From SIMON WATERS
As a keen, if not particularly talented, chess player, I was pleased
to see two chess-related articles in my New Scientist (Patents and Review,
30 June). In the review of Chessmaster 2100, the program is described as
playing a ‘strong’ game of chess. While it offers many excellent features,
and will be perfectly adequate for a majority of your readers, those seeking
playing strength might check M Chess or Rex before parting with their hard-earned
cash.
In a more scientific vein, those who would like to try their hand at
teaching computers to play chess, but are daunted by the amount of work
involved in writing a chess program, may find Gnuchess from the Free Software
Foundation a good starting point. The C source code for this program is
freely available (you will need a C compiler).
Readers with access to Janet can get a copy from infoserver@uk. ac.
ic. doc.
Simon Waters
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Exeter Devon
