WinChess is a Chess program.
It supports Winboard Protocol and can work with Winboard GUI like Arena.
Rules of Chess
Chess is a game where two players move their pieces alternately.
White side always starts the game.
Pieces can capture opponent pieces by moving on them.
Starting Position
The objective is to put the opposing king in checkmate.
Checkmate is when the opponent King is attacked and doesn't have legal moves.
Example of Checkmate on the Black King on E8.
The Black King is attacked by the Rook on A8 and doesn't have legal move.
Kings move one square on all sides but can't move on squares attacked by opponent pieces.
Queens move all sides over long distances.
Rooks move horizontally or vertically over long distances.
Bishops move diagonally over long distances.
Knights move in an "L" pattern and can jump over pieces.
Pawns move forward one square except on first move where they can advance two squares.
Pawns can only capture diagonally.
When they reach the last rank, they are promoted to another piece: Queen, Tower, Knight or Bishop.
Chess Theory
Before 1900, Chess was only composed of Open games where games started with e2-e4 e7-e5.
Classical Theories were:
- Control directly the Center with pieces (E4, D4, E5 and D5)
- Get more Space than the Opponent
- Get more Mobility than the Opponent
These Theories gave very good results in Open games.
Example of an Open Position (Scotch Four Knight Game) played with the Classical Theory.
1.e2-e4 e7-e5 2.g1-f3 b8-c6 3.b1-c3 g8-f6 4.d2-d4 e5xd4 5.f3xd4 f8-b4 6.d4xc6 b7xc6 7.f1-d3 d7-d5
Both sides have very active pieces with lots of space and mobility.
From 1900, Closed games, where games starts with d2-d4, began to develop.
In Closed Games, players have a Defensive Objective and no longer Offensive.
Solidity and Cohesion were prioritized over Mobility or Space.
For about 20 years, from around 1900 to 1920, d7-d5 was almost mechanically used to respond to d2-d4, in accordance with Classical Theories.
Results were quite bad because Blacks always obtained more locked positions and more difficulties to develop pieces than Whites.
With d2-d4, Whites gradually strangled Blacks Game without allowing them counter play.
Example of a Closed Position (Semi-Slave Defense) played with the Classical Theory.
1.d2-d4 d7-d5 2.c2-c4 e7-e6 3.b1-c3 g8-f6 4.g1-f3 c7-c6 5.c1-g5 f8-e7 6.f1-d3 b8-d7
Black have a very locked position with many pieces fully blocked by pawns.
It was from 1920 that HyperModern Theories appeared to counter Closed Games.
Hypermodern Theories were:
- Control indirectly the Center with distant Pieces
- Try to Destroy the opposing Center
These theories allowed to play g8-f6 (Indian Defense), instead of d7-d5, to counter d2-d4.
Whites could no longer strangle Blacks, as they did against d7-d5, which allowed Blacks to have a more active and permissive game.
Example of a Closed Position (Grunfeld Defense) played with the Hypermodern Theory.
1.d2-d4 g8-f6 2.c2-c4 g7-g6 3.b1-c3 d7-d5 4.c4xd5 f6xd5 5.e2-e4 d5xc3 6.b2xc3 f8-g7 7.g1-f3 c7-c5 8.a1-b1
The Black position is very active with many pieces attacking the white center.
From 1950, Hypermodern Theories began to be used against Open Games.
Sicilian Defense (c7-c5) became an alternative to e7-e5 of the Classic Theory to counter Open Games.
Example of an Open Position (Sicilian Defense) played with the Hypermodern Theory.
1.e2-e4 c7-c5 2.g1-f3 d7-d6 3.d2-d4 c5xd4 4.d1xd4 b8-c6 5.f1-b5 c8-d7 6.b5xc6 d7xc6 7.b1-c3 g8-f6 8.c1-g5 e7-e6 9.e1-c1 f8-e7
Black Position is less active but more Solid than in Classical Open Games.