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Chapter
#1
Hints for optimal use:
You can find more interesting hints in the Arena help on Arena book
options!
"My recommendations in the Book menu".
·
Use Arena’s mainbook:
Activate.
·
Use transpositions:
Activate.
·
Minimal conditions to play the move:
Not Activated (Numbers remain on "0").
It is also possible to have these values set to "1"
·
Probability set by…:
Priority: Cursor can be arbitrarily set from - to +!
·
Options of Priorities:
Game Notation window (to the right of the chessboard), click on the Book tab.
You will see the moves in the book and other detailed information. Now right
click in this window. You can fix priorities. The values 0-9 regulate how often
the move should actually be played.
·
Number of games:
How important is the number of games in the playout preferences for you?
CURSOR should be of MAXIMUM, Hint by
Harry: June, 19th, 2004.
·
Win percentage:
If the cursor is at the left, this option is deactivated.
You can put in whether the win percentage affects the probability of move.
CURSOR should be of minimum, Hint by
Harry: June 19th, 2004.
·
Use book up to halfmove:
If you don’t wish for long variations a "Limit" can be set here.
If ALL Playout functions are switched off, lesser known variations are played
also.
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Chapter
#2
Supplementary Notes:
For Engine-Engine duels, the same book should be used for both engines, provided
no book or a considerably weaker book is provided with the engine. As an
alternative, both engines could play with two different Arena books. An engine
with a very extensive book should play the opening with the own library. In this
case you can switch the Arena mainbook on at the fullest depth.
If two extensive
books alternating one on top of the other meet, there will be either longer
variations or shorter variations on a random basis. After only 4-5 ply, of
course, a book will drive the other book until the first calculated engine move.
Chess remains a game of infinite possibilities. The material balance
remains and is independent from the length of the played out openings.
Maximum material
difference is in rare cases a "half" pawn more. When ALL Playout functions are
turned off, including GAME NUMBERS and PRIORITY, then the book plays randomly
less known variations. In this case, a mixture between classic, standard and
very rarely played openings occurs. also in this case, the positions reached
remain even.
RECOMMENDABLE,
ONLY IF BOTH ENGINES PLAY WITH THE SAME BOOK:
The length of openings are very different, mostly between 12 and 48 ply. In
addition, there are a small number of very short and very long variants (under
12 and/or over 48 ply). If an opening is not to be used, you can switch it off.
Example: King’s
Gambit:
After the moves 1. e4 e5 you can in the opening book table (Game Notation
window, tab "Book") mark the white move "f4" with priority "0". Thus white 2. f4
is not played and accordingly black will not need to react to the King’s Gambit.
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Chapter
#3
The
formation of my work…
The first time I saw Arena 1.01, with the opening book functions by
Martin Blume and shortly afterwards the good
PGN Random Database from Olivier Deville,
I had In the Arena Support Forum directed an appeal to Olivier for an *.abk
Book (Arena's Book format) to be produced.
When no
satisfactory answer came, I thought to myself...
"Well then,
I’ll give it a go.
I have ample first class material, chess-theory knowledge
also. However, the book should be produced for approximately 150 Engines, so
that no disadvantages originate for the Engines develop. It should not matter,
whether the opening book of the Engine Shredder, The King, Belzebub or ColChess
is used."
It was
completely clear me that without an appropriate compromise this venture could
not be managed. But how should the compromise be made?
I got the idea
by chance, as I observed a game between Shredder 7.04 and Aristarch
4.37. Shredder chose a simple and known gambit opening from its gigantic
book with the sacrifice on the fifth move.
Aristarch,
known as a tough defender, kept the material until into the endgame where
Shredder recovered it with difficulty. Immediately the notion came to me
that top programs often have problems playing out the opening with a material
deficit. Therefore I have shortened most gambit variations up to the key move
and have left the engine the decision, as to whether it sacrifices or not.
Arithmetically it is practically impossible, so that the sacrifice is not made
in 98% of the cases!. Maybe Fritz would now and then have had something
to complain about, but that doesn't play under Arena anyway and doesn't
need my book. Consequently, I began my work, with the attempt, to make a small
book for engines between 1,700 and 2,700 ELO, from PGN Data, which I had been in
the habit of filtering for "very clean variations".
I have been
involved in this craziness, day by day, on average 9-10
hours, with very good material, companion literature from around the
world and valuable unpublished collections of known authors, of which one is
unfortunately no longer alive.
Without help
of my two sons, my spouse
and even my sister who translated some fantastic
Russian chess literature, it would not have been possible to manage to create so
extensive a book in "only 6 1/2 months"! I am
70 years old, and at this ripe age I think
not necessarily always about money. Thanks to God, I am looked after in my old
age well and my effort is exclusively for the Arena Project.
If my work recognized and is respected so much the better!
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Chapter
#4
Copyright!
For
this opening book and of course also other data on the Arena website our
Copyright
conditions are valid. Another publication / distribution of the opening book of
Harry Schnapp is not allowed without
authorisation of the authors.
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Chapter
#5
Download!
WinRAR can be found under:
http://www.rarlab.com/
For the bigger files we used WinRAR ...
Arena Little Mainbook:
270.524 moves, depth = 25 plays!
Little Mainbook
v. 1.0
(1.03 MB, RAR format)
If two different engines will use this book in
engine tournaments the book is very efficient.
The variants will be no longer than 16 - 25 half moves.
Added in Arena
Setup 2!
Please read News-Ticker Message 18, 51, 87
Arena Mainbook:
179.868 variations, 2.144.711 moves, depth = 68 plys!
Mainbook
v. 7.05 (6,52 MB, RAR format)
Update History:
Version 3.0: Increased by 18.734 variations and 318.269 moves (version
3.0 is not longer available).
Version 4.0: Increased by 11.994 variations and 223.456 moves (version 4.0 is not longer available).
Version 4.5: Increased by 1.003 variations and 18.238 moves (version 4.5 is not longer available).
Version 5.0: Increased by 14.279 variations and 227.714 moves (version 5.0 is not longer available).
Version 6.0: Increased by 8.242 variations and 173.685 moves (version 6.0 is not longer available).
Version 7.0: Increased by 4.594 variations and 62.559 moves (version 7.0 is not longer available).
Version 7.01: Increased by 1.290 variations and 20.657 moves (version 7.01 is not longer available).
Version 7.02: Increased by 1.692 variations and 23.271 moves (version 7.02 is not longer available).
Version 7.03: Increased by 1.629 variations and 43.577 moves (version 7.03 is not longer available).
Version 7.04: Increased by 3.572 variations and 40.308 moves (version 7.04 is not longer available).
Version 7.05: Increased by 1 variations and 3 moves.
Harry Schnapp comments on the
new versions of his books:
Version 4.0: an allround book that can be used freely with all engines,
offering simple run-of-the-mill positions without limitations.
Version 4.5: this is an update with additional 1,003 variants containing
18.238 moves, very suitable for stronger engines that can use the new lines
without any limitations. For the middle class and weaker programs a limitation
of 40 ply should be set on very long variations so as to avoid strategically
sensitive terminal positions.
Version 5.0: no PGN files out of game collections were used, but analyzed
openings from the related theoretical sources, and as always, I created only the
target lines and did not draw upon the actual games. Further information can be
found in the news-ticker report 87!
Version 6.0: 8,242 new lines are a mixture of modern and classical
openings. I simplified some continuations, as I think that that the ensuing
positions could be strategically difficult for NON TOP Engines. Dangerous gambit
lines are still not not played, only ready to counter-act against. In contrast
to the version 5.0 I offer a number of longer variations so as to upset the
evenly distributed short, medium and long sequences. If both engines use
Mainbook 6.0, a limit of 24-32 ply is recommended in order to avoid direct
transitions to the endgame.
Version 7.0:The main purpose of this new Mainbook version was not to enlarge the contents but to change
and improve alredy existing lines. Opening books that are too large are better qualified to train
humans in chess openings than for games between engines. Therefore I want to avoid that the
Mainbook increases too much.
As the Mainbook is a general opening book that can be used by all engines running under Arena
I have to take care for the neutrality of the generated positions. They should not favour a special
playing style. For example lines are avoided that lead to positions with sacrificed material for a
strong attack or lines that lead to closed positions with pawn chains where a breakthrough is very
difficult. Lines of the first kind favour tactical engines, lines of the second kind improve the chances
of weaker engines not to lose against top engines.
As in previous Mainbook versions the length of the opening lines varies in dependence upon their
complexity. The positions generated by the book should be suited for top engines as well as for
weaker ones. I already intended this hitherto but this time I sharpened the criteria to achieve this
goal. If a book generates only simple positions that allow only simple continuations the result is
a standardization that handicaps the better engines. Therefore the generated positions should
allow not only simple continuations but also strategic deep ones.
Version 7.01:Most of these lines are suited for games against engines using other books,as a weapon against
openings that are not played by the Mainbook. Several long move sequences were shortened and improved.
This version is exclusively available at the Arena home page.
Version 7.02: Version 7.02 contains older classical, modern or seldom played openings.
Version 7.03: Some lines are extremly long and are especially adequate for middlegame traning.
Version 7.04: Most of the new variants have a length of 12 moves in a try to keep the book balanced.
Version 7.05: This update improves the settings and quality of certain sharp variations in open positions.
Note:
On the basis of
this huge work by
Harry Schnapp,
we dedicate a separate area on
the website to this book.
You can find more Arena opening books by our Gladiators in
User Files, engines section.
Frank's Chess Page, Chess Award go to
Harry Schnapp!
-----
Written
by:
Harry Schnapp (Germany)
Published by Frank Quisinsky (Germany)
Translated by Christopher Conkie (Scotland)
Alterations are not allowed by Harry Schnapp!
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