-------------------------------- Information for the program COMET -------------------------------- 0 CONTENT --------- 1. for the program 2. Installation and hardware - demands 3. service 4. Autoplayer 5. Spielstile 6. playing strength 7. Opening - Library 8. Summary 9. conclusion 1. for the PROGRAM --------------- COMET is a chess - program; it masters the rules for the moves (along with the "particularities" like en passant, castling, etc). It recognizes Draw through repetition, , stalemate and Dull. You can use one of 16 standard - playing levels selected, which themselves through different thinking times per move, per alleged Amount moves or per game distinguish. Or the user can himself personally a level with corresponding time studies define. The Fisher - Clock stands likewise at the disposal . Manual entry of positions, as well as scanning in of a position from a file and/or expenditure in a file are possible. Analyses of the computer can be given out during its thinking time . It can be indicated, whether the computer the time to think about it the Adversary should use ("permanently brain"); preset is them Use of the hostile time to think about it. COMET disposes of an extensive Opening library. During his search COMET recognizes frequently transpositions in the search tree through application a Hash - transposition - table. Since version A.30 disposes COMET of a Lern - mode, which from that Programmstart at in the opening and in the early Mittelspiel actively is. The game should this - especially against computers - something varied make; Spielwiederholungen should so far - going are avoided. The program has been realized in the programming language C (WATCOM). COMET is runs a 32 bit -Programm (thus the name COMET32.EXE) and - embedded in one "DOS - Extender" in that "protected mode" and does not is subject to with it it normally by DOS alleged anachronistic limits. Much COMET to owe has the Schachprogramm GNU - Chess and his Further developments. Actual is the Zuggenerierung of the COMETen essentially always still them from GNU - Chess. Delivered files: --------------------- COMET32.EXE - the Schachprogramm COMET.HBK - Er”ffnungsbuch ("hashed book") COMET.LBK - Er”ffnungsbuch, part 2 COMET.TXT - Online - manual WMCCC95.PGN - Micro WM 1995 Paderborn WMCCC96.PGN - Micro WM 1996 Djakarta AEGON96.PGN - Aegon person - machine 1996 YAZGAC.EPD - positions of the Yacgaz - test BT-2450.EPD - Bednorz-T”nissen test (2450) BT-2630.EPD - Bednorz-T”nissen test (2630) BK.EPD - Bratko - Kopec - test KAUFMAN.EPD - Kaufmans 1 hours - test DIVERSE.EPD - everything possible BT-2450.BAT - Comet-Batch-File for Bt - test 2450 BT-2630.BAT - Comet-Batch-File for Bt - test 2630 BT-2450.EXE - program for the evaluation of BT-2450 BT-2630.EXE - program for the evaluation of BT-2630 GRUENF.BOK - Beispieldatei for an ASCII - book COMET.LRN - Lern - record (in the Lern - mode laid out) 2. INSTALLATION and HARDWARE - DEMANDS --------------------------------------- --- The extradition results usually by means of a personally - extrahie - ++ renden of record. The best one grants the COMETen an own list on the hard disk, the record - File copies there there and calls up it . With everything position - and excursion - records should not more than 4 MB disk space be necessary. The current Grafikkarten are supported (VGA, EGA, Hercules, ...); a Cga - DOES NOT suffice because of to slight dissolution . Service through a mouse is supported, she/it is not however imperative necessary. The memory requirement of the program is large; dependent on that at the disposal a transposition - Hash - index is generated standing Hauptspeicher,. COMET allokiert at Programmstart one of the memory - size adjusted Hash - Index. It exists also the possibility, the being available storage fully a smaller Hash - index not to use, but to lay out. This happens, in that one before Programmstart the Umgebungsvariable MAXHASH defines, about PLACEMAT MAXHASH=3 if an index ensures, that is laid out < 3 megabytes. Wants one this condition permanently actively have, so it is advisable, these Line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT aufzunehmen. At least a PC with 80386 - processor is for the organization the Program necessary. 3. SERVICE ------------ Bedienkommandos are entered over the keyboard; Moves can instead of which also with the mouse are executed. Execute from moves: a) Keyboard: Entered the move in "algebraic Notation", e.g. e2e4 Thereby RET stands <> for the pressing the Return - ++ (entry -) Grope. b) Mouse: Mouse - Cursor on Ausgangsfeld positionieren and shortly them left Maustaste press; after the field through one black frame was marked (from the computer), the mouse on the Ziefeld positionieren and once more them left Maustaste press. It may indicated also first the goal - and then the Startfeld become. selected Shortly - commands: (without final pressing of ) the most important Short - commands are in the uppermost, invers under - subject to Bildschirmzeile implied. ALT 2 (simultaneously ALT - and 2 press) 2 - Player - Mode from -/tune in ALT A automatic transmission - mode from -/tune in ALT B sound on - or switch off ("beep") ALT D current excursion on printers spend (PGN-Notation) ALT E current position edit ALT I momentary outlooks in Init-File ("COMET.INI") secure (i.e. momentary outlooks as Voreinstellungen set); Delete from COMET.INI causes Selection of the Voreinstellungen anticipated by the author ^I or CTRL I or STRG I import of a game from one ASCII - Pgn - File (further see below) ^E or CTRL E or STRG E export of a game in one ASCII - Pgn - File; in that 2 - player - mode exists here the possibility, them Names of the players, place, result, etc. to enter ALT G position from file load ALT L game from file load; after scanning in one is in that Aftermath - Mode (Back to the playing with "force"); contains the interactively entered Dateiname them Ending ".pgn", so becomes a file in the Pgn - format expects, otherwise in the COMET - format ALT M mouse switch off ALT N new game ALT P "permanently brain" a - or switch off (Voreinstellung: tuned in) ALT R board turn ("reverse") ALT S current game in file store: contains it interactively entered Dateiname the ending ".pgn", so becomes in that Pgn - Format stored, otherwise in the COMET - format ALT T selection a new play level (Voreinstellung = 60 moves in 15 minutes) ALT V variant and appraisal indicate, lowest line shows Opening - repertoire ALT W position in file store ALT X Programmende ALT Z computers should pull directly <- (Cursortaste) last Halbzug take back -> (Cursortaste) next (already once executed) Halbzug on board execute 5 moves back 5 moves before ? Listing of this README - file listing of this README - file or back to the start of play, without deleting game, sodass game with cursor - keys nachgespielt can become or further up to the end of play computers should during his search to that (premature) pulling forced will Attention: Is tuned in the player at the move and permanently brain, so each entry breaks it - in the background running - Rechenvorgang from Command - Uebersicht: (with final pressing of ) abb Autoplayer - excursions prematurely interrupt yes/no at new game begin from file - expenditure in the simple format "e2e4 e7e5 ..." back last move take back one can batch with this command COMET a stack - datei offer, which is processed then; them included file "bt-2450.bat" e.g. works it Bt - 2450 - Test from. For the results COMET puts a file at, which is called just as as them Stapeldatei, except that the ending ".bat" through ".out" is replaced. (i.e. the result of "bt-2450.bat" lies in "bt-2450.out"). At entry the Dateinamens can the ending ".bat" fortgelassen become. bd screen newly draw both computers plays against itself personally depth Suchtiefe allege dr or DR Zugausgabe also on printers a -/from edit current Postion change force variant enter (COMET as arbitrators) (e.g. Meisterpartie enter or Variant for Er”ffnungsbuch) get position from file scan in (for problems) Epd - Format ("extended positional description"); the Bt - ++ and Yazgac -Tests become as files bt.epd and/or yazgac.epd included. hash Hash - index a -/switch off hint Zugvorschlag spend home back to the start of play, without deleting game, sodass Game with cursor - keys nachgespielt can become ib initialize book (Buchinhalt ["comet.hbk"] is deleted info expenditure of Infos for the program (version, ...) init momentary outlooks in Init-File ("COMET.INI") secure; Delete from COMET.INI causes Selection the Voreinstellungen koord Koordinatenanzeige a -/from - controls learn Lern - mode a -/from - controls; Lern - Mode is at the start always tuned in load game from file scan in (all moves along with Zeitverbrauch, level, Style, etc. - e.g. for Spielunterbrechungen or Meisterpartien); after scanning in one is in that Aftermath - Mode (Back to the playing with "force"); contains the interactively entered Dateiname them Ending ".pgn", so becomes a file in the Pgn - format expects, otherwise in the COMET - format level play level discontinue list game in readable ASCII - file take off mouse mouse switch off name name of the adversary enter nb new book lay out; current variant becomes to the file newbook.bok (ASCII) appended pgnex export of the current excursion in a record - file, whereby the Pgn - format ("portable game notation") used will. This standard is thereby, itself in the chess - software MChess to enforce ( Per, Hiarcs, WChess, Patzer, ...; there is also Konvertierer to all current data bases pgnim import of an excursion from a record - file in that Pgn - Format; in both cases COMET cares for it, that the Dateiname of the record them Ending ".PGN" has. The games the computer - Wm 1995 stand in the file wccc.pgn to the Verfuegung. post analysis spend put position in file take off (for problems) Epd - Format ("extended positional description") quit program finish reverse board turn rf Remisfaktor discontinue (good adversary: > 0) save game in file secure (all moves along with Zeitverbrauch, level, Style, etc. - e.g. for Spielunterbrechungen or depot of Meisterpartien); contains it interactively entered Dateiname the ending ".pgn", so becomes in that Pgn - Format stored, otherwise in the COMET - format shell Shell - command execute style Spielstil select sp computers should play tc (TimeControl) remaining time to time study for computers set (any time possibly; with it can discontinue one e.g. asymmetrical Level) undo last Halbzug take back zb additional book; the indicated (ASCII!) Book (*.bok) becomes at the currently loaded appended Since there are several possibilities, to store excursions, is here a short reference placed. Interrupted excursions (Fernschach !) should stored by means of "save" and "load" (ALT S and ALT L) become, there all essential information (Uhrenstand, ...) with stored are. The Pgn - exports are thought sooner for completed excursions. Command - Selection at the leaf in Pgn - ++ or Epd - records --------------------------------------- ------------------ ALT D table of contents of the record on printers spend ALT S Zeichenkette in the table of contents look for (Search begins in the 1. indicated line) first indicated position/excursion load selection interrupt next page previous page a line before a line back Index of the position/excursion: loads the respective position/excursion Prepare from own Er”ffnungsbchern --------------------------------------- 1.) use the Kommado "nb", around successively all necessary Variants in the ASCII - format in the file "newbook.bok" to take off; a ';' in the first column the corresponding line marks as Commentary; directly at moves, which know COMET only passively and not personally should play, please with a Editor a '?' anh„n - ++ gen; see also Beispieldatei "gruenf.bok" 2.) "newbook.bok" rename, e.g. rename newbook.bok carokann.bok 3.) if required with the help of the command "ib" content the Book ("comet.hbk") delete, if the new book NOT appended will, but the old should replace. 4.) with the help of the command "zb" the newly produced ASCII - file in that Book ("comet.hbk") take in. Do not wonder, if after inserting of new variants, them File "comet.hbk" not large has become. There the file one on disk taken off Hash - index is, the size is constant; solely the Fllgrad is variable. Remarks to the advertisement: ------------------------ Subsequently at the expenditure the Computerzuges results one During and in angular brackets the Suchtiefe. The indicated Values refer to the point in time, to which the move as best was chosen (interestingly for Testers!). Play in that "permanent brain" - mode and became the move if the clock of the adversary found, while still ran, so appear here Nonentities as time and depth. Behind the completely above appearing Suchtiefe becomes occasional an arrow after above (below) given out; then it deals with a Wiederholungssuche. The true value lies above (underneath) the Startfensters (fail high / fail low). This means always, that unexpectedly drastic changes of the appraisal were found (frequently tactical turns). Nearby the lower Bildrandes, in which Meldungszeile, shows COMET the active Er”ffnungsrepertoire of the program at (moves and relative frequencies), if dialed (ALT V). 4. AUTOPLAYER ------------- Since some time is the Autoplayer of Mr. Donninger ("auto232") obtainable. Owing to Chrillys wise decision, beside which on them Pros tailored installations also one "standardized" Noname - Interface to introduce, can also more unknown Amateur - Schachprogramme with a slight Programmieraufwand these Kommunikationsschnittstelle over the series Port use; so also COMET. In the Autoplayer - fashion becomes each excursion by means of "save" (how old S) under that by the Autoplayer vorgebenen names taken off, but also in addition at a record under the same name with the ending ".pgn" appended, around if necessary easily in a chess - data base are discontinued to be able to do. If COMET Holds the excursion for decided, so puts the program in that Autoplayer - Mode the playing a, around senseless overtime to avoid (abschaltbar by means of command "abb"). So becomes a discontinuance if the Autoplayer provokes and can introduce the next excursion. To install is the Noname - variant the Autoplayers. Presumably COMET can use also the PC - board Chess 232, but that could not yet be examined up to now. 5. PLAY STYLE ------------- The Suchalgorithmen of the program leave themselves in two kinds of regard from the user influence. On one hand the selectivity can it If command look for influenced become "style"; according to choice COMET plays "brute force" (sel=0), moderately selectively (sel=1) or strengthens selectively (sel=2) - preset is the mode sel=2. In that "brute force" - mode (sel=0) considers the program up to one certain Rechentiefe all meaningful and senseless (them by far predominant) Zugkombinationen. (It becomes exclusively the method the "backward pruning" uses.) In the mode sel=1 becomes (quite conservatively) at the last Halbzug before If the horizon reach after Stellungsbewertung selects and if necessary a Halbzug sooner the Quieszenzsuche introduced. Besides are in this mode Abschneidungen in the Quieszenzsuche actively. In the mode sel=2 becomes besides the Nullzug - search with in part reduzier - ++ ter depth accomplished. Additional become in the full search at knots, them of a certain class belong to, the last moves the Zuglisten no more considers, if it of one of the first moves has worked, them Appraisal in the current alpha - beta windows to bring (everything clearly ?). With it COMET has then none "brute-force bases" more. It at Anwahl the Analyseausgabe (ALT V, s.u.) as "Rechentiefe" given out value (among others) is in that "brute force"-Modus them "brute force"- Rechentiefe; in the selective mode he/it contains also the selective Ply. Ueber this depth out become only still "Quieszenz"-Zugfolgen weiterver - ++ follows (Schlagzge, transformations, hanging figures, etc.). Thereby becomes with deep growing Rechentiefe this selection of Quieszenz - ++ zgen still further "ausgednnt". This Quieszenz - selection can be influenced likewise by the user (Command "style"): anw„hlbar are the outlooks "positionell" and "tactically" (preset). In the tactical mode become relatively many over the real Suchtiefe going out Quieszenz - successions of moves considers; that increases them tactical intensity of the program, hinders however the reaching high Suchtiefen, because consideration extensive Quieszenzen time costs. Besides are in the tactical mode from the Nullzug - search resul - ++ tierende expansions actively. 6. playing strength --------------- The program is - according to hardware and selection the Spielstils (s.u.) - tactically quite greatly, positionell leaves however and especially in the final game occasionally to wish remaining. Loudly Ssdf - list of the August 1996 has COMET 9.9 a Elo - number from 2225 on 586/90. The playing strength of the versions from A.00 (AEGON 96) lies surely somewhat more more highly. Facing the Aegon - version A.00 became first of all improvements with regard to K”nigssicherheit vgl accomplished (. Excursions against Seirawan and Boersma). Beside that became evident gaps in the Er”ffnungsbuch filled. The playing strength has been increased thus surely once more; also the Teststellungs-L”sezeiten confirm this. Opposite the Welser Version A.12 became (a) the positionelle appraisal completely revises; (b) joined Freibauern are valued now better; (c) the selectivity was increased; (d) knowledge around final games with wrong runner was added; (e) Lernmodus came moreover; (f) Stellungswiederholungen in the Suchbaum are recognized more quickly; (g) production of gambits in the Ruhesuche was reduced, if little material is on the board. After estimate of the author the intensity of the current version lies - according to hardware - in the area of ELO 2100 (386/40) to 2300 (586/133). On the other hand one can try also by means of test - positions, them playing strength einzusch„tzen. In that greatly tactically oriented, Yazgac - test reduced (N.H. Yazgac: "Schachcomputer which they can see really", Beyer - publishing house 1989, File "yazgac.epd", command ALT/G, then "yazgac" enter) achieves COMET very good values and sits secluded at the top of all (then) tested instrument (still far before Mephisto Almeria 68020 and Conchess Amsterdam, the then front-runners). Magazine see The Bednorz - T”nissen - test ( "computers, chess and Play" 5/91) can leave run down on your own hardware; and of course with the help of the file bt-2450.bat and/or bt-2630.bat (command "batch" and subsequently "bt-2450" and/or "bt-2630", duration approx. 7.5 hours !!). With the help of the programs "bt-2450.exe" and "bt-2630.exe" (owing to Roland Pfister) can one the produced files "bt-2450.out" and/or "bt-2630.out" automatically leave evaluate. Version HW Testers BT-2630 --------------------------------------- ------------ A.00 586/100 Wiesenecker 2208 A.11 486/66 Turk 2166 In Larry Kaufmans 1 - hours - test ("computers Chess Reports", Vol.4 No.1, File "kaufman.epd") reaches COMET A.28 (taktisch+selektiv=2) 52 points on 486/DX2-66 hardware, which allegedly a Elo - number from next to 2300 corresponds to. With it placed COMET itself nearby from WCHESS and KALLISTO. There exist also Turnierergebnisse: a) At the Micro-WM 1995 in Paderborn (WMCCC.PGN ) reached the then (unfortunately faulty) version of COMET a place in the lower means - feld (3 points remainder on the world champion MChess5). b) In the person - machine - tournament AEGON 1996 in the Hague (AEGON.PGN) got Version A.00 3/6 and reached on 586/166 a performance of ELO 2364. The tournament AEGON-96 has shown thus, that the program on a Pentium also for top-ranking players a very serious adversary is. c) 11. Place for version A.12 at 20 participants at the Welser Sommerturnier 1996 (per Auto232) before so renowned programs like Kallisto 1.98, Quest3, Fritz3, Fritz2 and MChess5, among others Mr. Wiesenecker wertete a Elo - performance of 2290 on P5/100 from. d) upper Mittelfeldplatz (11. from 27) for the version A.30 at it Micro-WM 1996 in Djakarta, whereby by the way the programs it Top bracket (place 1 - 8) all on - in part far - berlegener Hardware ran. Who "no country sees" in the game against the program, that be play level 0 (ALT T, then "0" enter) recommended. 7. OPENING - LIBRARY ------------------------- The Er”ffnungsbibliothek contains far over 6000 variants with altogether more than 200000 Halbzgen. From redundancies frees, this yields ca 78000 different positions, for which ca 82000 active Halbzge are stored. Zugumstellungen are recognized correctly. Beside many quiet Variants are also many "breakneck" Gambit - variants contain. 8. Summary ------------- COMET uses many ideas, which correspond to that "status of the technology"; particularly became from the program GNU - Chess and his diverse Further developments profits. It follows a short " wanted" poster of the COMETen: - Standard - Suchalgorithmus: Minmax + alpha - beta with "Aspiration-Window"; - performante appraisal through use a Fenstertechnik; - acceptable tactical effectiveness through expansions it Quieszenz - Look for (selectable) and nonentity - move expansions (Donninger 1993); - extensive (!?) schachliches knowledge; - (persistente) Hash - transposition - index; - Consideration of diverse classes of hitman - moves: normal hitmen after Frey, Slate & Atkin, 1978, History-Heuristik (persistent) after Schaeffer, 1983, Butterfly-Heuristik after Hartmann, Kouwenhoven, 1990; Refutation-Heuristik after Akl, Newborn, 1977 - Zero - move - Heuristik after Goetsch and Campbell, 1989 see also GNU - Chess V4.6; - Selectivity through a) Futility-Cut-Off similarly like at Schaeffer, 1986; b) Zero - move - Look for with z.T reduced Suchtiefe, c) Quieszenz-Abschneidungen like in GNU - Chess d) speculative Forward - Abschneidungen in full search - Lernfunktion (similarly jokes et al. "TREMBLE") - graphic Display, Mausuntersttzung, selection the Spielstils and other plays; - kompatibel to Ch. Donningers Autoplayer (installation for NONAME) - if standard - formats (EPD and PGN) reads and writes 9. CONCLUSION ---------- At this point be first once Roland Pfister thanked for many Inspirations, discussions and for the shift of the graphic arts on them Watcom - Library. His chess - program by the way makes his name "Patzer" no honor and can be recommended all lovers (playing strength somewhat less than COMET, Bedienerfreundlichkeit and Surface better, likewise with Auto232 - connection). My thanks goes likewise to Wolfgang Hettler for many tests and Inspirations, for provision with literature and provision of Software - Adversaries, and especially for motivations, to make further. My thanks goes also to Dieter Reppmann for many tests, inspirations and not finally for the provision of electronic adversaries. If not read leases, I thank also the gentlemen Wolfgang fungus and Franz Wiesenecker for tests respectively error messages. COMET is an amateur - Programmm; the new version is e.g. at GAMBIT-SOFT Zimmerner St. 9a D-78628 Rottweil obtainable. Have fun! U. Turke