[HN Gopher] Micro-Max, a 133-line Chess Source
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       Micro-Max, a 133-line Chess Source
        
       Author : mocy
       Score  : 65 points
       Date   : 2021-09-22 20:11 UTC (2 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (home.hccnet.nl)
 (TXT) w3m dump (home.hccnet.nl)
        
       | actually_a_dog wrote:
       | If you find this interesting, the Chess Programming Wiki has a
       | real treasure trove of info on computer chess.
       | 
       | https://www.chessprogramming.org/Main_Page
        
       | mocy wrote:
       | Surprisingly good chess engine (ELO ~2000). Good resource for my
       | kids, the younger learning chess and the older interested in
       | programing.
        
       | mocy wrote:
       | on iOS, Chess Mini is build around Micro-Max:
       | https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chess-mini/id616424231
        
         | tasty_freeze wrote:
         | Despite the engine being 2000 chars and 133 lines, the GUI is
         | expensive. From the program description:                   Size
         | 40.5 MB
        
       | jfoucher wrote:
       | This is nice, I just compiled it, but how do I play it? I can't
       | seem to find any instructions on the website...
        
         | jkingsman wrote:
         | From https://home.hccnet.nl/h.g.muller/download.html:
         | 
         | > To play you must enter moves in algebraic notation, and to
         | make the computer do a move you should press an extra enter.
         | You can alternate sides whenever you want, the program accepts
         | or plays moves for the side whose turn it is to move. After
         | having done a move, be it yours or his own, micro-Max prints a
         | board with the new position. To quit type control-c.
        
         | [deleted]
        
       | TheOtherHobbes wrote:
       | A reminder that in 1982 you could buy "1K ZX Chess" for the
       | Sinclair ZX81.
       | 
       | It ran in 672 bytes of Z80 machine code, including graphics.
       | 
       | (Unfortunately a few features had to be left out. But still.)
        
       | tromp wrote:
       | An interesting long running (2009-2021) discussion between H.G.
       | Muller, author of Micro-Nax, and Oscar Toledo Gutierrez, author
       | of competing minimal chess program (and IOCCC winner [1])
       | nanochess, may be found on the chess programming forum [2].
       | 
       | [1]
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Obfuscated_C_Cod...
       | 
       | [2] http://talkchess.com/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26622
        
       | spicybright wrote:
       | I didn't think this was much, just some kind of chess rules
       | engine, but this program also implements an AI opponent to play
       | against.
       | 
       | That's insanely impressive!
        
         | actually_a_dog wrote:
         | Not just "an" AI opponent, either, but a fairly sophisticated
         | one.
         | 
         | https://www.chessprogramming.org/Alpha-Beta
         | 
         | https://www.chessprogramming.org/Quiescence_Search
        
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       (page generated 2021-09-22 23:00 UTC)