Loading new engine into Rybka 4 w/chessbase
Loading new engine into Rybka 4 w/chessbase
Help! I have Deep Rybka 4 with chessbase. I downloaded Houdini today and installed it in my Rybka 3 w/aquarium. It was quick and easy and plays well there. But I would like to add it to my Rybka 4 w/chessbase program, and I have been unable to find any info on how to do that. Seems like it should be a simple procedure, but, alas, I am a simpler fellow when it comes to computers! I am using 3-4-5 and some 6 man nalimovs with my Rybka 4. Will i be able to use these with HOUDINI if and when I'm able to add that engine? For some reason, my nalimovs stopped working in my Rybka 3 w/aquarium. There were accessing just fine but then just stopped. I've removed and reinstalled R3 twice with no results. My R4 program uses the Nalimovs just fine. Also, when I use the HOUDINI engine for analysis in R3 w/aquarium, sometimes i get a disc error message pop up. i hit 'ok' and it goes away and doesn't seem to affect the analysis...it's just a minor annoyance while i'm navigating through an analysis move-by-move. it doesn't do it on deep analysis, game analysis or if i just leave it alone, only when i 'walk through' a move at a time analysis. sorry for the lengthy queries, but i really would like to know how to load HOUDINI into my deep R4 with chessbase. very little instructions with that-- thanks!
Re: Loading new engine into Rybka 4 w/chessbase
Have you ever have looked in the help file of your ChessBase Rybka? Have you studied the readme.txt of Houdini and have you visited the Houdini home page http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm. All your questions would have gone to the wind if you had done so.MrSpock4 wrote:Help! I have Deep Rybka 4 with chessbase. I downloaded Houdini today and installed it in my Rybka 3 w/aquarium. It was quick and easy and plays well there. But I would like to add it to my Rybka 4 w/chessbase program, and I have been unable to find any info on how to do that. Seems like it should be a simple procedure, but, alas, I am a simpler fellow when it comes to computers! I am using 3-4-5 and some 6 man nalimovs with my Rybka 4. Will i be able to use these with HOUDINI if and when I'm able to add that engine? For some reason, my nalimovs stopped working in my Rybka 3 w/aquarium. There were accessing just fine but then just stopped. I've removed and reinstalled R3 twice with no results. My R4 program uses the Nalimovs just fine. Also, when I use the HOUDINI engine for analysis in R3 w/aquarium, sometimes i get a disc error message pop up. i hit 'ok' and it goes away and doesn't seem to affect the analysis...it's just a minor annoyance while i'm navigating through an analysis move-by-move. it doesn't do it on deep analysis, game analysis or if i just leave it alone, only when i 'walk through' a move at a time analysis. sorry for the lengthy queries, but i really would like to know how to load HOUDINI into my deep R4 with chessbase. very little instructions with that-- thanks!
Kurt
Re: Loading new engine into Rybka 4 w/chessbase
the answers to YOUR questions are 'yes', 'yes', and 'yes' with no answers or i wouldn't have posted my original question. i said i was 'simple' when it came to computers...i didn't say i was 'simple'. i will wait to see if someone who's not so sarcastic might answer my original questions--
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MichaelIsGreat
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:52 pm
The steps you must follow to install Houdini 1.5 in Fritz 12
Hello MrSpock4,
I currently use the Deep Fritz 12 GUI and I also use two main UCI chess engines: Rybka 4 and Houdini 1.5. I have been using this GUI only recently so I am new to it too.
I assume that your "deep R4 with chessbase" also uses this same Fritz 12 GUI. If it would use the Aquarium GUI, what I will explain applies only for a user who uses the Fritz 12 GUI.
To install the UCI chess engine Houdini 1.5 in the Fritz 12 GUI:
1) Download the Houdini 1.5 exe file from the Houdini web site at http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm
2) Back to the Fritz 12 GUI to add this Houdini 1.5 UCI chess engine to this Fritz 12 GUI.
Go to the Engine tab, press the "Create UCI Engine" button. In Engine, press the dots to select the folder where you have downloaded the Houdini 1.5 exe file. It should now show you the Author as Robert Houdart and the Name as Houdini 1.5 x64. Press the OK button and OK to any possible other window and this step should install Houdini as a UCI chess engine into your Fritz 12 GUI that your Rybka 4 program I assume uses.
Now, when you are back to the Home tab and you want to test a position with Houdini 1.5. Make sure that you see Houdini 1.5 x64 clearly stated on the notation area for the chess engine notation area. If you see another chess engine, just click the title where it says Engine: (other chess engine here stated) and It will open a window where you can easily select Houdini 1.5 instead.
3) If you want support for tablebases with Houdini 1.5, you will have to download the Gaviota tablebases files, as Houdini 1.5 does not support the Nalimov tablebases (as far as I know).
---On the Houdini web page at http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm , it indicates that you have to download the Gaviota tablebases at http://www.olympuschess.com/egtb/gaviota/ (the best way is to download at this link so that you can get the files fully compressed without having to do it yourself). Download all these 145 files in one folder from this web address (around 6 GB in size for all the files). 146 files in fact, 145 files plus one index file.
---Locate the uci file for Houdini 1.5 in C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\ChessBase\Engines.UCI . Do a search in Windows 7 if you prefer.
—The uci file for Houdini 1.5 is called “Houdini 1.5 x64.uci”.
—The full content of the “Houdini 1.5 x64.uci” file at C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\ChessBase\Engines.UCI was:
-------------
[ENGINE]
Name=Houdini 1.5 x64
Author=Robert Houdart
Filename=C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\ChessBase\Engines\Houdini_15_x64.exe
-------------
---Add 2 new lines in this file "Houdini 1.5 x64.uci". Now, the NEW full content of the “Houdini 1.5 x64.uci” file at C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\ChessBase\Engines.UCI should be:
-------------
[ENGINE]
Name=Houdini 1.5 x64
Author=Robert Houdart
Filename=C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\ChessBase\Engines\Houdini_15_x64.exe
[OPTIONS]
GaviotaTbPath=D:\MY DOWNLOADS\Games - Chess\Gaviota 3-4-5 EGTB files (Compressed)
-------------
Remark: the folder where I downloaded these Gaviota tablebases, I called it: Gaviota 3-4-5 EGTB files (Compressed). Your folder name might probably be named differently than mine but your path name GaviotaTbPath should probably be different than mine.
There are 145 files for these Gaviota tablebases to download. Use the free program called "Free Download Manager" (do a Google search) to download all these files for you automatically into one folder using the tab Site Explorer and inserting the web address given above that is http://www.olympuschess.com/egtb/gaviota/ .
With these steps, you should be able to use the UCI chess engine Houdini 1.5 with your Deep Rybka 4 program, providing that you have the Fritz 12 GUI as I think you have with this Deep Rybka 4 program.
Enjoy this amazingly strong chess engine Houdini 1.5 that is free too! At least more than 50 ELO better than the current Rybka 4.
Regards
MichaelIsGreat
I currently use the Deep Fritz 12 GUI and I also use two main UCI chess engines: Rybka 4 and Houdini 1.5. I have been using this GUI only recently so I am new to it too.
I assume that your "deep R4 with chessbase" also uses this same Fritz 12 GUI. If it would use the Aquarium GUI, what I will explain applies only for a user who uses the Fritz 12 GUI.
To install the UCI chess engine Houdini 1.5 in the Fritz 12 GUI:
1) Download the Houdini 1.5 exe file from the Houdini web site at http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm
2) Back to the Fritz 12 GUI to add this Houdini 1.5 UCI chess engine to this Fritz 12 GUI.
Go to the Engine tab, press the "Create UCI Engine" button. In Engine, press the dots to select the folder where you have downloaded the Houdini 1.5 exe file. It should now show you the Author as Robert Houdart and the Name as Houdini 1.5 x64. Press the OK button and OK to any possible other window and this step should install Houdini as a UCI chess engine into your Fritz 12 GUI that your Rybka 4 program I assume uses.
Now, when you are back to the Home tab and you want to test a position with Houdini 1.5. Make sure that you see Houdini 1.5 x64 clearly stated on the notation area for the chess engine notation area. If you see another chess engine, just click the title where it says Engine: (other chess engine here stated) and It will open a window where you can easily select Houdini 1.5 instead.
3) If you want support for tablebases with Houdini 1.5, you will have to download the Gaviota tablebases files, as Houdini 1.5 does not support the Nalimov tablebases (as far as I know).
---On the Houdini web page at http://www.cruxis.com/chess/houdini.htm , it indicates that you have to download the Gaviota tablebases at http://www.olympuschess.com/egtb/gaviota/ (the best way is to download at this link so that you can get the files fully compressed without having to do it yourself). Download all these 145 files in one folder from this web address (around 6 GB in size for all the files). 146 files in fact, 145 files plus one index file.
---Locate the uci file for Houdini 1.5 in C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\ChessBase\Engines.UCI . Do a search in Windows 7 if you prefer.
—The uci file for Houdini 1.5 is called “Houdini 1.5 x64.uci”.
—The full content of the “Houdini 1.5 x64.uci” file at C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\ChessBase\Engines.UCI was:
-------------
[ENGINE]
Name=Houdini 1.5 x64
Author=Robert Houdart
Filename=C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\ChessBase\Engines\Houdini_15_x64.exe
-------------
---Add 2 new lines in this file "Houdini 1.5 x64.uci". Now, the NEW full content of the “Houdini 1.5 x64.uci” file at C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\ChessBase\Engines.UCI should be:
-------------
[ENGINE]
Name=Houdini 1.5 x64
Author=Robert Houdart
Filename=C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\ChessBase\Engines\Houdini_15_x64.exe
[OPTIONS]
GaviotaTbPath=D:\MY DOWNLOADS\Games - Chess\Gaviota 3-4-5 EGTB files (Compressed)
-------------
Remark: the folder where I downloaded these Gaviota tablebases, I called it: Gaviota 3-4-5 EGTB files (Compressed). Your folder name might probably be named differently than mine but your path name GaviotaTbPath should probably be different than mine.
There are 145 files for these Gaviota tablebases to download. Use the free program called "Free Download Manager" (do a Google search) to download all these files for you automatically into one folder using the tab Site Explorer and inserting the web address given above that is http://www.olympuschess.com/egtb/gaviota/ .
With these steps, you should be able to use the UCI chess engine Houdini 1.5 with your Deep Rybka 4 program, providing that you have the Fritz 12 GUI as I think you have with this Deep Rybka 4 program.
Enjoy this amazingly strong chess engine Houdini 1.5 that is free too! At least more than 50 ELO better than the current Rybka 4.
Regards
MichaelIsGreat
-
MichaelIsGreat
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:52 pm
The steps to follow to install Houdini 1.5 in Fritz 12 (upda
Hello MrSpock4,
Just an update concerning my previous post. After further testing, I have discovered probably a simpler way to save your chess engine parameters in the Fritz 12 GUI (than the one I have explained in my previous post using the uci file) and in particular when you have installed Houdini 1.5 as a UCI chess engine in the Fritz 12 GUI (GUI=Graphical User Interface) .
Following a few tests that I have done with Houdini 1.5, it would seem that under the Fritz 12 GUI (I have the Deep Fritz 12 version), the uci file that is created when you install a UCI chess engine is not really the file that saves the parameters of this new installed UCI chess engine. At least for the Fritz 12 GUI that you use with your UCI chess engine.
Apparently, to really save the parameters that you have selected once you have installed Houdini 1.5 as a UCI chess engine in the Fritz 12 GUI, it seems that you should do the following.
In the Deep Fritz 12 GUI, at the Home tab:
1) right-click the chess engine name title that is stated on the chess engine notation area at the right of the board and that is stated as "Engine: Houdini 1.5 x64".
2) click Engine.
3) make sure that Houdini 1.5 x64 is selected in the list of engines that are displayed.
4) At this particular step, you have the possibility of selecting the values of your first parameters.
For instance, choose the Hashtable size value that you want or keep the default one.
Also, tick the option: "Use Tablebases" if you happen to have downloaded the Gaviota tablebases files that work fine with Houdini 1.5.
5) press the "Engine parameters" button.
6) Now, press the Save button. The Fritz 12 GUI will then create a cbparam file called "Houdini 1.5 x64.cbparam" that is located (in Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium) at "C:\Users\User\Documents\ChessBase\NoGames\EngineParameter". Then press OK.
7) Probably a step that is not necessary but just for me to make sure that it will work, I usually press again the Engine parameters button and press Load to load these parameters that I have just saved at the previous step 6).
Once these steps have been done, it seems that Fritz 12 remembers the parameters saved by Houdini 1.5.
On the other hand, it is not the case when I use only the uci file and I add the line Hash=1024 in it. The Fritz 12 GUI simply does not seem to remember this value of 1024 for the Hashtable size (I do not use the default value that is lower). The Fritz 12 GUI seems to remember this Hash value of 1024 MB only when I save the parameters using these steps above that uses this cbparam file, not when I rely only on the uci file created when I install Houdini 1.5.
Conclusion:
In order to save your parameters for Houdini 1.5 efficiently under the Fritz 12 GUI, you are better off following these steps just above than try to modify the uci file as I have suggested in my previous post. That is what my testing has shown when I wanted to check that if the Hash value of 1024 MB was saved each time I was using Houdini 1.5, especially when I used Deep Position Analysis. This Hash value of 1024 MB could be saved only when I used this cbparam file and not when I used the uci file (adding a line to it: Hash=1024).
Again, I am still learning how this Fritz 12 GUI works. It has not always been as easy as it should have been I must say. Therefore, to belittle those who have problems with Fritz 12 is not necessary and not helpful at all. Many chess players are not knowledgeable at using computers but like playing chess, does it mean that they should not be helped? They should be helped I believe.
Despite a few problems that one could encounter using the Fritz 12 GUI, this Fritz 12 GUI is surely the best chess GUI available on the market.
Regards
MichaelIsGreat
Just an update concerning my previous post. After further testing, I have discovered probably a simpler way to save your chess engine parameters in the Fritz 12 GUI (than the one I have explained in my previous post using the uci file) and in particular when you have installed Houdini 1.5 as a UCI chess engine in the Fritz 12 GUI (GUI=Graphical User Interface) .
Following a few tests that I have done with Houdini 1.5, it would seem that under the Fritz 12 GUI (I have the Deep Fritz 12 version), the uci file that is created when you install a UCI chess engine is not really the file that saves the parameters of this new installed UCI chess engine. At least for the Fritz 12 GUI that you use with your UCI chess engine.
Apparently, to really save the parameters that you have selected once you have installed Houdini 1.5 as a UCI chess engine in the Fritz 12 GUI, it seems that you should do the following.
In the Deep Fritz 12 GUI, at the Home tab:
1) right-click the chess engine name title that is stated on the chess engine notation area at the right of the board and that is stated as "Engine: Houdini 1.5 x64".
2) click Engine.
3) make sure that Houdini 1.5 x64 is selected in the list of engines that are displayed.
4) At this particular step, you have the possibility of selecting the values of your first parameters.
For instance, choose the Hashtable size value that you want or keep the default one.
Also, tick the option: "Use Tablebases" if you happen to have downloaded the Gaviota tablebases files that work fine with Houdini 1.5.
5) press the "Engine parameters" button.
6) Now, press the Save button. The Fritz 12 GUI will then create a cbparam file called "Houdini 1.5 x64.cbparam" that is located (in Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium) at "C:\Users\User\Documents\ChessBase\NoGames\EngineParameter". Then press OK.
7) Probably a step that is not necessary but just for me to make sure that it will work, I usually press again the Engine parameters button and press Load to load these parameters that I have just saved at the previous step 6).
Once these steps have been done, it seems that Fritz 12 remembers the parameters saved by Houdini 1.5.
On the other hand, it is not the case when I use only the uci file and I add the line Hash=1024 in it. The Fritz 12 GUI simply does not seem to remember this value of 1024 for the Hashtable size (I do not use the default value that is lower). The Fritz 12 GUI seems to remember this Hash value of 1024 MB only when I save the parameters using these steps above that uses this cbparam file, not when I rely only on the uci file created when I install Houdini 1.5.
Conclusion:
In order to save your parameters for Houdini 1.5 efficiently under the Fritz 12 GUI, you are better off following these steps just above than try to modify the uci file as I have suggested in my previous post. That is what my testing has shown when I wanted to check that if the Hash value of 1024 MB was saved each time I was using Houdini 1.5, especially when I used Deep Position Analysis. This Hash value of 1024 MB could be saved only when I used this cbparam file and not when I used the uci file (adding a line to it: Hash=1024).
Again, I am still learning how this Fritz 12 GUI works. It has not always been as easy as it should have been I must say. Therefore, to belittle those who have problems with Fritz 12 is not necessary and not helpful at all. Many chess players are not knowledgeable at using computers but like playing chess, does it mean that they should not be helped? They should be helped I believe.
Despite a few problems that one could encounter using the Fritz 12 GUI, this Fritz 12 GUI is surely the best chess GUI available on the market.
Regards
MichaelIsGreat
-
MichaelIsGreat
- Posts: 44
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 3:52 pm
Loading the parameters of your chess engine? How? Read on.
Hello MrSpock4,
Last update on this matter of saving the parameters (for Houdini 1.5 or for any other UCI chess engine). Apparently (after more testing), the saving of the parameters that I described in my previous post using the cbparam file, this saving does not hold and it is a problem that currently seems to exist with the Fritz 12 GUI! It is one of the few remaining problems that the Fritz 12 GUI has to solve, hopefully at the next update.
Consequently, if you want to be sure that your current chess engine has its parameters loaded, you have to load them each time you restart the Fritz 12 GUI. Not appealing at all but that is the only way, at the present time, when you use the Fritz 12 GUI. Note that the procedure to save the parameters of a chess engine varies depending on the chess GUI that you use.
I am confident that a future update of the Fritz 12 GUI will solve this problem so that you do not need anymore to reload these parameters each time you restart the Fritz 12 GUI. But for the time being, that seems to be the only way.
How do you load these parameters of the chess engine that you use in the Fritz 12 GUI? It is very close to the steps that I have given in my previous post related to saving the first time these parameters.
1) right-click the chess engine name title that is stated on the chess engine notation area at the right of the board and that is stated as "Engine: Houdini 1.5 x64".
2) click Engine.
3) make sure that Houdini 1.5 x64 is selected in the list of engines that are displayed.
4) press the "Engine parameters" button.
5) Now, press the Load button. The Fritz 12 GUI will then load the parameters that you have saved previously in a cbparam file called "Houdini 1.5 x64.cbparam" that is located (in Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium) at "C:\Users\User\Documents\ChessBase\NoGames\EngineParameter". Then press OK.
By the way, you still have to save the parameters of the chess engine that you use using the steps that I have described in my previous post the first time you install your new UCI chess engine.
Repeat these steps each time you restart the Fritz 12 GUI for each chess engine that you use. It is pretty tedious but that is, at the present time, apparently the only way to have your parameters loaded when you use a chess engine in Fritz 12. Hopefully, the programmers of the Fritz 12 GUI will solve this matter once and for all elegantly and painlessly at one of the next updates of the Fritz 12 GUI! I will make sure that they are fully aware of this problem to solve.
I hope I am fully done commenting on these issues!
Regards
MichaelIsGreat
Last update on this matter of saving the parameters (for Houdini 1.5 or for any other UCI chess engine). Apparently (after more testing), the saving of the parameters that I described in my previous post using the cbparam file, this saving does not hold and it is a problem that currently seems to exist with the Fritz 12 GUI! It is one of the few remaining problems that the Fritz 12 GUI has to solve, hopefully at the next update.
Consequently, if you want to be sure that your current chess engine has its parameters loaded, you have to load them each time you restart the Fritz 12 GUI. Not appealing at all but that is the only way, at the present time, when you use the Fritz 12 GUI. Note that the procedure to save the parameters of a chess engine varies depending on the chess GUI that you use.
I am confident that a future update of the Fritz 12 GUI will solve this problem so that you do not need anymore to reload these parameters each time you restart the Fritz 12 GUI. But for the time being, that seems to be the only way.
How do you load these parameters of the chess engine that you use in the Fritz 12 GUI? It is very close to the steps that I have given in my previous post related to saving the first time these parameters.
1) right-click the chess engine name title that is stated on the chess engine notation area at the right of the board and that is stated as "Engine: Houdini 1.5 x64".
2) click Engine.
3) make sure that Houdini 1.5 x64 is selected in the list of engines that are displayed.
4) press the "Engine parameters" button.
5) Now, press the Load button. The Fritz 12 GUI will then load the parameters that you have saved previously in a cbparam file called "Houdini 1.5 x64.cbparam" that is located (in Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium) at "C:\Users\User\Documents\ChessBase\NoGames\EngineParameter". Then press OK.
By the way, you still have to save the parameters of the chess engine that you use using the steps that I have described in my previous post the first time you install your new UCI chess engine.
Repeat these steps each time you restart the Fritz 12 GUI for each chess engine that you use. It is pretty tedious but that is, at the present time, apparently the only way to have your parameters loaded when you use a chess engine in Fritz 12. Hopefully, the programmers of the Fritz 12 GUI will solve this matter once and for all elegantly and painlessly at one of the next updates of the Fritz 12 GUI! I will make sure that they are fully aware of this problem to solve.
I hope I am fully done commenting on these issues!
Regards
MichaelIsGreat