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Welcome...... ....to my humble homepage and thanks for visiting! If you have comments, questions or think I can help in any of my areas of interest then please feel free to drop me a line .
website contents and material (c) Chris Tatham (2005-08)
Chessmaster Grand Blitz Test (CGBT) - latest
standings
15 June 2008 - Libra8 - Arena book I have uploaded libra8.abk a neutral opening book for Arena which I use for my own engine v engine testing. You can find more details on my arena books page and get it from my main download page.
3 April 2008 - Linx update - v01a I have uploaded a minor update to my Linx program (an adaptation of the well known game Connect 4). Version 01a has some minor program optimisations and other tweaks and runs about 10% faster than the original version. It is now available on my download page again with the source code and read me file included.
24 January 2008 - CGBT update - CM11th ChesGek+ t2 The CGBT table has been updated for the test on Dan Ellwein's CM11 setting earlier this month.
2 January 2008 - CGBT update - First 2 cpu results and CM11 setting Two further updates to the Chessmaster rating list including the first results with CM11 using 2 processors - CM11 Default and CM11 Glorfindel (an early CM11 setting by Cock de Gorter). Glorfindel is the new No.1 and shows there is plenty of mileage in improving the default settings of CM11. A happy and peaceful new year to all readers! ...
14 November 2007 - CGBT update - Chessmaster 11 A significant update has been added with the first test of the new release of Chessmaster. The CM11 Default setting has finished the gauntlet - has the three year wait for the new Chessmaster version been worth the wait? - you can find out here
9 November 2007 - Shredder 7.04 processor test I have finally added the results of a test I did earlier this year to gauge the strength improvement in moving from a single to a dual processor for an early multi-cpu engine, Shredder 7.04. Normally it is a working assumption that a doubling in speed might result in an additional 50ish elo - you can find further details and the results of this test here - I was surprised!
9 September 2007 - Numpty update - v 0.21pr A very minor update to Numpty (correction of a couple of book bugs - thanks to Leo Dijksman) - this is the version which played recently in the excellent ChessWar XI promo tourney and exceeded my wildest expectations by finishing 112 out of 146 on 4.5/11 - I just hoped to avoid bottom! I wasn't going to bother release this minor fix - but it appears some people do play more than a few games with Numpty! - many thanks to Lars Hallerstrom for his encouragement & perseverance with my weak engine!
21 July 2007 - CGBT update CM10th Thorondor, a new setting by Cock de Gorter has finished the gauntlet, with a highly creditable score, making it one of the best settings tested to date - congratulations Cock!
29 June 2007 - CGBT update
25 June 2007 - Links update It has taken me far too long, but for the first time in ages, I've made some updates to my links pages. I use them all regularly! I should take this opportunity also to say thank you to all those sites which have a link here. I find the web stats very interesting and will post some detail here shortly.
29 May 2007 - New download added - Linx I have uploaded the results of my latest attempt to develop my understanding of search related algorithms and improve my programming technique. 'Linx' is my adaptation of the well known game Connect 4 and uses alpha beta pruning with variable search depths. It has no fancy graphics (operates in simple console mode) and
does not play perfectly (what could be more dispiriting for a carbon based
player!). However it has at least 3 levels of play and on the 'hard' option will
give you a tough game As for my other related software (Numpty and Tactix) it is written in Freebasic and I have included the documented source code also in the hope that it might help other prospective novice programmers (if so please let me know!) You can download Linx from the main download page
8 May 2007 - Numpty test results Last month I promised to run some tests to determine (to myself at least) whether Numpty is indeed the weakest engine and therefore well named. Although I ran the tests promptly it has taken me a while to post the results (so apologies to those waiting patiently!) The answer?...... well, it just depends on the time control you choose! You can find the results here
3 April 2007 - Numpty's early results Numpty has unsurprisingly taken some serious beatings in Leo Dijksman's excellent WBEC test tourneys and qualifiers (thanks again to Leo for his excellent work) but I have been more than heartened by some other results: Sergio Martinez runs some great tourneys and Numpty seriously overachieved in his latest qualification event - she didn't finish bottom... one from bottom...or even two from bottom....keep going! - I was delighted and encouraged with this result! Also Tom Coffin, kindly wrote to tell me that Numpty didn't finish with the wooden spoon in an event he was running! Importantly, other than a couple of minor book bugs which might result in Numpty hanging (I will correct this shortly), touch wood, I've heard of no problems with stability, illegal moves (they may be rubbish but they are legal!) or other problems. This for me is the major achievement! Many thanks to Tom, Sergio and Leo for including Numpty in
their tourneys and also taking the time to report their results/findings -
thanks guys! When I released Numpty I was convinced that she would be the weakest available without question. These results have shown that may be in some some circumstances at least, Numpty can avoid humiliation. I will gather some other known relative 'weaklings' and test this theory out a bit more systematically....
21 March 2007 From the weakest chess program to the strongest tic-tac-toe
program!.... Ok, may be in the grand scheme of things solving noughts & crosses isn't too difficult but I've been learning how to use functions, recursion and the alpha-beta algorithm (again using FreeBasic) and this game is great practice before trying to implement such things in Numpty. You can download Tactix here and as with Numpty, the documented source is also available in case it might be of help to others. Now, if I can just apply this learning to Numpty the potential for much greater search depths, should see a noticeable increase in strength - ok perhaps not so hard when I'm only operating at 1000 elo to start with! Hmm, I really must get back to my family history and other writing projects, but programming and the associated problem solving is just too addictive.
13 March 2007 First update for some time - sorry to any regular visitors! An updated version of Numpty (version 0.2pr) is now available. You can find more details on the Numpty page here. Please see the updated 'readme' file for full details of changes - but don't get excited although a little stronger than the original release, I am confident it is still the weakest engine out there! You can download it from here
15 December 2006 At last, the achievement of a longstanding ambition - my chess program Numpty is available! It is probably the weakest available engine, so I don't expect much interest in it, but hopefully it might assist other programming newbies to learn from my mistakes! You can find the updated Numpty page here or download it here Thank you to Leo Dijksman for encouraging and motivating me to
finally release Numpty!
26 November 2006 A double for Graham Banks as the latest CM personality to be
tested, CM10th Paralyse, takes over as
First time CM10th has been top in a long time, well done again Graham! CGBT standings and ratings have been updated.
13 November 2006 After many months of hard work my chess program 'Numpty' will
be released shortly. In preparation, I have updated the Numpty
webpage with some relevant information. Don't hold your breath, it is very
weak, but I've written it myself, it works and I'm delighted !!!!
28 October 2006 New CGBT test completed, and congratulations to Graham Banks as CM9000 Enforcer takes over as new . A great set of results including a draw with Shredder 9 and narrow loss to Fruit 2.2. sees Enforcer also becoming the new match play leader! CGBT standings and ratings have been updated.
6 October 2006 At last! - for the first time in many months, an update to my family history pages. The paper on my grandfather's World War 1 experience (such as we know it) has been revised and enhanced following the successful acquisition of his service records
5 August 2006 Major results update completed - changes include:
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