New Android UCI engine: CroChess 1.03b2

CroChess is nothing but a Stockfish derivative tweaked for longer time controls. Thanks to Aprijal for preparing the Android version.

The description taken from the maintainer Ivan Ivec's page says:

"CroChess is a clone of Stockfish maintained for better performance on long time controls.

It is simply my effort to test patches for Stockfish on longer time controls. Beta versions are actually final versions, but I'm still trying to tune some constants.

To optimize performance of Crochess each variant will be tested with only one time control: 300s (5min) + 3s (1 thread, 256MB hash, at least 1000 games).

However, I expect that volunteers will test them against Stockfish with longer time controls: I recommend 20min+10s (2-3 threads, 1GB hash).

It is important to download both files at the same time, because CroChess will be updated with Stockfish patches too.

Please contact me at ivan.ivec at gmail dot com even if you tried only few games and send pgn files if possible.

I'll also run regression tests with this latest time control from time to time and present results here.

I also recommend to use the following opening positions:

Test1 (100 positions for 200 games)

Test2 (500 positions for 1000 games)

Changes in CroChess 1.03 (compared to Stockfish):

1) it uses lower reductions on higher depths;

2) it resolves less fails low/high if position is winning/losing.

Motto: statistical errors must cancel themselves on a long run."

GET CroChess 1.03b2 for arm7 pie

GET CroChess 1.03b2 for arm8

Android UCI engine update: Sugar SE

Sugar is one of the strongest Stockfish clones, maintained by Marco Zerbinati from Italy. The most recent SE (SE for Special Edition released on May,30th of 2016) version is compiled by Aprijal Pasaribu for Android users.

GET Sugar SE for arm7 pie
GET Sugar SE for arm8

Android UCI engine update: Laser 1.3 Beta

Laser 0.2beta, currently floating around 2400 ELO in Rapidroid was a little problematic build and it needed to run as an XB engine via a specific polyglot adapter.

With the new version 1.3beta compiled by Aprijal, the problem seems totaly gone and the engine works fine with Chess for Android, except for some endings which require post adjudications.

What's exciting is that it can now use multi threads, something impossible with the polyglot solution.

I expect a big boost from single threaded 0.2beta to quad threaded 1.3beta. To follow up...

GET Laser 1.3beta.AP for arm7 pie

GET Laser 1.3beta.AP for arm8

And just for the collectors, the initial 1.3beta build working with polyglot solution is HERE.

Android UCI engine update: Stockfish dev't 2016.09.29

When two compilers concentrate on the same daily source, no doubt that countless builds come in. That was exactly the case on 29th of September and below is the outcome of the hard work. Thanks to Aprijal and Javier!

GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.AP for arm7 pie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.AP for arm8
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.AP for x86 pie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.CEPA045 for arm5 nopie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.CEPA045 for arm5 pie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.CEPA045 for arm7 nopie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.CEPA045 for arm7 pie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.JV for arm8
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.CEPA for x86 nopie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.CEPA for x86 pie
GET Stockfish 2016.09.29.JV for x86_64

Android UCI engine update: Texel 1.06a48.AP

In fact, that one looked retro to me at first sight because Texel 1.06 was already released some time ago. I assume Aprijal skipped or couldn't find the latest source to compile.

No matter what, his journey in time didn't fail at all according to the performance of the build. The alpha has no problems to beat the Google Play version of Texel 1.06. The conclusion is: Compiling process and environment matters!

TC:180+2 on MTK6752 4 threads on 8 cores

Now it seems Aprijal's build deserves a gauntlet shot to replace Peter's in Rapidroid.

GET Texel 1.06a48.AP for arm7 

CEPA 0.4.5 featuring Stockfish 2016.09.29

The new version of CEPA comes with more recent Stockfish builds. Thanks Javier!

WHAT'S NEW:
- Stockfish builds of 2016-09-29
- Stockfish armv5 pie fixed
- Option Purchase App
- Own eco codes
- Fixes adjudication bug

Download the latest CEPA update HERE at Google Play.

Android UCI engine update: Arasan 19.1

A good news from September is that Aprijal Pasaribu came in to follow Jim Ablett's path and take over his legacy. Thanks to him, various engine updates will probably to rain on our devices.

After a lot of blitz tests, i'm confident that his builds are healthy and fast, especially on arm7 architecture. Regarding arm8 64-bit, even though he's able to compile without testing, these builds can't run as fast as expected. The reason is that the optimization operations he regularly does imply that the builds run on the target architecture. Unfortunately he doesn't yet own an arm8 device.

I've calculated about 5% less kNps for arm8. That's the same ratio he claimed for arm7, between a "PGO" optimized build and a non-optimized build.

But wait, who cares 5% less nodes as long as he compiles that frequently. Go Aprijal Go!

Below is the link to his first build of Arasan 19.1 dated 2016.09.27. A few blitz tests at 180+2 time control on MTK6752 show that it's stronger than 18.3 which plays in Rapidroid.

GET Arasan 19.1 2016.09.27 for arm7