WARNING - Fake Rocket Engine

Somebody known as Tommy Click has been circulating a Fake Rocket engine. Apparently the version number is 2.0 or 2.3.2. I want to categorically state that I have released no such version of the Rocket engines and that Rocket engines with these version numbers are fake. Like I have said before, if you didn't get the link here, there is no guarantee that the engine is genuine. The next version of the Rocket engine will be released in due course and it will be version 1.5.

Hybrid Engines are the Future

At last a genuine Hybrid engine is competing in a major tournament, the 2007 World Computer Chess Championship (WCCC 15) in Amsterdam. The engine, Gridchess is a hybrid, containing parts of Crafty, Fruit and Toga.

Read about Gridchess: http://www.grappa.univ-lille3.fr/icga/program.php?...

Read about WCCC 15: http://www.grappa.univ-lille3.fr/icga/tournament.p...

Gridchess is currently leading with 3 points from 4 games.

Rank	Program	Country	Hardware	Score	Games	SOS	SoDOS
1	GridChess	DEU	Cluster	3.0	4	10.0	5.25
2	Deep Sjeng	BEL	2 x Intel Xeon 5355	3.0	4	7.5	2.75
3	Zappa	TUR	?	3.0	4	6.0	2.00
4	Jonny	DEU	Intel Core2Duo@3.4GHz, 1 GB RAM	2.5	4	9.0	3.00
5	Shredder	DEU	?	2.0	3	10.0	4.75
6	Loop	DEU	Kentsfield @ 3,2-3,4 GHz; Woodcrest 3,0 GHz	2.0	4	10.0	2.50
7	Diep	NLD	4 core AMD K8 2.4Ghz	2.0	4	8.0	3.25
8	Rybka	USA	?	2.0	3	7.5	2.50
9	IsiChess	DEU	?	1.5	3	10.0	4.00
10	The Baron	NLD	?	1.0	4	10.0	0.00
11	micro-Max	NLD	?	0.0	4	11.0	0.00
11	The King	NLD	?	0.0	3	11.0	0.00

If Gridchess does well in this tournament, maybe at the next WCCC in 2008 in China, half the field will be Hybrid engines.

FAKE Winboard Clones

To the best of my knowledge, Rocket 1.4 is the only genuine Winboard-only clone of a UCI-only engine. There is now overwhelming evidence that all other alleged Winboard-only clones of UCI-only engines are FAKE clones. Some are clones of Rocket 1.4, while others are not even clones at all, they are simply ordinary old winboard engines.

An Open Letter to Ron Murawski

Dear Mr Murawski
I must congratulate you on you fine webpage:

http://computer-chess.org/pmwiki.php?n=Main.CloneE...

It is very good for the computer chess community to have a list of clone engines, and I believe you are entitled to your view that clones should not be included in tournaments.

However, I am very distressed to see the great Rocket engine included in this list of disgusting clones. Rocket 1.3 is no ordinary clone. It is THE clone. It is a hybrid engine made by combining two strong engines from different authors. The resulting engine is far stronger then either of the two from which it is made. To accomplish this feat is no easy task. In fact many "experts" don't even believe it is possible. So banning Rocket 1.3 from tournaments because it is not a considered an original work is quite unfair. Rocket 1.3 is the most "original" engine of all.

I trust you will understand and will remove the Rocket engine from the list.

Regards
Anheiser Bush

Final standings in the ssiss3 SSiSS  2007

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chess_Engines_T...

1   Rocket 1.3          2830  +144  18.5/23
2   Shredder 10         2793  +118  17.0/24
3   Rybka 2.3 32-bit    2805   +69  16.0/24
4   Hiarcs 11.1         2809   +47  15.5/24  169.00
5   Fruit 2.x           2738  +121  15.5/24  166.25
6   Fritz 10            2802   +37  15.0/24  167.00
7   Glaurung 1.x smp    2700  +144  15.0/24  163.00
8   Crafty 20.14 w32    2660  +169  14.5/24
9   Zap!Chess Zanzibar  2736   +74  14.0/24
10  Chess Tiger 2007    2656  +141  13.5/24
11  Junior 10.1         2748   +30  13.0/24  140.00
12  Naum 2.1            2740   +38  13.0/25  130.50
13  Toga II 1.2.1a TP   2755   +23  13.0/24  128.75
14  Spike 1.2 Turin     2767   -19  12.0/24  141.25
15  SmarThink 1.00      2685   +65  12.0/23  124.75
16  LoopList 10.32f     2773   -56  11.0/24  113.75
17  Ktulu 8             2771   -54  11.0/24  113.00
18  Delfi 5.x           2700   -41   9.0/24
19  Ruffian 2.1.0       2696   -53   8.5/24
20  Wild Cat 7.0        2680   -70   7.5/23
21  Pharaon 3.5.1       2738  -148   7.0/24  76.25
22  Scorpio 1.9x        2665   -72   7.0/24  64.00
23  Deep Frenzee 3.0    2698  -163   5.5/24
24  Arasan 9.2          2660  -252   3.0/24  

On the prestigious CET (Chess Engine Testing) group Rocket 1.3 CCT9 32 bit (single processor) is rated above Rybka 2.3 MP 32bit.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chess_Engines_T...

ssiss12  

So far 50 entries have been accepted for CCT9 and not one reader has correctly guessed how Rocket 1.3 CCT9 will take part. Come on guys, I know once the truth comes out, all will say "Yes I knew that", but as of now no one is able to make a sensible prediction.

Rocket 1.3 is no ordinary clone. It is a hybrid engine made by combining two strong engines from different authors. The resulting engine is far stronger then either of the two from which it is made. To accomplish this feat is no easy task. In fact many "experts" don't even believe it is possible. So banning Rocket 1.3 from tournaments because it is not a  considered an original work is quite unfair. Rocket 1.3 is the most "original" engine of all. I mean, engine authors just recode existing algorithms, but to combine two engines without access to source code is groundbreaking stuff.

After two failed attemps to enter Rocket 1.3 in CCT9, it has been entered under the name of another amateur engine (with the cooperation of the author/authors of that engine). Obviously I can't tell you the name of that engine yet, because once it is known, Rocket 1.3 will immediately be banned. But once the Tournament is over and the results are announced, all will be revealed.

Can you guess under which name Rocket 1.3 will play. This list of entries so far is:

CCT9 Participants