Move on DGT Smartboard would not register. Anyone else experienced this?

[clarke baxter]

Hi All

Playing white against Stockfish 13 (Level 1) this evening. Desktop v3 on Pi 4 with DGT Smartboard. I had lost on time, but was playing on anyway because otherwise victory was close.

Move 32 I wanted to play e8=Q. There was no barrier to making this move even if the more obvious move was to take the black queen. The move would not register. The web interface told me to 'check pieces'. After several attempts I gave up and took the black queen instead.

Move 34 I need to promote that pawn and still it will not register. So I moved it on the web interface and then moved the piece on the board. All was fine.

Anyone had a similar experience with a move not being accepted?

cb

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. e5 f6 4. Nf3 g5 5. Bc4 e6 6. b3 g4 7. Nfd2 fxe5 8. Qxg4 Bf6 9. Nf3 exd4 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 11. Qxd4 Nf6 12. Bg5 Rf8 13. O-O d5 14. Bb5+ c6 15. Bd3 Nbd7 16. Bxh7 c5 17. Bg6+ Rf7 18. Qh4 Ke7 19. Bxf7 Kxf7 20. Re1 b5 21. Re3 Qa5 22. c3 b4 23. Rf3 Ke8 24. Qh8+ Ke7 25. Bxf6+ Kd6 26. c4 Qa6 27. cxd5 Kc7 28. dxe6 Nb8 29. e7 Bd7 30. Be5+ Kb6 31. Rf6+ Kb7 32. Rxa6 Be6 33. Rxe6 a5 34. e8=Q Ka7 35. Qh7+ Nd7 36. Qhxd7# 1-0

[RandyR]

The only time I have seen something like that was when my DGT board was detecting ghost pieces. With the help of DGT I was able to adjust the sensitivity. Maybe you can see something in the picochess logs. But you might have to have it set to debug in picochess.ini to see the 'boards'. Check the timestamps of the log files (in /opt/picochess/logs) and pick the one that was saved after your game.

Randy

[clarke baxter]

Hi Randy.

I looked at the log. There is one line that warns of a missing voice file, otherwise it is hundreds of these:

2021-02-28 21:11:09.006 WARNING      board - _watchdog: (ser) clock is locked over 2secs

Not sure what that means, but it happens every 2 seconds.

I'll set debug on and carry on playing.

Thanks

cb

[RandyR]

I think those warnings are normal when using PicoChess on a stand-alone Pi. I see them as well on my RPi4.

With the log level set to debug, if it happens again, you should be able to follow the moves on the text-based chessboards in the log and hopefully be able to see what's happening. Or attach it here and we can have a look.

Also, another option is to save the game using the clock or webserver buttons right at the point where it refuses your move. Then you can load that game and test if we make some discoveries/fixes. If I have some time, I'll try out your moves on my system.

Randy

[clarke baxter]

Hi Randy

Thanks for this. I'm seeing debug info and text-based boards.

I'll post when / if it happens again.

cb

[Scally]

Hi Simon,

I was going to play through your game, however we know you were using Stockfish13 level 1, but don’t know what time control nor what opening books you were using (if any).

So I simply set the position up after Black’s 31st move, selected Stockfish13 level 1 and played e8=Q which was accepted, Black immediately replied Bxe8.

Cheers,

Al.

[clarke baxter]

Hi Al, Randy and all

Thanks for this. Following your lead I tried to recreate the issue, and it seems I can. 

First I set up and played RxA6 and then setup again and tried to play e8=Q. The logs from the 2 sessions are attached. All help much appreciated... I really hope I'm not doing something completely stupid!

This is the process I followed:

1. RxA6

Delete picochess.log

Power off Pi

Set up the board at position after Black’s 31st move.

Boot  Pi

Menu | Position | side move W | W B | uci960 no | scan board

Web server updates with correct board setup

Picochess announces “New game”

Play Rxa6

Picochess announces “Rook takes a6”

Picoches announces the Stockfish response NxA6

Move NxA6

Retrieve the log

2. e8=Q

Delete picochess.log

Power off Pi

Set up the board at position after Black’s 31st move.

Boot  Pi

Menu | Position | side move W | W B | uci960 no | scan board

Web page updates with correct board setup

Picochess announces “New game”

Play e8=Q

Picochess chimes

Web page displays ‘set pieces’

Picochess announces “remove piece from e8”

Move pawn back from e8 to e7

Picochess (christina) announces “Okay”

Play e8=Q again

Picochess chimes

Web page displays ‘set pieces’

 

…  Not sure if I tried e8=Q again or not, but either way had to continue …

 

Play Rxa6

Picochess announces “Rook takes a6”

Picoches announces the Stockfish response NxA6

Move NxA6

Retrieve the log

[Etienne Chaffanjon]

Hi, just for fun: did you try to play 2.e6?

Rgds, Etienne

Le 1 mars 2021 à 15:59, clarke baxter <simon....@gmail.com> a écrit :

Hi Al, Randy and all

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<e8=Q.log>

<Rxa6.log>

[RandyR]

Hi Simon,

Are you actually replacing the promoted pawn with an extra white queen? If so, it is not being registered in the log.

Randy

[clarke baxter]

Hi All

You know in my last message when I said "...I really hope I'm not doing something completely stupid!" ?

Well it turns out that's exactly it. That's the problem!

Thank you Randy. I am so embarrassed!

I'm going to delete my account now.

cb

[RandyR]

We've all been there, Clarke. :^)

[Dirk]

Hi Simon,

hopefully you did not delete your account - such things just happen and at least it made my day ;-)

Enjoy!

Dirk

[clarke baxter]

That made me smile.

What I keep asking myself is what on earth was I expecting to happen? A crown falls from the sky onto the head of the pawn perhaps? Might we add that as a feature request just for me?

cb