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"It just isn't conceivable that you can design a program strong enough to beat players like me."

June 7, 2016

New (?) Android UCI engine: APIL Chess 1.06

When i decided to get back to digging Jim Ablett's oldest builds, still hosted in Kyrill Kurikov's repository, i had very little hope of discovering anything unseen before. Well, a long time ago i'd navigated very deep all these folders and i should have collected anything available already.

But you never know. The hunt for the hidden treasures didn't yield a null result: 3 old builds to try should be better than nothing.

Out of three new engines found there, only one seemed to bu usable so far: Apil Chess 1.06. Two others, Cyrano and Sissa (another build was tested years ago without success) have failed to play engine games despite my efforts. They can be imported and seem to work but they exit suddenly during all games.

Regarding Apil Chess, it can barely play games but most of them require "post adjudications" due to frequent terminations before checkmate. 

In fact, below description of the engine is highly attractive at Chessprogramming Wiki:
"APIL chess (Asynchronous Process Interaction Library chess) is an open source distributed chess program for educational purposes and private use written by Ulf Lorenz and first published in July 2002. APILchess represents the board using a 16x12 mailbox array with 16-bit disjoint piece flag encoding, and piece-lists. There are traces (Hydra.h), that the Asynchronous Process Interaction Library was already used for early Hydra trials."

Reading Hydra between the lines made me excited too. However, the Android build can't play like Hydra, the cluster-monster engine which had beaten GM Michael Adams (ELO 2740) decisively in the last  human vs machine match played at tournament time controls without odds.

Windows build of the v1.05r1b is not different: Only 1464 ELO in CCRL 40/4.

After some 20 games vs Chess for Android native engine and Zzzzz, the Android build seems to play around 1400 ELO so far at shorter time controls.

I can't yet dare to introduce Apil into Rapidroid because of the adjudications which will probably bother me very much. We'll see.

For those who enjoy beating computers at chess, Apil 0.6 can be downloaded: HERE

23 comments:

Unknown said...

It is possible that some old engines require only ARM v5 for good operation. As I wrote on May 30 Embla works at ARM v5. What will be with such engines?

Unknown said...

My experience does not show this. I still think arm7 devices should run arm5 exactly like arm5 devices. When they can't, the reason must be rather related to the Android version or the flags used for compiling. Nevetheless, i have no proof, just my impression.

Alex said...

Hi Gurcan.
New sayuri-2016.06.08 ->https://github.com/MetalPhaeton/sayuri/tree/master/SayuriCompiled/Android

Unknown said...

My experience rather opposite. When I changed the old smartphone with arm v5 for newer model, some engines ceased to work. There were problems with start of Red Queen, I already badly remember everything in accuracy. And the fact that match Embla - CfA took place to that documentary confirmation. I even laid out on May 30 batches. If there is time, and my old LG will work, then I want to check problem engines for arm v5. Just for the sake of curiosity.

Unknown said...

Ok. I only have one arm5 device and it's a horrible one with Android 2.3.1. I can't do any serious test on it. Regarding Embla, i don't see much interest, it's below 1500 elo. I really need engine in this range but only reliable ones.

Unknown said...

I probably look eyes not of a tester, and the collector more :) Very much baffles for example that there are no first Stockfish (1.8 and 1.9) under Android anywhere. They were in the early programs "Chess for all". I regret that didn't save.

Alex said...

Hi Валерий.
Regarding Stockfish (1.8 & 1.9), do you mean this ->http://stockfish-ccc-engine.android.informer.com/versions/ ?

Alex said...

Or this -> http://chessforall-ccc-gui.android.informer.com/versions/

Unknown said...

Yes, it. In the second case - the program, and in the first - the Stockfish engine packed for this program. On August 21, 2011 there was Stockfish 1.8 judging by the blog of the author, but then I didn't have this program. Later I downloaded Stockfish 1.9, but didn't save. Unfortunately now all links carry in Google play, and there only the latest version.

Alex said...

Здравствуйте Валерий.
Зачем вам ВЯЛЕНЫЙ 1.8? Он очень старый, единственый способ найти его, это
попрасить разрабочика чтоб он выслал вам его по почте.
Я обыскал весь интернет, но не смог ничего найти :-(

Alex said...

Есть рабочая ссылка на Stockfish Chess 1.16, я не знаю какой там движок,->http://www.androidappsgame.com/stockfish-chess

Alex said...

Ещё 2 рабочие ссылки http://smallapk.com/Chess-for-All_lite-APK.html и
http://smallapk.com/Chess-Engines_lite-APK.html
Чем смог,тем помог. :-)

Alex said...

Hi Gurcan.
I'm not sure but, is this Paladin 0.1DJ? ->https://github.com/ankan-ban/chess_cpu/blob/master/chess_cpu

Unknown said...

Alex, спасибо за попытку помочь. К сожалению по вашим ссылкам также скачиваются более новые версии. Возможно действительно проще написать автору. Просто захотелось собрать полную коллекцию движков , найти старые версии движков , которых нет здесь. И сразу же такая неудача.

Unknown said...

Alex, small correction: https://github.com/ankan-ban/chess_cpu/blob/master/chess_arm (/chess_cpu doesn't work). It is initialized as Ankan Chess 0.0

Unknown said...

Ankan Chess or Paladin are the sane. Two names... Ankan is around 2000 elo and plays fine in Rapidroid so far.

Alex said...

Валерий у вас есть илектронный адрес-мыло?
Я тоже коллекционирую движки,может есть чем обменяться!

Alex said...

Thanks Gurcan!

Unknown said...

Gurcan , I tried the engines rejected in February, 2015: Godel and Minimardi. They aren't among files and in new testing of .Godel is still bad, and here minimardi in my opinion works. If it didn't remain, then here the link: https://cloud.mail.ru/public/tG8W/F4RtVR5BQ

Unknown said...

Alex , мне можно писать сюда : walbor77@gmail.com .

Unknown said...

I'm gonna check Minimardi again. And others not qualified so far too... Maybe i can find a new clue to inrcrease the number of ranked engines.

Alex said...

Hi Gurcan.
Do you have any mail address? I want to ask you something "private", about apk and chess engines.

Unknown said...

You can write to me via uckardesg at yahoo dot com