Computer Chess Engines and Programs

I love playing chess, but sometimes there is no one to play with.  It is at times like these that a computer chess program can take over.  Computer chess engines never say no!

Modern chess software running on a home PC can today be a better player than a chess Grand Master, or as weak as a rank beginner just learning to move the pieces.  The programs have the capability to teach you the moves, or if you are more advanced help you learn openings, improve tactical play, improve positional analysis and assist with deep positional analysis.

In fact the only traditional area of weakness for chess playing programs is in strategic thinking.  This is probably just as well if you happen to be a human!

So, you are now convinced that you need a computer chess engine in your life. It is OK, I understand... *wink*

The type of software really breaks down into:

1. How much do you have to spend?

2. How much you want the program to do.

3. How strong the program needs to be to be challenging to you.

The good news is that there are quite a few really excellent free computer chess engines out there.

CRAFTY

My first choice here has to be an engine called “Crafty”. It is good for almost anyone (unless you can play like a world champion!) and in the download link I supply here also comes with its own user interface (UI).

Where this package falls down a little is in the use of more advanced features. As such it is great for anyone wanting a free chess program for casual use.

It really is better than many commercially available programs.

Crafty Download Link (look for the 5.0 binary about a third down the page)

ARENA

My second choice is not really an engine at all, but a user interface (UI). This UI allows you to download one of literally hundreds of chess engines and install it for use. The “engines” do not work without a UI you see.

The program I am here recommending is called “Arena” and it too is free.

The UI comes with several engines of varying strengths and playing styles pre-installed, including a slightly older version of Crafty that was mentioned before. The area in which this UI really does well though is in its implementation of more advanced features. You can save games (PGN and EPD file formats), load positions for chess puzzles (FEN), stage engine vs engine tournaments and even compute your own playing strength (Elo rating).

Where this UI falls down is again in the area of more advanced features. There are some things it cannot do such as forming a computer “cluster” for truly in depth analysis, but for the intermediate user it is a truly great interface especially as it is free.

(If you are wondering, I use Arena myself even though I have software that is described later in this article.)

Arena Download Link

(Sadly the site uses frames. Go to "Arena Downloads" link and download the 2.0.1 Setup file. This is all you need.)

Aquarium 2010 and Rybka (meaning “little fish”).

Finally I come to my two truly “heavyweight” choices. Aquarium 2010 and Rybka 3 (Rybka 4 should be released later this year). These are truly appropriate for someone serious about the game.

Rybka 3 has been the computer world champion for some time now. It remains the strongest, legal, computer chess engine available. Rybka 3 comes with 3 “personalities” or playing styles, Human (my favourite), Dynamic and Normal. The human personality can give rise to chess games where you would swear a super powerful human grandmaster was at play.

The UI that Rybka was designed for was Aquarium, which has now reached its Aquarium 2010 release. It comes with a large (several million games) database and the 2.3.2 version of Rybka which may be enough for some people.

Aquarium 2010 is truly without equal for deep analysis of chess positions as it enables you to link many computers together to form a sort of super chess computer. At the present time there is no other software to rival it in this regard. The software of course comes with many advanced features that are to be expected on a product of this standard, yet it too can make some engines play as gently as a kitten if you give it the correct settings.

These two pieces of software are both commercial and can be obtained from the links below. The "Deep" versions are for multiprocessor PC's.

I hope you enjoyed my guide to computer chess engines. As I mentioned earlier in this post I love chess and like to play as much as time allows, but I also blog about chess and my life as a wannabe writer.

Come and pay me a visit at: http://computerchessonline.net

Best wishes.

Dave Felton.