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Subject: Re: Question about the KnightCap find_pins function

Author: Ricardo Gibert

Date: 23:00:39 07/13/03

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On July 14, 2003 at 00:56:12, Matthew White wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I was browsing through the code in KnightCap, and I noticed the following
>function. Doesn't this seem like an incorrect definition of a pinned piece? I
>thought that a pinned piece was when a lower valued piece was blocking the
>attack on a higher valued piece (or the king). Any ideas?

White: Re1
Black: Be6, Pe7, Pf7

The B is pinned, since if it is moved, the pawn on e7 drops. Note the B is of
greater value than the P.

If we remove the Pf7, then we have a skewer instead. The B must move and give up
the P.

>
>Matt
>
>static etype find_pins(Position *b)
>{
>	int i, j, k;
>	uint32 pinner_mask;
>
>	/* to find pins we loop over all pieces, looking for pieces
>	   that are under attack by sliding pieces (but not if they
>	   themselves are sliding pieces of the same type!). Then we
>	   check to see if the sliding piece would attack another
>	   piece, making it hung, if moved.
>
>	   This is a expensive procedure!  */
>
>	b->pinned_mask = 0;
>
>	if (b->stage == MATING)
>		return 0;
>
>	for (i=2;i<16;i++) {
>		if (!b->pieces[i].p) continue;
>
>		pinner_mask = b->topieces[b->pieces[i].pos] &
>			b->sliding_mask & BLACK_MASK;
>
>		while (pinner_mask) {
>			j = ff_one(pinner_mask);
>			pinner_mask &= ~(1<<j);
>
>			/* If the pinned piece is attacking the pinner then
>			   it isn't a pin! It might be a skewer tho.
>			   */
>			if (b->topieces[b->pieces[j].pos] & (1<<i))
>				continue;
>
>			/* look for a piece that this bit is pinned against */
>			for (k=0;k<8;k++) {
>				if (!b->pieces[k].p) continue;
>				if (k == i) continue;
>				if (!same_line(b->pieces[j].pos, b->pieces[i].pos,
>					       b->pieces[k].pos)) continue;
>				if (!empty_line(b, b->pieces[i].pos,
>						b->pieces[k].pos))
>				    continue;
>
>				/* we have a likely pin. Now we need
>				   to confirm that if the pinner could attack
>				   the pinnedto piece then that piece
>				   would be hung */
>				if (get_control(b,
>						b->topieces[b->pieces[k].pos] | (1<<j),
>						b->pieces[k].p,
>					        b->pieces[k].pos) < 0) {
>					b->pinned_mask |= (1<<i);
>					if (debug)
>						lprintf(0,"w pinned %s -> %s -> %s\n",
>							posstr(b->pieces[j].pos),
>							posstr(b->pieces[i].pos),
>							posstr(b->pieces[k].pos)
>							);
>				}
>			}
>		}
>	}
>
>
>	for (i=18;i<32;i++) {
>		if (!b->pieces[i].p) continue;
>
>		pinner_mask = b->topieces[b->pieces[i].pos] &
>			b->sliding_mask & WHITE_MASK;
>
>		while (pinner_mask) {
>			j = ff_one(pinner_mask);
>			pinner_mask &= ~(1<<j);
>
>			/* If the pinned piece is attacking the pinner then
>			   it isn't a pin! It might be a skewer tho.
>			   */
>			if (b->topieces[b->pieces[j].pos] & (1<<i))
>				continue;
>
>			/* look for a piece that this bit is pinned against */
>			for (k=16;k<24;k++) {
>				if (!b->pieces[k].p) continue;
>				if (k == i) continue;
>				if (!same_line(b->pieces[j].pos, b->pieces[i].pos,
>					       b->pieces[k].pos)) continue;
>				if (!empty_line(b, b->pieces[i].pos,
>						b->pieces[k].pos))
>				    continue;
>
>				/* we have a likely pin. Now we need
>				   to confirm that if the pinner could attack
>				   the pinnedto piece then that piece
>				   would be hung */
>				if (get_control(b,
>						b->topieces[b->pieces[k].pos] | (1<<j),
>						b->pieces[k].p,
>						b->pieces[k].pos) > 0) {
>					b->pinned_mask |= (1<<i);
>					if (debug)
>						lprintf(0,"b pinned %s -> %s -> %s\n",
>							posstr(b->pieces[j].pos),
>							posstr(b->pieces[i].pos),
>							posstr(b->pieces[k].pos)
>							);
>				}
>			}
>		}
>	}
>
>	return 0;
>}



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