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1.1     ! root        1: [This article was reproduced from a GNU Bulletin.]
        !             2: 
        !             3:                           GNU Chess
        !             4:                       by Stuart Cracraft
        !             5:                copyright 1987 Stuart Cracraft
        !             6: 
        !             7: 
        !             8:    GNU Chess is a communal chess program. Contributors donate their
        !             9: time and effort in order to make it a stronger, better, sleeker program.
        !            10: Contributions take many forms: interfaces to high-resolution displays,
        !            11: opening book treatises, speedups of the underlying algorithms, additions
        !            12: of extra heuristics. These contributions are then distributed to the
        !            13: large user-base so that all may enjoy the fruits of our labor. The
        !            14: original and continuing purpose of this project is to permanently end 
        !            15: the rampant hoarding of computer chess software that has been the 
        !            16: case for the past 20 years.
        !            17: 
        !            18:    Many people have contributed to GNU Chess. Their contributions have
        !            19: improved the program from being a patzer (weak program) to being a
        !            20: grandpatzer (decently strong program). In its growth since initial
        !            21: release, GNU Chess has gone from approximately class D to expert
        !            22: strength. It beats the Fidelity Excel commercial unit rather handily.
        !            23: 
        !            24:    GNU Chess's structure is a hybrid of the Shannon Type-A and
        !            25: Type-B methods. It conducts a full-width search to a fixed-depth
        !            26: and then continues with a quiescence search for many more ply.
        !            27: This quiescence search helps the program find positions which
        !            28: can be safely evaluated and which are not too turbulent. If
        !            29: a terminal position is too turbulent, the evaluation will be
        !            30: highly inaccurate. Additional searching by investigating series
        !            31: of captures, checks, and other potentially imbalance-producing
        !            32: moves is quite helpful.
        !            33: 
        !            34:   GNU Chess will sacrifice pieces in order to reach known winning
        !            35: endings. Also, it uses a trade-down bonus to encourage the stronger
        !            36: side to trade off certain types of pieces thus reaching a more
        !            37: simplified and therefore ostensibly "clearer" position.
        !            38: 
        !            39:   GNU Chess has certain types of knowledge regarding easier endgames.
        !            40: This allows it to play these endings somewhat better than might be
        !            41: expected.
        !            42: 
        !            43:   GNU Chess has time heuristics that it uses to improve its handling 
        !            44: of time-controls and hasten its making of "obvious" moves.
        !            45:  
        !            46:   GNU Chess is interfaced to the SUN Windows and X Windows
        !            47: display protocols and can display its pieces in elaborate format,
        !            48: similar to chess diagrams.
        !            49: 
        !            50:   GNU Chess has an opening book which consists of many variations
        !            51: from MCO (Modern Chess Openings).
        !            52: 
        !            53:   For comparison purposes, GNU Chess running on a VAX 8650 is
        !            54: stronger than the famous Chess 4.5 running on a CDC 6400.
        !            55: 
        !            56:   We wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following
        !            57: individuals: (in alphabetical order) Jim Aspnes, Wayne Christopher,
        !            58: Steve Dougherty, David Goldberg, Richard Greenblatt, David Kittinger,
        !            59: Richard Stallman, John Stanback, and Ken Thompson.
        !            60: 
        !            61:   Contact information: The author may be reached by a variety of
        !            62: methods. Via U.S. mail: Stuart Cracraft, 5 Via Amistosa, Suite G,
        !            63: Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca. 92688 USA. 
        !            64:     By Internet: 'cracraft at wheaties.ai.mit.edu'
        !            65: The author may also be contacted via the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
        !            66: 675 Massachusetts Ave.,Cambridge MA 02139.

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