Software for handling chess problems
Encyclopedia
Software for chess problems is a category of software
intended for handling chess problem
s, usually distinct from chess playing and analyzing programs
. Chess problems are based on the rules of chess, but problemists
may have little use for ordinary chess playing programs. Many chess playing programs also have an option for solving directmates, i.e. mates in two, three, four, and more moves, and some of them also have support for helpmate
s and selfmate
s.
Software for chess problems can be used for creating and solving problems, including checking the soundness of a concept and position, storing it in a database
, printing and publishing, and saving and exporting the problem. They can solve direct mates, helpmates and selfmates and even problems with fairy pieces
and other fairy chess
problems. There have also been some attempts to have computers "compose" problems.
and Commodore 64
. Alybadix supports solving classical problems: selfmates, reflex mates, series mates, Circe, maximummers, and many Fairy types. It comes with a large problem collection and supports quality printing
. In 1993, Schach und Spiele magazine considered Alybadix to be six times faster than other playing machines including the RISC 2500.
for typesetting chess diagrams. The style was originally created by Thomas Brand and further developed by Stefan Hoening, both based on ideas of a TeX
package from Elmar Bartel. The style is used to produce the German problem chess magazine Die Schwalbe
.
, but it can be used with several operating systems and can be connected to several existing graphical interfaces since it comes with freely available source code in the C programming language
. Popeye is one of the most exhaustive solving programs. It can solve problems with many fairy pieces and conditions, and can output to LaTeX
. The original author of Popeye was Philippe Schnoebelen who wrote it in Pascal
under MS-DOS
around 1983-84. The code was later donated in the spirit of the free software
movement. Elmar Bartel, Norbert Geissler, Thomas Maeder, Torsten Linss, Stefan Hoening, Stefan Brunzen, Harald Denker, Thomas Bark and Stephen Emmerson, converted Popeye to C, and now maintain the program.
problems by constructing a "proof game" - the shortest possible game leading to a certain position. Natch is a command line utility, but there is a Java
based graphical interface. iNatch also provides moves with fairy conditions: monochrome chess
, Einstein chess, vertical cylinder.
s. It can rotate positions, print diagrams and much more. With Problemist come two TrueType chess fonts, and from its web page you can download more than 100,000 problems. Problemist is the first chess problems exchange format.
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
intended for handling chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
s, usually distinct from chess playing and analyzing programs
Computer chess
Computer chess is computer architecture encompassing hardware and software capable of playing chess autonomously without human guidance. Computer chess acts as solo entertainment , as aids to chess analysis, for computer chess competitions, and as research to provide insights into human...
. Chess problems are based on the rules of chess, but problemists
Chess composer
A chess composer is a person who creates endgame studies or chess problems. He usually specializes in a particular genre, e.g. endgame studies, twomovers, threemovers, moremovers, helpmates, selfmates, fairy problems...
may have little use for ordinary chess playing programs. Many chess playing programs also have an option for solving directmates, i.e. mates in two, three, four, and more moves, and some of them also have support for helpmate
Helpmate
A helpmate is a type of chess problem in which both sides cooperate in order to achieve the goal of checkmating Black. In a helpmate in n moves, Black moves first, then White, each side moving n times, to culminate in White's nth move checkmating Black...
s and selfmate
Selfmate
A selfmate is a chess problem in which white, moving first, must force black to deliver checkmate within a specified number of moves against his will. Selfmates were once known as sui-mates.The problem to the right is a relatively simple example...
s.
Software for chess problems can be used for creating and solving problems, including checking the soundness of a concept and position, storing it in a database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
, printing and publishing, and saving and exporting the problem. They can solve direct mates, helpmates and selfmates and even problems with fairy pieces
Fairy chess piece
A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a piece analogous to a chess piece. It is not used in conventional chess, but is used in certain chess variants and some chess problems...
and other fairy chess
Fairy chess
Fairy chess comprises chess problems that differ from classical chess problems in that they are not direct mates. The term was introduced before the First World War. While selfmate dates from the Middle Age, helpmate was invented by Max Lange in the late 19th century. Thomas Dawson , pioneer of...
problems. There have also been some attempts to have computers "compose" problems.
Alybadix
First developed in 1980 by Ilkka Blom, Alybadix is a suite of chess problem solving programs for DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
. Alybadix supports solving classical problems: selfmates, reflex mates, series mates, Circe, maximummers, and many Fairy types. It comes with a large problem collection and supports quality printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
. In 1993, Schach und Spiele magazine considered Alybadix to be six times faster than other playing machines including the RISC 2500.
LaTeX Diagram Style
Diagram is a style file for LaTeXLaTeX
LaTeX is a document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. Within the typesetting system, its name is styled as . The term LaTeX refers only to the language in which documents are written, not to the editor used to write those documents. In order to...
for typesetting chess diagrams. The style was originally created by Thomas Brand and further developed by Stefan Hoening, both based on ideas of a TeX
TeX
TeX is a typesetting system designed and mostly written by Donald Knuth and released in 1978. Within the typesetting system, its name is formatted as ....
package from Elmar Bartel. The style is used to produce the German problem chess magazine Die Schwalbe
Die Schwalbe
Die Schwalbe is the German chess composition society and issues the bimonthly magazine Die Schwalbe.- Society :Die Schwalbe was founded on 10 February 1924 in Essen as Vereinigung von Problemfreunden zur Förderung der Aufgabenkunst...
.
Popeye
Popeye is chess problem-solving software. Popeye runs from a command-line interfaceCommand-line interface
A command-line interface is a mechanism for interacting with a computer operating system or software by typing commands to perform specific tasks...
, but it can be used with several operating systems and can be connected to several existing graphical interfaces since it comes with freely available source code in the C programming language
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
. Popeye is one of the most exhaustive solving programs. It can solve problems with many fairy pieces and conditions, and can output to LaTeX
LaTeX
LaTeX is a document markup language and document preparation system for the TeX typesetting program. Within the typesetting system, its name is styled as . The term LaTeX refers only to the language in which documents are written, not to the editor used to write those documents. In order to...
. The original author of Popeye was Philippe Schnoebelen who wrote it in Pascal
Pascal (programming language)
Pascal is an influential imperative and procedural programming language, designed in 1968/9 and published in 1970 by Niklaus Wirth as a small and efficient language intended to encourage good programming practices using structured programming and data structuring.A derivative known as Object Pascal...
under MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
around 1983-84. The code was later donated in the spirit of the free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
movement. Elmar Bartel, Norbert Geissler, Thomas Maeder, Torsten Linss, Stefan Hoening, Stefan Brunzen, Harald Denker, Thomas Bark and Stephen Emmerson, converted Popeye to C, and now maintain the program.
Chloe and Winchloe
Chloe (DOS) and Winchloe (proprietary software) are solving programs written by Christian Poisson. Winchloe not only supports classical problems — direct mates, helpmates and selfmates — but also many fairy pieces and conditions with different sized chessboards (up to 250 by 250 squares). It comes with a collection of more than 300,000 problems that can be updated via the Internet. Christian Poisson also maintains the Web site Problemesis.Natch and iNatch
Natch and iNatch are freeware programs written by Pascal Wassong for DOS and Linux. Natch solves retrograde analysisRetrograde analysis
In chess, retrograde analysis is a computational method used to solve game positions for optimal play by working backward from known outcomes , such as the construction of endgame tablebases. In game theory at large, this method is called backward induction...
problems by constructing a "proof game" - the shortest possible game leading to a certain position. Natch is a command line utility, but there is a Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
based graphical interface. iNatch also provides moves with fairy conditions: monochrome chess
Monochromatic chess
Monochromatic chess is a chess variant created by Raymond Smullyan, in which the initial board position and all rules are the same as in regular chess, except that pieces which begin on a black square must always stay on a black square and pieces which begin on a white square must always stay on a...
, Einstein chess, vertical cylinder.
Problemist(e)
Problemist is a shareware program written by Matthieu Leschamelle for Windows and Windows Mobile. Problemist solves direct mates, helpmates, selfmates and reflexmateReflexmate
A reflexmate is a chess problem in which white, moving first, must force black to deliver checkmate within a specified number of moves against his will - with the added condition that if either player can give checkmate, they must. If this condition applies only to Black, it is a semi-reflexmate...
s. It can rotate positions, print diagrams and much more. With Problemist come two TrueType chess fonts, and from its web page you can download more than 100,000 problems. Problemist is the first chess problems exchange format.