Progressive Chess

No worries. I still believe 1.d4 2.d5 c6 to be a draw. Can't find anything better than Na3 instead of Nc3 on white's 7 (avoiding the mate), but black just plays the same 8 (promote g-pawn onto h1 rook, Qf3), and I can't find any way to improve on the main game.

7.Nd2 Ke2 Nf3 Ng5 Nf7 Nxh8 Rxh1 was one idea I had, but haven't been able to refute

8.dxe4 e3 exd2 d1R Rxh1 Rxh2 Na6 Rxf2+, which seems strong for black.

Also in the main game, have tried ideas with e5 Bxc6xd5xf3 on white's 9, but those don't seem to work as well as the main game.

Still looks like the game is a draw in 2023, but, again, would only take one line to overturn that assessment.

Hi, what is Bucephalus ?

Hi, I would like pleasure know exatly and complete sequence of moves: is it possibile ?

(1.d4 2.d5 c6 3.? 4.? 5.? 6.? 7.Nd2 Ke2 Nf3 Ng5 Nf7 Nxh8 Rxh1 8.dxe4 e3 exd2 d1R Rxh1 Rxh2 Na6 Rxf2+).

Wich rules, Scottish or Italian ?

Sure, it's from the first page. This would be my "main line":

1.d4, 2.d5 c6, 3.Bf4 Bc7 Bxd8, 4.Kxd8 Bf5 Bxc2 Bxd1, 5.Kxd1 e4 Ba6 Bxb7 Bxa8, 6.Kc7 f5 f4 f3 fxg2 gxh1Q, 7.Kd2 Na3 Nf3 Rxh1 Ng5 Nf7 Nxh8, 8.g5 g4 g3 g2 gxh1Q Qf3 Bg7 Bxh8, 9.Nc2 Ne1 Nxf3 Ne5 Nxc6 Nxb8 Bxd5 Bxg8 a4, 10.Kxb8 Bxd4 Bxb2 Bd4 Bxf2 Bg3 Bxh2 e5 h6 Bf4+, 11.Kd3 Kc4 Kd5 Ke6 Kd7 a5 a6 Bf7 Be8 Bg6 Bh5, 12.Draw agreed

The mate solver engine from Doug Hyatt (Cazzeo), it is open source on github, https://github.com/hyattpd/Bucephalus

Many thanks, comradM ... This engine run in Windows10 ?

Yes, it can be compiled for Windows 10 (and other Windows versions) as well as for Linux. Have tested the versions for Windows 10 and Ubuntu 20.04

In Goldtoken is possible play Progressive or Scottish Chess ? https://www.chessvariants.com/multimove.dir/progressive.html

Many Thanks comradM,

I'm a windows 10 user, I'm not a programmer so I'm not able to compile the file. By chance do you have a already compiled version of Bucephalus? Can you kindly help me ?

Dear Cazzeo,

I had a look to your sw project in github (https://github.com/hyattpd/Bucephalus), I'm a windows 10 user, but unfotunatelly I'm not a programmer so I'm not able to compile the file. Do you have the chance to compile a windows version for me? Can you kindly help me ?

Thanks a lot in advance

This might be of interest? If you have a smartphone there is a Progressive Chess app on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=si.jsi.vito.progressivechessThere are three levels of difficulty, and 'Hard' will beat most humans (at least if they play quickly). Also - and this is the bit I particularly like - it can additonally play Progressive 960 although in the 960 version it can't handle castling (although castling isn't usually desirable anyway).

Have made a Windows compile, but not sure if it will run on older machines, here the link: https://filehorst.de/d/ejzsbjut To make moves, give the letter m, and let follow in the next line the coordinates, for example e2e3. More commands are mentioned in the Readme file

Thanks ! I know this App: is it a strong software ;-)

Many Thanks ! comradM, Bucephalus run very well on my Laptop of 5/6 years ago

I have other 2 questions:

1. Is there la possiility of insert not "move after move" (one move at time) but - for example - the text of a game of 6 series and Bucephalus search checkmate in 7 moves ?

2. Is there la possiility of insert not only one games but some games (eventually - for example -with different 6 series) ?

Hi, I played a lot of Italian Progressive Chess (by mail in AISE) from 1979 to 2000 and would really like it if someone would organize some tournaments by mail, for fun but also to really check if Scottish chess (or Italian progressives) has been completely solved.

AISE published a document not with 1000 games but with almost 10,000 (ten thousand!) games and there was no suggestion on magazine ETEROSCACCO that White or Black had a forced win.

I'm surprised that nowadays it is quite neglected, and I'm not aware of anywhere online that you can play it; for my interest the server for 'play' Scottish chess (or Italian progressives) should only check the legality of the moves and not necessarily play against the human player ;-)

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Now, fot this "main line":

1.d4, 2.d5 c6, 3.Bf4 Bc7 Bxd8, 4.Kxd8 Bf5 Bxc2 Bxd1, 5.Kxd1 e4 Ba6 Bxb7 Bxa8, 6.Kc7 f5 f4 f3 fxg2 gxh1Q, 7.Kd2 Na3 Nf3 Rxh1 Ng5 Nf7 Nxh8, 8.g5 g4 g3 g2 gxh1Q Qf3 Bg7 Bxh8, 9.Nc2 Ne1 Nxf3 Ne5 Nxc6 Nxb8 Bxd5 Bxg8 a4, 10.Kxb8 Bxd4 Bxb2 Bd4 Bxf2 Bg3 Bxh2 e5 h6 Bf4+, 11.Kd3 Kc4 Kd5 Ke6 Kd7 a5 a6 Bf7 Be8 Bg6 Bh5, 12.Draw agreed

I would like pleasure of testing

9.e5 Bxc6 Bxd5 Bxg8 Bxh7 Be4 Bxf3 h4 h5,

Cazzeo, MalcomHorne, ComradM can analyze ?

10. Bxe5 Bxd4 Bxf2 Bc5 Bxa3 Bxb2 Bh8 e5 e4 exf3

and black wins.

AISE is a wonderful resource. I still have Fabio Santoni's Battista interface to PRBASE somewhere. I think many of those games are like the romantic era of chess (1800's).

Progressive chess is a very fun "puzzle", but it's a bit unfortunate that once you know the lines, you can't really deviate at all. It's why Fischer Random is the best way to play this game.

For example, the most popular lines in PRBASE vs. d4 were 1.d4 2.c5 cxd4 and 1.d4 2.d5 Nc6, but the first loses pretty easily (maybe not so easily until you find the moves that win!) and the second probably loses (similar to how 1.e4 2.e5 Nh6 seems to barely lose) but I'm not 100% sure.

1.d4 2.c5 cxd4 3.a4 e4 e5!! is just crushing, with the idea 4.e6 Qg5 Qxc1 Qxd1+ 5.Kxd1 a5 a6 axb7 bxc8Q+ (the reason a4 is the best move to combine with e4 e5) and black just has no chance to hold the position. And 4.e6 d3 dxc2 cxd1Q+ 5.Kxd1 Bg5 Bxd8 Be7 Bxf8 also leaves black with no chances as the a-pawn is just too strong on white's 7.

1.d4 2.d5 Nc6 3.Bf4 Bxc7 Bxd8 and many games continued 4.Kxd8 e5 Nh6 Bb4+, ignoring material and trying to checkmate white. I believe white should be winning here since black has ignored material, but I'm not 100% certain. I found the novelty 5.Qd2 Qxb4 Qxb7 Qxc6 Na3, but 6.Bd7 Bxc6 exd4 d3 dxe2 exf1Q+ is a very interesting try that I found a few years ago.

These types of imbalanced positions where black tries to win with what I call "swarms" are very hard to assess. (1.e4 2.e5 f6 3.Qf3 Qxf6 Qxd8 4.Kxd8 d5 dxe4 h5 is another one like this). Many of the most beautiful games occur when one side is going after material and the other ignores material and tries to develop many pieces to mate on the next series instead.

Right, 10. Bxe5 Bxd4 Bxf2 Bc5 Bxa3 Bxb2 Bh8 e5 e4 exf3 win of course.

Sorry for my earlier rebuild error (I forgot to put the Nb1 into a3); I'll come back to this series #9 again.... as well as the interesting series of moves you listed.

I have BATTISTA by Fabio Santoni: in wich mode this software run in 2023 ?

And if you have ESAU, of Deumo Polacco: in wich mode this software run in Windows 10 ?

If you don't have them, all the other programs that were used in AISE, except ESAU, you can still find them here:

https://web.archive.org/web/19990423122156/https://www.comune.macerata.it/associa/aise/aise.htm but run in Windows 10 ?

Now, only, for this "main line":

1.d4, 2.d5 c6, 3.Bf4 Bc7 Bxd8, 4.Kxd8 Bf5 Bxc2 Bxd1, 5.Kxd1 e4 Ba6 Bxb7 Bxa8, 6.Kc7 f5 f4 f3 fxg2 gxh1Q, 7.Kd2 Na3 Nf3 Rxh1 Ng5 Nf7 Nxh8, 8.g5 g4 g3 g2 gxh1Q Qf3 Bg7 Bxh8,

I would like pleasure of testing:

9.e5 Bxc6 Bxd5 Bxg8 Bxh7 Be4 Bxf3 Nb1 h3,

An interesting try!

I haven't found a win for black yet, but 10.Nc6 Nb4 Nxa2 Nc3 Nd1 Nxf2 Nxh3 Bxe5 Bxd4 Bxb2 takes all of white's pawns and draws.

One of black's advantages in progressive chess is that K+B+N vs K is not sufficient to mate for white (but is for black). See this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070910201410/http://www.cs.utk.edu/~hyatt/wipcc98/guide7.html

for details on how only black can checkmate with K+B+N or K+N+N vs. K.

Black's king on c7 is not on one of the "safe" squares, but I have yet to find an 11 that takes all of black's material and stops him from moving his king to one of the safe squares.

11.Kc2 Kxb2 Bg4 Bxh3 Be6 Kb4 Nc5 is one such try, but black just puts his king on d2 and white can't win.