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1990-10-09
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E d C h e s s
Version 2.02
(C) Copyright 1988, 1989, 1990 by EdTech Associates Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Program written by
David Hendricks
and
John T. Bell
NOTICE: This product is copyrighted and is not Public Domain software.
SHAREWARE: Permission is granted to copy and distribute this software in
the US and Canada on a not-for-profit basis, provided that the copyright
notices and the software are not modified in any manner. This product
may not be sold either by itself or packaged with another product
without the express written permission of EdTech Associates. This
document file must also be included with any distributed copy of the
program.
If you would like to be included on our product update list and receive
the latest improvements to Ed's Chess please send $15 to:
EdTech Associates Inc.
6006 Greenbelt Road
Suite #124
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 937-5293
CompuServe 72775,353
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .................... 2
STARTING THE PROGRAM ............ 2
USING MENUS ..................... 2
THE MAIN MENU ................... 3
CONFIGURATION MENU .............. 3
EDIT BOARD MENU ................. 4
FILES MENU ...................... 5
OPPONENT MENU ................... 6
PLAY MENU ....................... 7
NOTES ON PLAYING ................ 8
HISTORY ........................ 10
CHANGES IN THIS RELEASE ........ 11
THE FUTURE OF EDCHESS .......... 11
NOTES ON REGISTRATION .......... 12
Page -1-
INTRODUCTION
What is Ed's Chess?
Ed's Chess (or EdChess) is a computer program for the IBM-PC and close
compatibles which plays the game of chess. The program has been written
by David Hendricks and John T. Bell over a period of three years.
Version 2.02 is our second major public release, and represents changes
and improvements which are over a year in the making.
We have added a number of features to EdChess since the first release.
Although we have tried to keep things simple we feel that a little
explanation of EdChess's features will be helpful.
STARTING THE PROGRAM
The files included with this program should be:
File Size Date Description
------------------------------------------------------------
EDCHESS.EXE 51720 10-09-90 - the chess program.
EDCHESS.LIB 45300 10-09-90 - the opening library.
EDCHESS.DOC 30129 10-09-90 - this file.
To invoke the EdChess program enter;
EDCHESS
at the DOS prompt. EdChess should work on any IBM PC compatible
regardless of the video display card. Occasionally, a machine with a
monochrome monitor, and a video card which appears to the software as a
color card, (ie; Columbia, Corona, and Compaq) will not display the
chessboard correctly. If this is the case with your computer then use
the command;
C>edchess -m
The -m option tells the chess program that it is really working on a
monochrome monitor.
USING MENUS
After the copyright notice has been displayed, EdChess will display the
chessboard on the left hand side of the screen and a menu on the right
hand side. Items are selected from the menus by using the up and down
arrow keys on the cursor keypad and pressing <enter> when the
appropriate selection has been highlighted. A menu item can also be
selected by hitting the first letter of the menu item.
Page -2-
THE MAIN MENU
The EdChess Main Menu offers the following selections:
Config
The Configuration Menu allows the user to adjust the skill of
the computer to that of the opponents.
Edit Board
This menu allows board positions to be set up to aid in
solving chess problems or to see what the computer would have
done in a particular situation.
Files
This menu allows for saving and restoring games. It also will
print out a list of moves made during a game.
Opponent
This menu determines whether you want to watch the computer
play itself or if you want to play the computer or another
opponent.
Play
This menu provides the game playing functions. It allows you
to enter a move or to instruct the computer to take the next
move.
Quit
Quit, from the Main Menu allows you to exit the game and
return to Dos. It does not automatically save the game
currently in progress, but it does prompt you to insure that
you don't quit accidentally.
CONFIGURATION MENU
The following items appear on the Configuration menu:
Difficulty
This allows the user to set the amount of time that the
computer has to determine (or to think about) its next move.
The computer will never take more than twice this amount of
time before making a move. Over a period of forty moves the
time used by the computer for each move will average out to
this amount of time. The time may be set in seconds, or in
hours minutes and seconds.
Load Config
This command restores the default configuration by reading the
file "edchess.cfg". This file is created by a Save Config
command.
Page -3-
Save Config
This option saves the current configuration information into a
default configuration file. This file is then read and
automatically sets your configuration settings each time
EdChess is started. The file created is "edchess.cfg".
Think Ahead
When this feature is on, the computer will attempt to use the
time while it waiting for its opponent to move to calculate
its next move.
Use Library
When this feature is on, the opening moves are played from a
library of openings (sometimes called a book). The computer is
easier to defeat if it is not allowed to play from the book.
The library is stored in the file "edchess.lib".
Window
This allows you to observe the computers "thought process"
while the computer is figuring its next move. If the window is
on then the computer will display the moves that it is
considering in a window to the right of the board (where the
menus normally appear). Turning the window off slightly
improves the computers performance. (But its much more
interesting with the window on.)
Quit
Quit or hitting the Escape key will return the program to the
previous menu. In this case it will return you to the Main
menu.
EDIT BOARD MENU
The Edit Board Menu allows the board to be setup for problem
solving or to see how the computer would have played from a
certain board position. It gives you the following options:
Board Save
This will save the board as it currently appears on the
screen. This does not save a move history as Save Game
command, however a Load game command from the files menu will
correctly load a board position.
Clear Board
Removes all of the pieces from the board.
Page -4-
Edit
This allows the board to be edited. You can use the cursor
keys to position the board cursor and use <delete> to remove a
piece from the board or use <insert> to add a piece to the
board. If you use <insert> then menus will prompt you for the
color and piece to be added. Both sides must have Kings, and
you may not have more than 16 pieces per side.
Invert Board
This allows black to be played from the bottom of the screen
instead of the top.
Load Board
This restores a previously saved board position.
New Board
This sets up the pieces as if you were going to start a new
game. This can be used to start a player out with a piece
handicap by removing some pieces before beginning to play the
game.
Side to Play
This allows you to assign whether it is Black or White's turn
to move.
Quit (or <Escape>)
Returns to the Main Menu.
FILES MENU
The Files Menu allows for the saving and restoring of games. A
game may be saved at any time during the play and once
restored can be continued or stepped through to examine the
game. Games are stored in a format which can be listed or sent
to the printer. The following options appear on the Files
Menu:
Page -5-
Board Print
This will send an image of the current board position to the
printer. It does not use graphics and so should work with any
standard printer. A printed board should look something like
the following:
BR -- -- BQ -- BR BK --
BP BP BP BN BB BP BP BP
-- -- -- BP -- -- -- --
-- -- -- -- BP -- -- --
-- -- WP -- WP -- -- --
-- WP WN WP -- WQ -- WP
WP -- -- -- -- WP WP --
WR -- WB -- -- WR WK --
Load Game
This allows a previously saved game to be restored and
continued.
Report Print
This sends a listing of the moves made in the game to the
printer.
Save Game
This allows the current game, and all of the moves made in the
game, to be saved to a disk file. This file can be listed or
sent to the printer. A game must be saved using this option
before it can be reloaded. A game may be saved at any time
during game play.
Quit (or <Escape>)
Returns to the Main Menu.
OPPONENT MENU
The Opponent Menu allows you to determine who is to play the
game. It has several choices as follows:
Autoplay
In Autoplay mode the computer plays against itself. Whenever a
game has been completed the computer will stop and wait at the
opponent menu for another menu selection. The game which the
computer played may be saved at this point by using the Save
game option of the files menu. A computer game may be stopped
or paused at any time by hitting the <Escape> key.
Page -6-
Computer
Selecting this option pits a human opponent against the
computer. The human can elect to play either White or Black by
either taking the first move from the play menu or by allowing
the computer to take the first move.
Demo
This allows the computer to play continuously against itself.
This is primarily useful for store front and display demos.
Human
This allows two human opponents to play against each other
using the computer as a referee and playing board.
Quit ( or <Escape> )
Returns to the Main Menu.
PLAY MENU
The Play Menu is the menu from which you play the chess game.
It allows you to move a piece or to instruct the computer to
move a piece. The following choices appear on the Play Menu:
Backup Move
This allows the player to move backwards through the moves
which have been played. The player may then continue play from
the new board position. This is very useful if you have made
a mistake and want to find out what would have happened if you
had played the game differently.
Checkmate
This instructs the computer to search for a Checkmate
solution. It is mainly useful for solving mate in number of
moves type problems which might have been set up from the Edit
Menu.
Forward Move
This permits the player to move forward through positions
which have already been played but have been backed up over.
Forward and Backward allow the player to single step through
an entire game to observe how it was played.
Invert Board
This displays the board with the Black pieces on the bottom of
the screen. Some people find it easier to play Black this way.
Move
This lets the Human opponent enter a move. If the computer is
the opponent then after the move is made the computer will
immediately start to take its move. In order to play White the
player should use this menu option to take the first move. To
Page -7-
move a piece use the cursor keys to position the board cursor
over the piece to be moved. Then hit the <Enter> key to mark
that piece. Then move the board cursor to the square where the
piece is to be moved and hit the <Enter> key once more. Moves
may also be entered by algebraic notation. To do this, enter
the letter which identifies the column of the piece followed
by the digit for the row. Repeat this for the destination
square and hit enter. To move the pawn from E2 to E4 one would
key "E2E4<Enter>". Note; Do not enter the quotes.
To Castle, either use the cursor keys to move the King to the
square which he would appear on after the castling, or enter
O-O for a King's side castle or O-O-O for a Queen's side
castle. Either the letter O or the digit 0 (Zero) will work.
New Game
This clears the current game from memory and sets the board up
for a new game.
Play
This directs the computer to take the next move. If you want
to play Black then use this command to have the computer take
the first move. After it has taken the move use the Move
command to move the Black piece. The computer will then
automatically continue to play the White pieces. This can also
be used to see what the computer would have played from a
particular board position.
Restart
This restarts the current game from the beginning. It is the
same as backing up all of the way through a game. This is very
useful to analyze or replay a saved game. The game can be
loaded from the files menu, then use Restart and step forward
until you get to the point where you want to begin play.
Quit ( or <Escape> )
Returns to the Main Menu.
NOTES ON PLAYING
Escape Key
There are several things which may be helpful to point out.
First, the <Escape> key will always back you out of whatever
you are doing. If you hi-light the wrong piece while moving,
or editing the board, then <Escape> will allow you to start
over. Escape at a menu will move you to the next higher menu
level (just like Quit). Games may be saved at any time by
using <Escape> to return to the Main Menu and selecting Files
and Save Game. If you want to stop the machine from thinking
while it is making its move just hit any key (<Escape> will do
fine). This should bring a menu which will allow you to
continue or to perform other actions.
Page -8-
Difficulty and Time
The amount of time the computer spends determining its move is
set from the Config Menu. The computer may find that it needs
more time to solve for the current board position than it has
allotted. In this case it will allow itself to go over its
time limit by twice the time allocated. That is, if it had 15
seconds to make the move then it will occasionally allow up to
30 seconds. However it will average out to 15 seconds per move
(or to whatever the Difficulty is set) over a period of 40
moves. So with EdChess unlike other chess games you always
know the longest amount that you will have to wait for the
computer to make its move.
En Passant
The computer understands the rule of En Passant. This move
which is rarely used, is sometimes mistaken for a bug. The
rule as stated by the United States Chess Federation is:
"En Passant: This French phrase is used for a special
pawn capture. It means 'in passing,' and it occurs when
one player moves a pawn two squares forward to try to
avoid capture by the opponent's pawn. The capture is made
exactly as if the player had moved the pawn only one
square forward."
Score Pad
At the top right of the screen you should see something like
the following:
White 00:00:22 Black 00:00:01
Black to Move within 00:00:30
Ply 4 Rook A1 to B1
Score: -0.75 pts
N: 8086 N/Sec 539
The first line is the game clock and shows how much time each
side has used to make its moves. The second line shows how
much time remains for the computer to make its move. The time
on this line will start blinking if the computer is using time
beyond the difficulty amount (see notes above). The third line
shows how many moves ahead the computer looked to make its
move and the move that the computer just made. The Score on
the fourth line is a measure of how well the computer thinks
it is doing. The larger and more positive the number for the
computer side the better the computer is doing. (I usually
give up if it gets more than four or five points ahead.)
Finally the last line shows the number of nodes or board
positions that the computer has evaluated to make its move and
the rate of evaluation in nodes per second. The information on
this line can be used to adjust the Difficulty setting to
achieve the same levels of play on machines which operate at
different speeds.
Page -9-
HISTORY
Ed's Chess was really Dave's idea, and mostly Dave's work. A few years
ago (in 1986), after Dave and I had finished work on EdFile (a data base
program for the C-64) Dave asked if he could work on a chess program. I
said, "Sure, just keep in touch, and let me know how it goes.". A few
month's later he showed me a demo of his chess program. The program
wasn't fancy (it still isn't, but this was much less so) but it played
better than anything I had from the public domain libraries. I gave him
some pointers on C programming, helped him with the menu system, and
designed a chessboard using the IBM special character set. As Dave
worked on the project he started to play it against some of the
commercial products available on the market. As he started to see flaws
in his algorithms he would improve his code until he was satisfied that
it was superior to the previous version of the program. To test and make
certain that his new code was superior to his old code, he would play
the two programs against each other until it was very clear that an
improvement had been made. The winner of these "chess wars" would then
become the next version of the game, so that this game has really
developed through survival of the fittest.
We feel that EdChess plays a better game of chess than most commercial
games, some which may cost you 50 dollars or more. However we thought
that we would give you a chance to find out for yourself. Our testing
method is easy. We take two similar computers, (same CPU, same speed)
and run one chess program on one and EdChess on the other. Both programs
are set to take approximately the same amount of time per move. Then we
let the computers play chess. Usually we play at least 16 games at each
level of difficulty. The computer with the most wins we then declare the
winner. If you try this, we would enjoy hearing the details and results.
Also if you save the games which EdChess loses and send them to us, it
will help us improve future versions of EdChess. Many of the
improvements made to this version are a direct result of games which
people have sent us to show how we have lost. At this time the games we
are most interested in are games which are played against a human player
at a difficulty level of 60 seconds or greater.
EdChess has been developed entirely with Aztec C Version 4.1d. The
documentation was written using WordStar 5.0. We have used several
different brands of IBM Clones, and a Commodore Amiga.
Page -10-
CHANGES IN THIS RELEASE
This release adds the following new features to EdChess:
- Board and Game Editing
- Chess Problem Solving
- Ability to Save Game Configuration
- Ability to Print Game Reports
- Ability to Invert the Chess Board
- Improved Playing Algorithms
- Much Larger Opening Library.
Everything on the above list was requested by people using the EdChess
program. EdChess Version 2.02 plays a much better game than the first
release and we now have over 1300 openings in the opening library. We
have also fixed several bugs in the old program. The old program did not
correctly identify games which were drawn because of the three move rule
,the 50 move rule, or perpetual check. This (we hope) has been corrected
in this release.
Version 2.02 also corrects our phone number and some minor bugs which
were found in version 2.00.
THE FUTURE OF EDCHESS
EdChess is an on going project for Dave and myself. We are constantly
trying to improve the game both in terms of its game playing ability and
its ease of use.
The following are some of the plans that we have for EdChess in the
future. If you register your copy of EdChess, with a fifteen dollar
($15.00) donation, then you should receive at least some of these
enhancements:
- Graphic chess board for CGA, EGA, and Hercules adapters
- Telephone chess
- Improved endgame algorithm
- Beginners chess tutorial
- Standard chess notation (ie; P-K4 instead of E2E4)
- Terminate and stay resident (POP-UP) mode
- Opening library editor.
We also have a version for the Amiga in the works, and as we can afford
to we will to support other machines. If you have any suggestions for
improvements or features, we will be glad to listen to them. Thanks for
trying us out and enjoy.
John T. Bell
Page -11-
NOTES ON REGISTRATION
We encourage people who are using EdChess to register their product. We
will provide registered users with upgrades and improvements as they
become available. We are also trying to notify each person when we
receive their registration.
The registration may be mailed to:
EdTech Associates Inc.
6006 Greenbelt Road
Suite #124
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Please include all of the following information when you register.
Name:__________________________________________
Address:_______________________________________
Address:_______________________________________
City:______________________ State:_____ Zip: ___________
Day Phone:_________________________
Eve Phone:_________________________
Please tell us how you acquired your copy of EdChess:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Comments:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Page -12-