pP2P2/1P2KP2/P5R1/6R1 w - - id "Shirov 1"; bm
> Rxg7;
>
> 70 seconds is pretty good - though on a dual pentium 400, I think I'm
> spotting you some MHz. With the released version of MacChess 5.0, and
> 8Mb hash, MacChess announces Mate in 15 at 52 seconds on my 180MHz Mac.
>
> However, "The King", in its various variants, puts these both to shame -
> with Chessmaster 4000 on my machine, it finds this in under 2 seconds,
> and finds the short mate (mate in 14) to boot!
The King...the name is program. :)
Harald Faber
Hans Havermann
> 6r1/2rp1kpp/2qQp3/p3Pp1P/1pP2P2/1P2KP2/P5R1/6R1 w - - id "Shirov 1"; bm Rxg7;
>
> 70 seconds is pretty good - though on a dual pentium 400, I think I'm
> spotting you some MHz. With the released version of MacChess 5.0, and
> 8Mb hash, MacChess announces Mate in 15 at 52 seconds on my 180MHz Mac.
I was surprised that my 300 MHz G3 (MacChess 5.0, 64 Mb hash) didn't do
as well. So I experimented a bit (columns are: depth, time, nodes, &
evaluation)...
1 Mb transposition table:
12 | 0:28 | 10924970 | +M15
2 Mb transposition table:
12 | 0:27 | 10398443 | +M15
4 Mb transposition table:
12 | 0:26 | 9177550 | +397
13 | 2:22 | 54718788 | +M15
8 Mb transposition table:
12 | 0:29 | 10393958 | +M15
16 Mb transposition table:
12 | 0:29 | 10672299 | +M16
13 | 1:05 | 24804940 | +M16
14 | 1:41 | 38508188 | +M15
32 Mb transposition table:
12 | 0:25 | 8701275 | +274
13 | 1:23 | 30858136 | +M15
64 Mb transposition table:
12 | 0:31 | 9221261 | +274
13 | 1:48 | 33855806 | +M15
One gets a sense of how one totally artificial constraint can have a
decidedly arbitrary impact on the outcome of a particular evaluation.
Tony Cortizas, Jr.
earlier versions, e.g. Info-Mac, GambitSoftware. Is it actually
downloadable from somewhere yet?
Damien Andre
> I don't see the 5.0 version at any of the sites I have usually gotten
> earlier versions, e.g. Info-Mac, GambitSoftware. Is it actually
> downloadable from somewhere yet?
It can be found from <http://www.macdownload.com/>
Regards,
Damien
Richard A. Fowell
(use the "search" facility to search for "macchess")
Here's some info on it, but if you have a iMac/PowerMac, you want it!
MacChess is FREE, master-strength, and commercial quality.
It includes easy levels and a "Learning Chess" file for learners.
Web site is: http://members.aol.com/macchess/
(I'll add a download link there when it is through Info-Mac)
Prior versions have over 50,000 total downloads on AOL!
No PowerMac? Download the 68K version, MacChess 2.5 - downloaded by
more people (25,000+) than any other Mac Board Game file on AOL.
(Only two arcade games had more downloads than MacChess 2.5 as of 12/1/98).
Available at: http://www.gambitsoft.com/mac.htm
Have MacChess 2.5? Download this for the opening book -
12,000 more positions than the MacChess 4.0 opening book.
Last year, MacChess defeated a master and a near-master at the
Aegon 1997 computer-human tournament on an old Mac.
This year, 13,500+ AOL users downloaded MacChess 4.0.
18 Major New Features since MacChess 4.0, including.
- New large board option - great for iMacs or large displays
- "Learning Chess" file added
- Reworked chess engine finds forced mates faster
(solves the Shirov "computers can't find" Mate in the 11/98 Chess Life,
page 901, in 52 seconds on my 7300/180 using 8Mb hash)
6r1/2rp1kpp/2qQp3/p3Pp1P/1pP2P2/1P2KP2/P5R1/6R1 w - - id "Shirov 1";bm Rxg7;
* Reads/Writes PGN/EPD formats (used by chess archives)
* Batch position analysis feature, with detailed log files
* It displays:
- current opening
- what it thinks the best line is
- what move it is currently examining
- time taken by each player (on current move, and total)
* You can save or load games
* You can print out the game score (move sequence)
* You can save positions as graphics or text
* You can print positions as graphics
* You can have Black at the top or bottom of the screen
Richard A. Fowell (fow...@netcom.com)