Chess
Features:
- FICS : can connect to chess servers.
- ggz : another network protocol.
- Chess Engine Communication Protocol or CECP, sometimes reffered to as 'winboard' : can connect to backend such as gnuchess or crafty.
- UCI : universal chess interface, the new open standard.
- pgn : can read pgn.
Contents |
Frontends
| Network | backend protocol | PGN | last release | Windows | MacOS | Linux | Technos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pychess | FICS | UCI/CECP | yes | often (<1month last checked) | X | python/gtk | ||
| scid | FICS | UCI/CECP | yes(very good) | 4.3 on february 2011 | X | X | X | tcl/tk |
| glchess(gnome-games) | ggz planned | CECP | ? | regular (with gnome games) | X | gtk | ||
| Xboard | FICS | CECP | yes | 4.5.2a on may 2011 | X(port) | X | ?? (gtk planned) | |
| eboard | FICS | CECP | yes(read/write) | 1.1.1 on february 2008 (last one ever) | X | gtk | ||
| dreamchess | no(planned) | CECP | save | 0.2.0 on november 2007 | X | X | X | ?? |
| pouetchess | no | no | no | 0.2.0 on 2006-05-28 | X | X | glu/gl |
| Network | backend protocol | PGN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| slibo | no | CECP | ? |
eboard (wikipedia)
In gentoo, works well, pretty. Not heavily maintained it seems. Based on gtk2.
Scid (wikipedia)
In gentoo, maintained. ugly (tcl), but fonctional. Especially geared toward PGN analysis, handling database, but can talk to UCI/fics too. Gentoo package includes most addons (photo, ending, few databases). Chessdb is a fork (also in gentoo).
xboard (wikipedia)
The original one, not very beautiful. can also do 'email chess'. Winboard is the name of the windows port and is a reference overthere. This is now an official gnu software.
pouetchess
Nice 3D gui with animation, bad wiki. It is self contained (has its own internal engine and can't connect to other engine or to servers) No release since 2001(faile, the engine) and 2006(pouetchess).
There are 3d files using some weird file format
dreamchess
Include its own engine (dreamer). Great 3D graphics with animation
Not in gento though it has been asked for long.
As of 2008-12-01, it's still quite hard to install it (in gentoo) from the ebuilds found on this page, but it's possible, and then the games works, and is pretty cool.
glchess
technos : python/gtk+/cairo Now a member of gnome-games.
pychess
It has far too much dependencies (dozens of new packages on my gentoo box, which has almost everything already installed) but nice graphics. Maintained. Has also its own engine ("pychess").
Available in gentoo but not for ppc.
knights
Was promising, then dead, then came back.. weird. Probably not something you can rely on. The page on sf is dead. Check either the kde-apps page or the redmine project page
It is in gentoo, but seems like a new software using the name of the old one (with permission). Doesn't do Pgn reading, doesn't know about UCI, it says they do network support or 'fics'.
I've tried it but it doesn't seem like the opponent is doing anything (pstree confirms there is a crafty process started by knights though). 2011-01-10 : tested games-board/knights-2.2.0, i'm not able to play against gnuchess. After the option dialog i have an empty white page. I have the same thing if i try a "human vs human" play. 2011-06-15 : tested 2.3.2, segfaults after clicking 'ok' on the opening dialog asking to choose players (human, engine, fics).
Kastling qt application, support fics/pgn, but i think it can't use local engines. its web presence is really small.
Old frontend
Slibo
Last release 0.4.4 in 2003. Nice 3d graphics, based on KDE(3). doesn't seem maintained. There is no ebuild in gentoo (anymore). Features : engines, pgn viewer, themes, 3D view.
brutal chess
Inspired by some well known previous chess software. the main web page is dead, sourceforge svn untouched since january 2007
gnome-chess
Untouched since 2001
tagua (previously kboard)
Ambitious project for kde, can do more than chess, not in gentoo. (Git checkout in ~orzel/git)
The team seems to have hard time keeping on working on it. Uses lua.
As of november 1st, 2008, the git repository has not been touched for very long, and the domain name was dropped. So i guess it's dead. Googling for 'tagua chess' gives nothing.
chess engines
| CECP | UCI | in Gentoo? | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockfish | ?? | X | No(yet?) | The stronger one, heavily maintained. Probably far too strong for most people. Interesting interview |
| crafty | X | X | Tough one. It only speaks the Chess Engine Communication Protocol. Maintained. | |
| gnuchess | X | X | The original one, gave birth to the Chess Engine Communication Protocol. Probably quite outdated now, though it is still maintained. This is the 'standard' one. | |
| fruit | X | X | Only for UCI. Unmaintained since 2007. Was renown by the time. | |
| phalanx | ?? | X | Great one for beginners, but is unmaintained. |
Others:
faile
Strong engine, used by pouet internally. Pouet is in Gentoo. Unmaintained (last release 1.44 in 2001).
Sjeng
Is not free anymore. Speaks UCI.
