Installation and Setup


Sub-Version Differences

KKFChess can be compiled to several subversions, each with a different combination of compile-time options.  The table below shows the single suffix letter that can follow the main version:

Suffix letter Comments
None Full version as used by the author
p Pure C/C++ version; no x86 assembly code; "blend" CPU.  Non-"p" versions are compiled for "PPro" cores.
q Quick position evaluation version; used mainly for solving mates.
u Uncompressed tablebase version; can only use uncompressed Nalimov tablebases.
m Small memory version; uses much less memory than the full version; "x" usually appears after "m".
x 16-bit based data version; data sizes are mostly 16-bits instead of 32-bits.

A version can have more than one suffix, e.g., V2.6.3pmx is a pure C/C++ version compiled with small memory and 16-bit base data options.  "p" versions are always compiled for a "blend" CPU core.


System Requirements

The "pmx" version of KKFChess is a specially compiled version for use with older CPUs and little memory.  It uses only C/C++ code and is compiled using "blend" processor code (should work on a 486).  Unfortunately, I no longer own a lesser system hence I cannot test it as I wish to.

Hardware / software Minimum Author's machine
CPU Intel Pentium Sony Vaio - Mobile P4 3.06GHz
RAM 64MB (With small hashes) 1.0GB (2 x 512MB DDR333)
Disk space 1MB (Program only) 1 x 80GB Hitachi / IBM
1 x 80GB Maxtor (Firewire external)
1 x 80GB Western Digital (USB external)
Operating System Windows 98 Windows XP Professional + SP1


Downloading

  1. Download the zipped file.  (V2.6.4pmx plus help files and configuration editor.  This is the basic version - see below for others)

  2. Extract it to the directory of your choice.

 

Other Versions

The versions below do not have any help files included, you should download and install the main package above then unzip one or all of these engines into the same installation directory.  The configuration file will be common to all KKFChess engines.

V2.6.4m PPro+ core; assembly code; small memory; 32-bit data
V2.6.4mx PPro+ core; assembly code; small memory; 16-bit data
V2.6.4p "Blend" core; pure C/C++; large memory; 32-bit data
V2.6.4 PPro+ core; assembly code; large memory; 32-bit data


Quick Setup for Non-variant Play

This basic configuration is suitable for users who only plays normal chess.

  1. Create a startup script file "KKFStartScript.txt" with the following lines:

nonvariant
egtbpath <D>

<D> is the path(s) for the Nalimov EGTB files.  Use semicolons to separate each path.

  1. Download a small opening book or a larger one into the same directory as the engine.

  2. Test the setup by starting the engine in console mode and type "hints" at the prompt.  A list of book moves will be shown if the installation is correct.  You are done!

CAUTION: As there is no way to distinguish a normal opening book from a variant opening book, switching variants with this configuration will cause the engine to play (bad) moves for a abnormal book.


Advanced Configurations

  1. Open a DOS prompt in the installed directory.

  2. Start the engine for the first time.

  3. [Optional]  Type "saveconfig" at the engine's prompt to create a default configuration file.1

  4. Type "quit" to exit the program.

  5. Now edit the configuration file "KKFChess.cfg" to suit your needs; using either a text editor or the GUI based editor2 (KKFChessConfig.exe).  See the Configuration section for details on what each configuration item does.

  6. Save the edited configuration file.

  7. Start KKFChess again in the DOS prompt.

  8. Type "mkdirs" to create all the directory structures needed by the engine, relative to the base directories you have specified in the configuration file.

  9. Type "quit" to exit the program.

Note 1:  A default configuration file will be created if none is found.
Note 2: The GUI configuration editor requires .NET framework components to be installed first.


To create opening books, follow the steps given in the Opening Books section.

To create endgame tables, follow the steps given in the Endgame Tablebases section.

Please refer to Winboard's help file for adding the chess engine to use Winboard.

You can uninstall KKFChess by simply removing it and it's related directories/files from disk.


Upgrading From Previous Versions

This new version of KKFChess will automatically correct configuration item errors of previous versions.  New configuration items for this release will not added during patching.  To update the configuration file, use the console command "saveconfig".  You can check the configuration file version by reading the first or second line of the file.  Remember that missing items will have compile-time default values.

Opening books, EGTBs and learned files are compatible with V2.6.1 and later.


Source Code

The source code of KKFChess is private at present - until I am satisfied that there are no major bugs and it plays reasonably well (in all chess variants).