Chess

Tabs

There are eight tabs.

INTRO: This tab covers the introduction, rules of chess and information about the various tabs.

C-PLAY: This tab is intended for users to play with the computer. I have used alpha-beta pruning, some inhouse heuristics and ability to use moves taught by us. Click on NEW GAME to start in this mode.

D-PLAY: This tab is intended for two users to play against each other over the same board. Click on NEW GAME to start in this mode.

I-PLAY: This tab is intended for users to play across internet. The two users have to enter an already agreed key to play the game. Click on NEW GAME to start in this mode.

TEACH: This tab is intended to help users teach the computer various openings. Click on Teaching Tips link (Teach tab) for more information.

PGN: This tab is intended for users to view chess moves on the chess board from the uploaded PGN files. A PGN file can be chosen randomly from our library. This can be automated animation or manually controlled animation using next or previous.

Another useful feature in this tab is the snapshot where any user can take the snapshot of the PGN board when it is displayed. It can then be embedded in a blog or website. It is completely colour configurable, single click away and more importantly advertisement free.

CHAT: This tab provides with a facility to chat with your opponent if he is available and both have entered the agreed upon key from i-PLAY.

N-PAD: This tab provides you with a notepad to write personal notes while playing.

FAQ

1.What is the most important prerequisite?
Read Intro, Rules, Tabs, Teaching Tips (Teach Tab) links carefully.

2. Why does the system freeze?
You have chosen a higher level than what your computer resources can support. Ideally choose (AB,H) = (2,0) ==> (2,1) ==> (3,0) ==> (3,1) and so on.

Browser is asking whether to continue or end the script?
Click on continue. If it repeats say 3-4 times for a single move then decrease the level and play.

3. How do I play over internet?
Your tab for internet play is I-PLAY. The important step is to decide upon a common code and enter it as the key field in the I-PLAY tab. The same code has to be provided by both the users. Now you are connected and can chat as well as play.

Chess

Chess is a recreational and competitive game played between two players. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from similar, much older games of Indian and Persian origin. Today, chess is one of the world’s most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.
     This famous board game is played on an 8*8 board with 12 pieces on each side. The pieces consist of king, queen, rook, knight, bishop and pawn. The objective is to capture the king or force a situation where there is no legal move for the king without a check occurs while being at check. Of course, the player can play for a draw where rule for obtaining it is slightly different.

AB Level and H Level
     A few words on AB Level and H Level. AB Level stands for Alpha Beta pruning level, the level to which alpha beta pruning is done whereas H Level stands for heuristic search level which is narrower but less exhaustive search. Give more relevance to alpha beta pruning as heuristic level is like an icing on the cake. You have to choose the best combination that your system supports. Concept goes like AB=3, H=0 > AB=2, H=1 > AB=2, H=0. The best level my system could support was AB=3, H=0.

Teach Initiative
     Teach initiative is an innovative way of teaching the chess AI opening moves. Any chess enthusiast can contribute to it. Click on Teaching Tips link in Teach tab to know more.

PGN and Snapshot Viewer
     PGN Viewer present in the PGN tab is a graphical animation of portable game notation, a standard chess notation. Also, you can take a snapshot of a particular board using Snapshot link. This works only inside PGN tab and is useful for chess bloggers.

Chess Rules

1. White starts first.
2. The king can move exactly one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. At most once in every game, each king is allowed to make a special move, known as castling.
3. The queen can move any number of vacant squares diagonally, horizontally, or vertically.
4. The rook moves any number of vacant squares vertically or horizontally. It also is moved while castling.
5. The knight moves to the nearest square not on the same rank, file, or diagonal. In other words, the knight moves two squares like the rook and then one square perpendicular to that. Its move is not blocked by other pieces
6. The bishop moves any number of vacant squares in any diagonal direction.
7. A pawn can move forward one square, if that square is unoccupied. If it has not yet moved, the pawn has the option of moving two squares forward provided both squares in front of the pawn are unoccupied. A pawn cannot move backward. They can capture an enemy piece on either of the two spaces adjacent to the space in front of them and move in the process. The pawn is also involved in the two special moves En-passant and promotion
8. Castling:
Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook, then placing the rook on the other side of the king, adjacent to it. Castling is only permissible if all of the following conditions hold:
8.1 The king and rook involved in castling must not have previously moved.
8.2 There must be no pieces between the king and the rook.
8.3 The king may not currently be in check, nor may the king pass through or end up in a square that is under attack by an enemy piece (though the rook is permitted to be under attack and to pass over an attacked square.
8.4 The king and the rook must be on the same rank
9. En Passant:
If player A’s pawn moves forward two squares and player B has a pawn on the fifth rank and on an adjacent file, B’s pawn can capture A’s pawn as if A’s pawn had only moved one square. This capture can only be made on the immediately subsequent move.
10. Promotion
If a pawn advances to its eighth rank, it is then promoted (converted) to any higher piece other than the king.
11.When a player makes a move that threatens the opposing king with capture (not necessarily by the piece that was moved), the king is said to be in check. A player may never leave their king in check at the end of their move.
12. If a player’s king is placed in check and there is no legal move that player can make to escape check, then the king is said to be checkmated, the game ends, and that player loses. Either player may resign at any time and their opponent wins the game.
13. The game is automatically a draw if the player to move is not in check but has no legal move or due to insufficient material or by agreement. If fifty moves have been played by each player without any capture or a pawn being moved or if the same board position has occurred three times, with the same player to move and all pieces having the same rights to move, including the right to castle or capture En-passant it ends in a draw.

Our Rules

1. White or black may start the game.
2. The pawns are always converted to queens on promotion.
3. There is no need to provide check to capture opponent’s king and the opponent looses
4. There is no facility for draw when played in the same board between two manual opponents or played between two manual opponents across internet. Facility for draw happens only when played against the computer where it occurs if and only if fifty moves have been played by each player without any capture or pawn moved. There is no other provision for draw in our rules.

Note:
Notation of game log has been altered to suit our users.

[Partial Source: Wikipedia]