Chess for Android 2.5

[AartBik]

Even though the UCI standard states that the GUI should parse all options and build a dialog for the user to change settings, I will take a much easier approach in the next release of Chess for Android (although hopefully still an improvement over the current lack of ways to change settings). I have picked a few common options (hash table size, endgame tablebases settings, and Elo strength settings) and present these to the user with a dialog that is populated with the default values (or "off" if absent). See screenshot.

If you have an interest in this project, and have a strong opinion on other options that would be useful, please drop me an email.

[AartBik]

I just posted version 2.5.5 with the following extensions.

• Ability to save games to SD card. Games are appended in PGN format to file /sdcard/games.pgn on the SD card, so that users can examine these later, for example, in a chess application on the desktop.
• Ability to define common UCI engine options in a pop-up window: hash table size, ELO strength restriction, endgame tablebases formats (Nalimov, Gaviota, or Scorpio) and cache size. The options are populated with the engine's defaults.

I tested the three different tablebases formats with various engines, with special thanks to Michel Van den Bergh for providing a modified Toga version and separate probing code library for the Scorpio bitbases, available at his website. Simply install the probing library as an UCI engine, so it will be in the same path as the UCI engine binary.

[Macarel]

HI!

I take the opportunity of your posting here to adress an issue that I may be the only one to care about.
Could you add some more chess pieces to the app ((and maybe some board colors)? I have a 10" tablet and the 2 sets look horrible (my opinion for what it is worth), merida and / or alpha would be most welcome.

Once again, sorry to bother you about this minor issue.

[AartBik]

Could you add some more chess pieces to the app ((and maybe some board colors)?

I'll see what I can do to improve the looks.

[AartBik]

Could you add some more chess pieces to the app ((and maybe some board colors)?

I'll see what I can do to improve the looks.

Can you please have a look at http://aartbik.blogspot.com/2011/01/imp ... phics.html and comment if you would like the new look?

[thorstenczub]

to be honest... i do not need to have all my chess programs use similar kind of
chess fonts.
i can see a position although the piece set is different from another i normally use.
same with the board colors.

i had no problem watching a position with the set chess had before, of course i can
see it with the new piece-set.
but to claim that is better, or not... its IMO taste !
subjective judgement concerning taste.

but if you like it, i can live with the new sets too.

i would find it boring if all chess programs look the same, i also find it boring
when all cars look like the same, or all girls look too much similar.

[Cubeman]

Thanks for the new chess set designs.I think there are some free to use designs and like Alpha or Merida and USCF.I am quite fussy and don't like anything that is exotic and definitely don't like 3D of any sort.

[AartBik]

I just released version 2.6 with a choice of three piece sets (not to worry Thorsten, the old piece set is still available as "Classic") and various board colors.

[Macarel]

Thanks a lot! Downloading now!

[Macarel]

Just kept playing for 20 minutes (now I can't edit my last post...). The pieces are just fantastic! Thanks a lot Aart!