Author: David Dahlem
Date: 08:35:59 08/14/04
Go up one level in this thread
On August 14, 2004 at 11:16:13, Frank Quisinsky wrote: >Hi there, > >Text of Arena News-Ticker: >AnMon 5.40 by Christian BARRETEAU (France) is available. The newer version are >played the French programmers tournament in Massy 2004. My clear favorite chess >engine and Arena partner program can be found on "Arena download selection" >(with or without Arena 1.08 Setup files). At the moment AnMon have ranking 18 in >ATL rating list (Arena's rating list). Information about the ATL League can be >found on Arena webpages (selection ATL League). Have fun with this great and >powerfull chess program by Christian. AnMon is in all my statistics with Gromit >by Kai Skibbe and Frank Schneider (Germany) the program with played the fewest >remis games. AnMon search the direct way in each game, like attack moves >(example in openings with white or black ... b4/b5 g4/g5 in open positions). An >really attacker and you will see fire on the board. Thats computer chess, thanks >Christian for your great engine all the years. > >AnMon can be found on Arena Webpages (download selection). >You can download AnMon 5.40 alone or with the Arena UCI partner programs. >http://www.playwitharena.com > >AnMon is the main inspiration for my work in the past I do for computer chess. I >like the program the playing style of this French program by Christian >BARRETEAU. > >Text about AnMon (older text by myself, translated by Thomas Mayer): > >I really like to look back to those days I exchange eMails over eMails with >Prof. Dr. Djordje Vidanovic with infos about amateur chess-engines. So one >night, Djordje told me a story about AnMon, a totally unknown engine for me and >I get really curious. Djordje must told me every Info he has. Well, that’s long >ago and about those days I have also the bad days in mind while Djordje and his >family was in big danger because of the rumours in Serbia. So I have different >minds about those times. Before the rumours, I think it was the best time in my >life about chess, exchanging informations with Djordje. Espescially AnMon was >the program which spend me and Djordje some wonderful hours. > >AnMon plays sharp tactical chess and is not easy to get oversearched. In the >last versions there was a little mistake so that AnMon plays much worser with >activated permanent brain in engine-engine contests compared with disactivated >permanent brain. AnMon strength is very near to crafty and it is for sure one of >the best winboard-engine. The pleasant and popular programmer from france has >had the last month very less time for his program because he has a hard and time >consuming task at work. Anyway he wrote me, that he knows that AnMon must be >improved in endgames. Here is the point where Christian wants to start further >improvements. I think endgame strength is often the secret why the so called >TOP-programs are still superior to the amateurs. > >The biggest success in the life of AnMon (apart from the win of the france-open >in Massy 2000 ahead of Chess Tiger !) was the success over GM Joel Lautier at a >simul on four boards with longer time controls. After just 31 moves GM Joel >Lautier (FRA, 2638 ELO) must give up the game. I don’t know any chess program >which defeat a GM (even on a 4 board-simul) so fast. The game is also in the >MEGA-2001 database of Chessbase (I am very happy about it). > >Well, again I must think back to the times with Djordje. When there came an >eMail from Christian BARRETEAU it didn’t took much time that we again was in >contact and follow our vocation. For Christian BARRETEAU chess-programming is >just a hobby and Christian allways like it when users show interest and are >working with it. This is usually the same with other programmers but I am >writing now about AnMon. > >I really hope that Christian will stay with us winboarders still for a long >time, AnMon is my absolut favorit and I think it is again time to exchange >information about it with Djordje. :-)) > >Oh, AnMon is the subject: >The playing style is not easy to describe. Sometimes AnMon loses quite fast but >also AnMon could beat ANY TOP program after just a couple of moves. As SOS and >Socrates AnMon uses the MTD-algorithm. This search technics is not so easy to >program and many programers wrote me that the code is very hard to write and >that it is not easy to adjust the engine to the needs of MTD. Just look at >AnMon’s search and the PV. On fast computers it is nearly impossible to follow >AnMon and how fast it shows different PVs. > >Well, at this point Frank asks me to write something about MTD... hm, I do not >know much about it, I know only that MTD uses a very small window, allways 1 or >so... I was told that the algorithm is quite easy to understand, maybe easier >then alpha-beta, but not easy to program, maybe I will add here a little bit >more in the future ... > >Once Christian Barreteau wrotes to me: >"The program AnMon (half ANgel, half deMON) is written in C and C++. And The >move generator does not use bit boards. It was developed as a hobby for many >years. It is based on MTD() and uses null-move pruning and uses: selective >extensions, transposition tables, killer, quiescence search ... AnMon is a >tactical program." > >One last point: >Prof. Dr. Djordje Vidanovic and of course Berthold Seifritz (earlier >Gambit-Soft) are the fathers of the amateur chess programs. Both have tried to >get amateur-chess interessting. Because of Djordje, Berthold and Christian >BARRETEAU I get interested to do something on my own with amateur-chess-engines. >Together with Volker Pittlik this was the starting point to develop many ideas >and I think I really got something in motion. So AnMon is my favorit program >from many point of views because it starts my personal interests in >amateur-chess-engines. I wish Christian Barreteau many years of fun with his >program and that he keeps on to provide many new AnMon-versions. > >Written by Frank Quisinsky (Mai, 2001) >translated by Thomas Mayer for AnMon detail page, webpage by Thomas Mayer! > >AnMon is a very strong tactical chess program and my (FQ) favorite chess >program! > >1995, 3rd France-ch Clichy 1/5 points, ranking 4 of 5 >1996, 4th France-ch Clichy 5/9 points, ranking 6 of 10 >1997, 5th France-ch Clichy 5.5/9 points, ranking 4 of 14 >1997, 15th WMCCC Paris 4.5/11 points, ranking 28 of 34 >1998, 6th France-ch Clichy 7/11 points, ranking 5 of 16 >1999, 7th France-ch Clichy 5/7 points, ranking 3 of 12 >1999, 1st French programmers Massy 5/7 points, ranking 3 of 12 >2000, 8th France-ch Massy 5.5/9 points, ranking 4 of 10 >2000, 2nd French programmers Massy, Champion 5/6 points, ranking 1 of 10 >2001, 3rd French programmers Massy 4/6 points, ranking 3 of 12 >2002, 4th French programmers Massy 4/6 points, ranking 2 of 12 >2003, 5th French programmers Massy (program Bonpo) 3/6 points, ranking 10 of 18 >2004, 6th French programmers Massy 4.5/6 points, ranking 4 of 12 > >... > >And now have fun with AnMon 5.40 ... >An engine you will love ... I am sure about it! > >Best >Frank
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