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- KRIEGSPIEL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual KRIEGSPIEL(1)
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- NAME
- kriegspiel - A Chess Variant
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- SYNOPSIS
- ks [{+-}[bwcaprsdh]] user[@machine]
- xks [{+-}[bwcaprs]] [display] [=geometry] user[@machine]
-
- DESCRIPTION
- _K_r_i_e_g_s_p_i_e_l is a chess variant in which each player cannot
- see his opponents pieces. The computer acts as a judge for
- two players. The rules of Kriegspiel are discussed at the
- end of this document.
-
- The game must be invoked separately by two users. Various
- options may be chosen in the command line; conflicting
- options (such as if both players choose white) are resolved
- with a flip of a coin.
-
- Moves may be specified in either algebraic or descriptive
- notation. Most standard methods will work. For example,
- all of the following are legal (and equivalent) for white's
- first move: p-k4, p/k2-k4, e2-e4, e4, pe4. In descriptive
- notation, use an 'x' for pawn takes (such as pxkb4), but do
- not use an 'x' when taking using other pieces. Castling can
- be done with o-o (king side) and o-o-o (queen side), or by
- moving the king two squares.
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- The other commands available are:
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- resign I resign.
- draw Offer a draw.
- help Give examples of legal commands.
- any Can I take with any of my pawns?
- say _s_t_r_i_n_g Send message to opponent.
- _C_o_n_t_r_o_l-_L Redraw the screen (when typed at any time).
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- _X_k_s is an version of the game for the X window system.
- Pieces are moved with the left mouse button. Other commands
- are single letters on the keyboard. Type 'h' for help after
- game starts.
-
- Under the default options, you will be informed of the fol-
- lowing information when applicable:
- (1) your opponent tries an illegal move
- (2) you or your opponent is in check from the appropriate direction
- (3) your piece is taken (but not your opponent's piece is taken)
- (4) your opponent asks `any', and the response
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- The game ends if either player is checkmated or stalemated,
- if both players have insufficient material, if either player
- resigns, if both players agree on a draw, or the game can
- end due to hardware error. (But not if the same position
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- 2 May 1986 INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS 4.2 BSD 1
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- KRIEGSPIEL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual KRIEGSPIEL(1)
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- comes up three times or if the game goes 50 consecutive
- moves without a piece take or pawn capture, as in ordinary
- chess).
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-
- OPTIONS
- Some options preceded by a `-' will turn the option off. If
- the players choose conflicting option, then the option will
- be chosen by a flip of a coin.
-
- -w I wish to be white. Negated by opponent
- choosing options `c' or `w'
- -b I wish to be black. Negated by opponent
- choosing options `c' or `b'
- -c Force color to be chosen randomly. This is
- the default if neither person chooses a
- color.
- [+-]a Announce to both players when a piece is
- taken, revealing also whether it was a pawn
- or a major piece that was taken. Also
- announce if a pawn ever promotes.
- [+-]p Announce to both players how many possible
- ways the player to move can take with his
- pawns (if he can at all). The player to move
- can only try three moves which take with his
- pawns. If, after exhausting these three
- tries, the player's only legal move is to
- take with his pawn, then the player is check-
- mated or stalemated as appropriate. If the
- player tries the same take twice, this will
- not be counted against him. The `any' com-
- mand is ignored under this option.
- -r Reverse the direction from which algebraic
- moves are accepted if I am black. (Thus,
- e2-e4 on black's first move would move the
- pawn in front of your king up two squares.
- Without this option set, the move would be
- entered as d7-d5 in algebaic)
- -d Dumb terminal: Use this option if the graph-
- ics don't seem to be working well. This may
- help.
- -h Print out this help file.
- [+-]s Make me the server. This option should only
- be used as a last resort. Invisibly to the
- user, one player is the server, and one is
- the client. These are usually chosen by the
- program by a protocol. If you're having
- troubles connecting with your opponent, then
- try the following: One player invoke the
- program with the `+s' option, and one with
- the `-s' option.
- _n A number between one and a thousand to be
-
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- 2 May 1986 INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS 4.2 BSD 2
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- KRIEGSPIEL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual KRIEGSPIEL(1)
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- used as the port. This option should only be
- used if you are having troubles connecting.
- Both players should select the same number
- between 1 and 1000 to be used to compute the
- port on which they communicate.
-
- RULES
- Kriegspiel is a chess variation dating back at least before
- WWII. It requires three people: two players and a judge.
- The players sit back to back, each with a board with only
- their own pieces. The judge has a board between the
- players, with the entire position. Each player in his turn
- tries different moves. For each illegal move tried, the
- judge says `illegal' aloud. If a player is put into check,
- this fact is said out loud, along with the direction from
- which he/she is in check: Check along the file, rank, short
- diagonal, long diagonal (from the point of view of the
- king), and knight. When the player makes a legal move, that
- is the move he must play.
-
- Beyond this, the ammount of information the judge should
- reveal is controversial. The author prefers the following.
- If a piece is taken, the judge (quietly) removes the piece
- from the injured party's board. On her/his turn, a person
- may ask `any?', meaning `Are there any ways of taking any of
- my opponent's pieces with any of my pawns?' The judge
- answers aloud `yes' or `no', as appropriate. The reason
- this rule is included is to speed up the game; otherwise
- each player would try all possible pawn takes at the start
- of each turn. The disadvantage with asking `any?' is that
- the opponent also finds out the answer; the advantage is
- that the player is under no obligation to actually take a
- piece with one of his pawns, even if the answer is yes.
- (Thus, he has gained information for free.)
-
- Some people prefer to play that takes are announced out
- loud, along with whether the piece taken was a pawn or not,
- allowing the players to have an idea how well their doing.
- Furthermore, that it should be announced not only whether a
- person has any available pawn tries, but also how many on
- every move. This extra information, it is said, makes the
- game less chaotic and random, and keeps it from becoming
- like Battleship. However, the extra information is somewhat
- tempered by the fact that a person may only try to take in
- three different ways with his pawns, after which a pawn take
- becomes illegal.
-
- AUTHOR
- David Wolfe
-
- BUGS
- There is no way of saving a game in progress. This is
-
-
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- 2 May 1986 INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS 4.2 BSD 3
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- KRIEGSPIEL(1) UNIX Programmer's Manual KRIEGSPIEL(1)
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- particularly frustrating if you are playing on an unreliable
- network: If the network goes down, give it up...
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- Other bugs, unknown. Please notify Steve Schoch
- <schoch@ames.arpa> or David Wolfe <wolfe@ernie.berkeley.edu>
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- 2 May 1986 INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS 4.2 BSD 4
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