Gameplay
Instructions
Both the online version and the stand-alone version
function in the same manner during gameplay. The only difference
is that the online version does not use the opening move database, since
it's stored in a physical file and would be
slow to use over the internet (thus defying the purpose of speeding up the
opening game). This page describes what
to do once the program is run (or the online website opened).
To see how to install/start the stand-alone version, go here.
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Quick Start
To start a game, simply click the "Start Game" button after setting the desired
parameters. To move, click on the square
with the piece you desire to move. The square's border will be highlighted.
Then, click on the square you wish to move to.
Castling - to castle, move the king 2 spaces to the left or right.
En passant capture - if an en passant capture is possible, click on
your pawn, and then on the empty square where it will
end up (NOT on the square with the enemy's
pawn you are capturing).
You can take back a move by clicking the "Take Back" button. Note that both
the computer's move, and your last move
will be taken back (so in essence, you can only take back after the computer
already made its move, and then both of you
will get a chance to move again).
Differences
between official chess rules and the program's rules:
Other than the following three minor issues, the program's rules are identical
to the official
rules.
1. The computer does not remember old board positions, so it will
NOT declare a draw when the same position
repeats three times (as would normally occur in the official rules of chess).
2. When a pawn advances to the opposite
rank, it is automatically converted to a queen (in official rules, you could
select any piece for it to be converted to).
3. The program DOES allow castling when some space along the king's
path during the castle would place the king in check (although you
may not castle when directly under check).
Visual
Help Diagrams
Note that each entry in the static board
evaluation function must
be a positive integer (no real or negative numbers).
For comparison, here are the preset values for piece
posession:
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