View source for PyChess

{{Short description|Chess software}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox software
| name = PyChess
| logo = PyChess Logo with text.svg
| screenshot = PyChess Screenshot.png
| caption = User playing against [[Crafty]]
| developer = The PyChess Project
| released = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2006|09|13}}
| latest release version = 1.0.3
| latest release date = {{release date and age|df=yes|2021|03|19}}
| programming language = [[Python (programming language)|Python]] ([[PyGTK]])
| operating_system = [[Unix-like]], [[Windows]]
| genre = [[Computer chess]]
| language count = 61
| language footnote = <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://github.com/pychess/pychess/tree/master/lang |title=pychess/lang |publisher=Github |access-date=25 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801230535/https://github.com/pychess/pychess/tree/master/lang |archive-date=1 August 2021}} 61 files for languages can be counted, excluding one other file (''pychess.pot'').</ref>
| license = [[GNU General Public License 3]]
| website = {{url|https://pychess.github.io}}
}}

'''''PyChess''''' is a [[free software]] [[chess]] client developed for [[GNU]]. It allows users to play offline or online via the [[Freechess|Free Internet Chess Server]] (FICS). PyChess also incorporates a built-in [[chess engine]], which in contrast to most other chess [[AI]]s is written in the [[Python (programming language)|Python]] language and focuses more on fun of play than raw strength. For more advanced users, PyChess allows for virtually any other external chess engine to be used with it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About PyChess |url=https://pychess.github.io/about/ |access-date=25 August 2021 |website=pychess.github.io}}</ref>

== History ==

Development on PyChess was started by Thomas Dybdahl Ahle in 2006, and the first public release was sent out later that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2006 |title=Pychess 0.2 |url=http://gnomedesktop.org/node/2758}}</ref> The release contained the bare minimum of features to play a game of chess, and was backed only by the [[GNU Chess]] engine.

In the end of 2006, PyChess was close to become a part of [[GNOME Games]], which were holding a usage survey of aspiring new games to include in the suite.<ref name="gamesplan">{{Cite web |date=3 September 2006 |title=GNOME Games Plan for Included Games |url=http://live.gnome.org/GnomeGames/NewGamesPlan |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903141629/http://live.gnome.org/GnomeGames/NewGamesPlan |archive-date=3 September 2006}}</ref> Being nearly just started at the time, it lost to the more established [[glChess]], which managed to fix its hardware accelerating dependency before the end of the trial.<ref name="gamesplan" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ancell |first=Robert |date=15 September 2006 |title=glChess... Now in 2D! |url=http://bobthegnome.blogspot.com/2006/09/glchess-now-in-2d.html}}</ref> glChess is still developed as a part of GNOME today.
Afterwards there were talks of the two programs merging, but the developers decided they were targeting different user segments, with PyChess aiming towards more advanced users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ancell |first=Robert |date=17 December 2006 |title=Summary of current open-source chess programs |url=http://bobthegnome.blogspot.com/2006/12/summary-of-current-open-source-chess.html}}</ref>

In 2009 PyChess won [[Les Trophées du Libre]] in Paris in the category of hobby computing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kehrer |first=Anika |date=2009-06-09 |title=Die kleine große Freiheit |url=http://www.linux-magazin.de/Online-Artikel/Gewonnen-Trophees-du-Libre-2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231075244/http://www.linux-magazin.de/Online-Artikel/Gewonnen-Trophees-du-Libre-2009 |archive-date=31 December 2016 |access-date=17 July 2011 |website=Linux Magazin |publisher=Linux New Media AG |language=de}}</ref>

PyChess has grown steadily since then, with increasing year-to-year development activity, and would cost more than $500,000 to develop today in terms of the man-hours required to develop such a codebase.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 July 2011 |title=PyChess at Ohloh |url=https://www.ohloh.net/p/pychess}}</ref>
By 2011 it was among the seven most frequently used chess clients to access the [[Freechess|Free Internet Chess Server]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=PyChess News |url=http://pychess.org/news/ |access-date=10 July 2011 |archive-date=30 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230230309/http://www.pychess.org/news/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> which in turn is the only non-web-based chess server available for Linux.

Version 0.12 of PyChess uses [[PyGObject]] and GTK+ 3, prior versions used the obsoleted PyGTK.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PyChess 0.12 in Debian 9 repository |url=https://packages.debian.org/stretch/pychess}}</ref>

== Logo ==

The current PyChess logo was contributed by Karol Kreński in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kreński |first=Karol |title=Issue 160 – Alternative Logo |url=http://code.google.com/p/pychess/issues/detail?id=160&q=logo |access-date=25 March 2007}}</ref> Karol's original design was very cartoonish, but was modified into a slightly calmer expression.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kreński |first=Karol |title=Galeria Karola Kreńskiego |url=http://www.inf.sgsp.edu.pl/pub/MALUNKI/2007/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231074635/http://www.inf.sgsp.edu.pl/pub/MALUNKI/2007/ |archive-date=31 December 2016 |access-date=10 July 2011}}</ref>

== Aims ==
According to the PyChess website:
{{quote|The goal of PyChess is to provide an advanced chess client for [[Linux]], and do that with a nice and efficient [[user interface]] in line with the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines. The client should be fun and exciting to those new to chess – who just want to play a short games to procrastinate their work – as well as those who want to utilize their computer for further enhancing their play.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PyChess at GiHub Project Hosting |website=[[GitHub]] |url=https://github.com/pychess/pychess |access-date=10 July 2011}}</ref>|title=|source=}}
The PyChess project puts heavy emphasis on simplicity, trying to avoid the complicated [[user interfaces]] of [[XBoard]] and BabasChess. This implies adding new features slowly, so they can be integrated in the overall usage scheme, and make things "just work". At the same time the project strives to contain most of the features known from major Windows chess clients such as [[Chessbase]] and ''Aquarium'' by ChessOK.

== See also ==
* [[GNOME Chess]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{commonscatinline}}
* {{Official website|https://pychess.github.io/}}
* {{github|pychess/pychess}}

{{GNOME}}

[[Category:Free chess software]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in Python]]
[[Category:Software that uses PyGTK]]
[[Category:Software that uses PyGObject]]
[[Category:2006 software]]