About RDChess

One of my main interests in leisure time has been programming chess. Beside my job and my family I have written the chess program RDChess, spending many evening and weekend hours for this hobby. In the mean time I have stepped down development of RDChess. Anyway the current last version V3.23 works still under Windows 7 and is still freeware :-). You may try RDChess yourself and download a free copy. Or look at the RDChess User Manual (english) oder in die RDChess Bedienungsanleitung (deutsch).

Read a Technical Description of the RDChess program, describing shortly the architecture, data structures, search and evaluation routines of the program. Mostly the program follows the "main stream" architecture of brute force programs of the Northwestern University program CHESS 4.5 type, but has a few "proprietary" program technical features. RDChess is comparably in strength to other freeware programs like "GNUCHESS for Windows". I am not a good chess player and lose practically every time against my own program. Anyway RDChess loses regulary against commercially sold chess programs like Fritz. Read further about the strength of the program and how to test it.

If you are a chess programmer, interested in how RDChess works in detail, look into the source code. Remark: The source code (Borland Delphi, x86 assembler) is well commented but contains comments in a mixture of German and English language, so be aware you may not understand the source not knowing the German language.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Licence Agreement for RDChess

RDChess: Copyright (c) 2003 - 2010 by Rudolf Posch 2630 Ternitz, Austria Europe

  • RDChess version V3.23 is freeware and may be copied unlimited for personal use.
  • It must be copied as a full package (file RDCHESSV323.zip), containing all the files therein.
  • The program must not be changed. The program must not be sold or a fee collected for its use.
  • The program may be used on his/ her own risk.
  • The author doesn't guarantee that the program functions properly and takes no responsibility for a possible damage caused by its use.

Copyright for source code parts included in RDChess

  • Bitmaps for the chess pieces Copyright(c) by Free Software Foundation GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
  • RDChess Version 2.98 and greater uses a subset of the Winboard Chess Engine Communication Protocol Version 2 (c) Tim Mann
  • RDChess Logo created by Wilhelm Hudetz