4.3BSD-Reno/share/man/cat6/chess.0
Chess(GNU) UNIX Programmer's Manual Chess(GNU)
NNAAMMEE
Chess - GNU Chess
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CChheessss [ aarrgg11 aarrgg22 ]
DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
_C_h_e_s_s plays a game of chess against the user or it plays
against itself.
_C_h_e_s_s has a simple alpha-numeric board display or it can be
compiled for use with the CHESSTOOL program on a SUN works-
tation. The program gets its opening moves from the file
gnuchess.book which should be located in the same directory
as gnuchess. To invoke the prgram, type 'gnuchess' or type
'chesstool gnuchess' on a SUN workstation where 'CHESSTOOL'
is installed. The 'gnuchess' command can be followed by up
to 2 command line arguments. If one argument is given it
determines the programs search time in seconds. If two
arguments are given, they will be used to set tournament
time controls with the first argument being the number of
moves and the second being the total clock time in minutes.
Thus, entering 'chess 60 5' will set the clocks for 5
minutes (300 seconds) for the first 60 moves. If no argu-
ment is given the program will prompt the user for level of
play. For use with CHESSTOOL, see the documentation on that
program.
Once _C_h_e_s_s is invoked, the program will display the board
and prompt the user for a move. To enter a move, use the
notation 'e2e4' where the first letter-number pair indicates
the origination square and the second letter-number pair
indicates the destination square. An alternative is to use
the notation 'nf3' where the first letter indicates the
piece type (p,n,b,r,q,k). To castle, type the origin and
destination squares of the king just as you would do for a
regular move, or type "o-o" for kingside castling and "o-o-
o" for queenside.
CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS
In addition to legal moves, the following commands are
available as responses.
_b_e_e_p -- causes the program to beep after each move.
_b_d -- updates the current board position on the display.
_b_o_o_k -- turns off use of the opening library.
_b_o_t_h -- causes the computer to play both sides of a chess
game.
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Chess(GNU) UNIX Programmer's Manual Chess(GNU)
_b_l_a_c_k -- causes the computer to take the black pieces with
the move and begin searching.
_l_e_v_e_l -- allows the user to set time controls such as 60
moves in 5 minutes etc. In tournament mode, the program
will vary the time it takes for each move depending on the
situation. If easy mode is disabled (using the 'easy' com-
mand), the program will often respond with its move immedi-
ately, saving time on its clock for use later on.
_d_e_p_t_h -- allows the user to change the search depth of the
program. The maximum depth is 29 ply. Normally the depth
is set to 29 and the computer terminates its search based on
elapsed time rather than depth. Using the depth command
allows setting depth to say 4 ply and setting response time
to a large number such as 9999 seconds. The program will
then search until all moves have been examined to a depth of
4 ply (with extensions up to 11 additional ply for sequences
of checks and captures).
_e_a_s_y -- toggles easy mode (thinking on opponents time) on
and off. The default is easy mode ON. If easy mode is dis-
abled, the user must enter a 'break' or '^C' to get the pro-
grams attention before entering each move.
_e_d_i_t -- allows the user to set up a board position. In this
mode, the '#' command will clear the board, the 'c' command
will toggle piece color, and the '.' command will exit setup
mode. Pieces are entered by typing a letter (p,n,b,r,q,k)
for the piece followed by the coordinate. For example "pb3"
would place a pawn on square b3.
_f_o_r_c_e -- allows the user to enter moves for both sides. To
get the program to play after a sequence of moves has been
entered use the 'white' or 'black' commands.
_g_e_t -- retrieves a game from disk. The program will prompt
the user for a file name.
_h_e_l_p -- displays a short description of the commands.
_h_i_n_t -- causes the program to supply the user with its
predicted move.
_l_i_s_t -- writes the game moves and some statistics on search
depth, nodes, and time to the file 'chess.lst'.
_n_e_w -- starts a new game.
_p_o_s_t -- causes the program to display the principle varia-
tion and the score during the search. A score of 100 is
equivalent to a 1 pawn advantage for the computer.
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Chess(GNU) UNIX Programmer's Manual Chess(GNU)
_r_a_n_d_o_m -- causes the program to randomize its move selection
slightly.
_r_e_v_e_r_s_e -- causes the board display to be reversed. That
is, the white pieces will now appear at the top of the
board.
_q_u_i_t -- exits the game.
_s_a_v_e -- saves a game to disk. The program will prompt the
user for a file name.
_s_w_i_t_c_h -- causes the program to switch places with the
opponent and begin searching.
_u_n_d_o -- undoes the last move whether it was the computer's
or the human's. You may also type "remove". This is
equivalent to two "undo's" (e.g. retract one move for each
side).
_w_h_i_t_e -- causes the computer to take the white pieces with
the move and begin searching.
BBUUGGSS
Pawn promotion to pieces other than a queen is not allowed.
En-Passant does not work properly with CHESSTOOOL. The
transposition table may not work properly in some positions
so the default is to turn this off.
SSEEEE AALLSSOO
chesstool(6)
Printed 7/27/90 3