A Tutorial about Cutechess GUI
Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:25 pm
Hello Chess Friends,
Well, due to frequent questions, requests etc.
I've realized to share my experience with all of you!
And I hope that it will be useful for new incomers...
1st of all,
If you are as new tester under Cutechess GUI, before
I recommend to create same name folders as mine..
In this way...I think it will be much easier for you!
And let's give a start...
Via downloading my pre-configurated settings:
https://mega.nz/file/ighwxSTZ#O5w8mSF-w ... yXPXm0W_Qg
You have to create some useful folders before e.g
Install your favorite engines, endgames, books...
Btw, here are chess files/ directories (on my notebook):
For engine folder:
C:\1chess\engines
For book suite folder:
C:\1chess\book
For syzygybases 4-men:
C:\1chess\tbs\syz
PGN Output folder:
C:/1chess/games.pgn
--------------------------------------------------------------
After all these above steps...
Now you can go to folder, where Cutechess keeps
Its own GUI and Engine settings, for example my:
C:\Users\ryzen\AppData\Roaming\cutechess
Now you can delete the both defaults settings,
Later copy-paste my pre-configurated settings...
And now you have to create engine players etc,
How to do this, open your Cutechess GUI program
Go to Tools --> Settings --> Engines
Now you can copy-paste to default location:
C:\1chess\engines
And now let's start creating X Engine player
Go to Tools --> Settings --> Engines
Click the button + (located bellow on left side)
E.g click/create in similar ways as other GUIs...
And after the engine player creation...you need
Manually extra settings to add e.g change the Hash
From default hash size to 128 MB hash etc.
How to do this (about adding these command lines)
Double click over the created X engine player
And click over Advanced, from here you can change
The hash setting, paste endgames commands etc.
E.g to add endgames command, on syzygy directory:
C:\1chess\tbs\syz
After all these steps...it's time for other important
Settings, such as Book, Time Control, Concurrent, Move
Overhead etc.
And so on.. I mean in case of creating newer engines..
Note: Once you created all eng...it will save automatically..
But a good idea to close Cutechess GUI, to take affects!
Because in case of power cut, all this work may lost....
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Be very careful with 'Concurrent games' option !!
One mistake... all your games can be affected a lot!
E.g on my current notebook, which is up to 16 threads
If Ponder OFF, 1 Thread, I set Concurrent games: 8
Note also that when I run matches as Ponder ON,
Then I change the Concurrent option to max: 4
Btw, for anyone missed, interested:
You can find Concurrent games option under:
Tools --> Settings --> Tournaments
To be more clear, the Concurrent games option can be
Very useful for CPUs over than 4 and above of course!
On other hand, it's not bad idea to use it.. you can produce so
Many games in short time, sure if you have machine with many CPUs
E.g, on my 2x Epyc 7B12 (SMT OFF), as usual I set Concurrent: 64
In other words, the Concurrent option depends on your PC's cores!
It is something like you have a bus with many seats..
Road=Chess / Bus=Computer / Seats=Games / Driver=Tester
Btw, what I can say more over it: have a good journey!)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
And now it's time to configure the book suite settings:
Go to Tools --> Settings --> Games
Choose the book suite, which you wish to be used..
In my case, usually I use Balsa (for less than 3600 Elo+)
But if 3700+ tours: I use Unique suite, not so bad choice!
Meanwhile,
You can use any other book as you wish, no problem by my side )
You may know, more better...but be carefll with weak suites!
You may have PC with 100 CPUs or more, but based on testings:
Forget about error-margin...We can't expect much quality games!
And it does not matter such as Rapid or very Slow TC etc.
In other words, I'd prefer Bullet, but Strong opening over
40/120 + via weak opening! sure this is my view...
And I respect... anyone is free to run any test...
And be aware..from the same menu dialog:
Tools --> Settings --> Games
You can set your favorite Time Control, plus
You can set Thinking on opponents time (Ponder ON)
And many other GUI settings such use openings
In order: Random or Sequential etc.
Meanwhile, do not forget to set PGN output e.g
Go to: Tools --> Settings --> Tournaments
Add the below command in PGN output dialog:
C:/1chess/games.pgn
Ok..that's all for now, more info very soon,
E.g about how to run a new tournament etc. )
One thing more,
Sorry that it's a littler bit long tutorial..but otherwise
I can not...plus in this way, I believe that progress will
Be in better way, right ?)
Good Luck..
Best,
Sedat
Well, due to frequent questions, requests etc.
I've realized to share my experience with all of you!
And I hope that it will be useful for new incomers...
1st of all,
If you are as new tester under Cutechess GUI, before
I recommend to create same name folders as mine..
In this way...I think it will be much easier for you!
And let's give a start...
Via downloading my pre-configurated settings:
https://mega.nz/file/ighwxSTZ#O5w8mSF-w ... yXPXm0W_Qg
You have to create some useful folders before e.g
Install your favorite engines, endgames, books...
Btw, here are chess files/ directories (on my notebook):
For engine folder:
C:\1chess\engines
For book suite folder:
C:\1chess\book
For syzygybases 4-men:
C:\1chess\tbs\syz
PGN Output folder:
C:/1chess/games.pgn
--------------------------------------------------------------
After all these above steps...
Now you can go to folder, where Cutechess keeps
Its own GUI and Engine settings, for example my:
C:\Users\ryzen\AppData\Roaming\cutechess
Now you can delete the both defaults settings,
Later copy-paste my pre-configurated settings...
And now you have to create engine players etc,
How to do this, open your Cutechess GUI program
Go to Tools --> Settings --> Engines
Now you can copy-paste to default location:
C:\1chess\engines
And now let's start creating X Engine player
Go to Tools --> Settings --> Engines
Click the button + (located bellow on left side)
E.g click/create in similar ways as other GUIs...
And after the engine player creation...you need
Manually extra settings to add e.g change the Hash
From default hash size to 128 MB hash etc.
How to do this (about adding these command lines)
Double click over the created X engine player
And click over Advanced, from here you can change
The hash setting, paste endgames commands etc.
E.g to add endgames command, on syzygy directory:
C:\1chess\tbs\syz
After all these steps...it's time for other important
Settings, such as Book, Time Control, Concurrent, Move
Overhead etc.
And so on.. I mean in case of creating newer engines..
Note: Once you created all eng...it will save automatically..
But a good idea to close Cutechess GUI, to take affects!
Because in case of power cut, all this work may lost....
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Be very careful with 'Concurrent games' option !!
One mistake... all your games can be affected a lot!
E.g on my current notebook, which is up to 16 threads
If Ponder OFF, 1 Thread, I set Concurrent games: 8
Note also that when I run matches as Ponder ON,
Then I change the Concurrent option to max: 4
Btw, for anyone missed, interested:
You can find Concurrent games option under:
Tools --> Settings --> Tournaments
To be more clear, the Concurrent games option can be
Very useful for CPUs over than 4 and above of course!
On other hand, it's not bad idea to use it.. you can produce so
Many games in short time, sure if you have machine with many CPUs
E.g, on my 2x Epyc 7B12 (SMT OFF), as usual I set Concurrent: 64
In other words, the Concurrent option depends on your PC's cores!
It is something like you have a bus with many seats..
Road=Chess / Bus=Computer / Seats=Games / Driver=Tester
Btw, what I can say more over it: have a good journey!)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
And now it's time to configure the book suite settings:
Go to Tools --> Settings --> Games
Choose the book suite, which you wish to be used..
In my case, usually I use Balsa (for less than 3600 Elo+)
But if 3700+ tours: I use Unique suite, not so bad choice!
Meanwhile,
You can use any other book as you wish, no problem by my side )
You may know, more better...but be carefll with weak suites!
You may have PC with 100 CPUs or more, but based on testings:
Forget about error-margin...We can't expect much quality games!
And it does not matter such as Rapid or very Slow TC etc.
In other words, I'd prefer Bullet, but Strong opening over
40/120 + via weak opening! sure this is my view...
And I respect... anyone is free to run any test...
And be aware..from the same menu dialog:
Tools --> Settings --> Games
You can set your favorite Time Control, plus
You can set Thinking on opponents time (Ponder ON)
And many other GUI settings such use openings
In order: Random or Sequential etc.
Meanwhile, do not forget to set PGN output e.g
Go to: Tools --> Settings --> Tournaments
Add the below command in PGN output dialog:
C:/1chess/games.pgn
Ok..that's all for now, more info very soon,
E.g about how to run a new tournament etc. )
One thing more,
Sorry that it's a littler bit long tutorial..but otherwise
I can not...plus in this way, I believe that progress will
Be in better way, right ?)
Good Luck..
Best,
Sedat