Computer Chess Club Archives


Search

Terms

Messages

Subject: Re: question about implementing tablebases

Author: Uri Blass

Date: 12:41:22 12/11/04

Go up one level in this thread


On December 11, 2004 at 04:34:03, Michel Langeveld wrote:

>To probe a tablebase you need to setup some arrays.
>
>You need to fill the following array:
>
>int rgiCounters[10] = {0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0};
>
>This arrays contains of each piecetype the number.
>Fill it as follows:
>
>// white:
>// rgiCounters[0] == number of pawns
>// rgiCounters[1] == number of knights
>// rgiCounters[2] == number of bishops
>// rgiCounters[3] == number of rooks
>// rgiCounters[4] == number of queens
>
>// black:
>// rgiCounters[5] == number of pawns
>// rgiCounters[6] == number of knights
>// rgiCounters[7] == number of bishops
>// rgiCounters[8] == number of rooks
>// rgiCounters[9] == number of queens
>
>This is doable, isn't it?
>
>Then you need to setup the arrays W, and B as follows:
>
>squaret W[C_PIECES * 5 + 1];
>squaret B[C_PIECES * 5 + 1];
>
>   // piecetypes (1 .. 5):     fieldtypes (0 to 63):
>   // 0 == PAWN                A1(0), A2(1) ... A8(7)
>   // 1 == KNIGHT              B1(8) ...........B8(15)
>   // 2 == BISHOP              ...................
>   // 3 == ROOK                ...................
>   // 4 == QUEEN               .................H8(63)
>   // 5 == KING
>   //
>   // W[0] = 1st pawn   W[1] 2nd pawn   W[2] 3rd pawn
>   // W[3] = 1st knight W[4] 2nd knight W[5] 3rd knight
>   // W[6] = 1st bishop W[7] 2nd bishop W[8] 3rd bishop
>   // W[9] = 1st rook   W[10] 2nd rook   W[11] 3rd rook
>   // W[12] = 1st queen  W[13] 2nd queen  W[14] 3rd queen
>   // W[15] = contains always white king
>
>Also doable, isn't it?
>If this is doable ... then you are over 50%!
>
>You need also an enpassant field as follows:
>
>   if (p.epField == INVAL_FIELD)
>      sqEnP = 127;  //ep field
>   else
>      sqEnP = field2idx64(p.epField
>
>If you get this ... then you are almost there.
>
>The namilov tables are so that white is always the won with more pieces as
>black. So then you need to do:
>
>   //If black is the "winning" side (more pieces) then we need
>   //to "invert" the pieces in the lists.
>
>   if (iTb > 0) {
>      if ( p.moveColor == WHITE ) side = 0; else side = 1;
>      fInvert = 0;
>      psqW = W;
>      psqB = B;
>   }
>   else {
>      if ( p.moveColor == WHITE ) side = 1; else side = 0;
>      fInvert = 1;
>      psqW = B;
>      psqB = W;
>      iTb = -iTb;
>   }
>
>Then you are ready to probe the tablebases....
>
>   //now check to see if this particular tablebase for this
>   //color to move is registered.
>   if (!FRegistered(iTb, side)) return -1;
>
>   ind = PfnIndCalc(iTb, side) (psqW, psqB, sqEnP, fInvert);
>
>   //Comment this line out to load all tables in memory?
>   //FReadTableToMemory (iTb, side, NULL);
>
>   //probe the table
>   tbScore = L_TbtProbeTable (iTb, side, ind);
>
>   //if not found
>   if(tbScore == bev_broken) return -1;
>
>   int add = (p.moveColor == BLACK ? 1 : 0);
>
>   //now convert to correct MATE range the value
>   //Nullmover uses
>   if(tbScore > 0)
>      return (tbScore-bev_mi1)*2 + 9999 - (ply-1) - add;
>   if(tbScore < 0)
>      return (tbScore+bev_mi1)*2 - 9999 + (ply-1) + add;
>
>   return 0;
>}
>
>Futher more you need some defines, and function defintions:
>
>#define  XX  127
>#define  C_PIECES  3    /* Maximum # of pieces of one color OTB */
>#define  TB_FASTCALL  __fastcall
>
>typedef unsigned __int64 INDEX;
>typedef unsigned int squaret;
>typedef int color;
>
>#define bev_broken 32767
>#define bev_mi1    32766
>
>typedef INDEX(TB_FASTCALL * PfnCalcIndex)
>(squaret *, squaret *, squaret, int fInverse);
>
>extern "C"
>{
>   int IDescFindFromCounters(int *);
>   int FRegisteredFun(int, color);
>   PfnCalcIndex PfnIndCalcFun(int, color);
>   int TB_FASTCALL L_TbtProbeTable(int, color, INDEX);
>   int FTbSetCacheSize(void *, unsigned long);
>   int IInitializeTb(char *);
>}
>
>#define PfnIndCalc PfnIndCalcFun
>#define FRegistered FRegisteredFun
>
>void *EGTB_cache = (void*)0;
>
>int EGTB;
>
>Cheers and good luck!
>
>Michel

Thanks for your explanations.

If I understand correctly W[0]=1st pawn square when a1=0,b1=1,...h8=63
sqnp=127 if enpassent capture is illegal.

I do not understand the meaning of field2idx64(p.epField)
I guess that p is for position but I need to know what structure it is and I do
not know what does field2idx64.

I understand that I need to switch colors if black has more pieces but I do not
understand the use of P there.

I can get the side to move based on the internal structure of movei without some
external p and if it is not needed for the nalimov tablebases but only internal
structure in nullmover then it is not clear from the comments.

Uri



This page took 0 seconds to execute

Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700

Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.