Philidor/Parker Chess for PC (1983)

[mclane]

The next game against Rebell 5.0 was a good win for Philidor...


[Event "40/120 David Broughton"]
[Site "SCW Pentium 133 mhz EMU"]
[Date "2020.06.11"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Philidor B1502 100000 cycles"]
[Black "Mephisto Rebell 5.0"]
[ECO "D02"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 {"} Nf6 {"} 3. Bf4 Bf5 4. Nbd2 Nh5 5. Be5
f6 6. Nh4 Bxc2 7. Qxc2 fxe5 8. dxe5 e6 9. Nhf3 Bb4 10. e3
O-O 11. Be2 g6 12. O-O Nd7 13. Rfd1 c5 14. Rac1 c4 15. Nxc4
Qe7 16. Qa4 a6 17. a3 Bc5 18. Na5 b5 19. Qg4 Rac8 20. a4
Qf7 21. axb5 Bb6 22. Nc6 a5 23. Qh4 Kh8 24. Ng5 Qe8 25. Bg4
Nc5 26. Rxc5 Bxc5 27. Nxe6 Rxc6 28. bxc6 Be7 29. Qh3 Rg8
30. c7 Qc6 31. Qf3 Bh4 32. Qf7 Qe8 33. Qxe8 Rxe8 34. Rc1
Rc8 35. Nd4 Rxc7 36. Rxc7 Bg5 37. Bxh5 gxh5 38. Ne6 h6
39. Nxg5 hxg5 40. e6 Kg8 41. Rc8+ 1-0

[mclane]

and another game. this time against the novag citrine with H8 chip
running at high speed and doing between 3000 and 5500 NPS.


[Event "40/120 David Brougthon"]
[Site "SCW max speed"]
[Date "2020.06.12"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Novag Citrine"]
[Black "Philidor B1502 QEMU"]
[ECO "B85"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2
a6 7. O-O Qc7 8. f4 Nc6 9. Be3 Be7 10. Qe1 O-O 11. Qg3 Bd7
12. Bd3 e5 {"} 13. fxe5 {"} dxe5 14. Nd5 Qd6 15. Nf5 Bxf5
16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 17. Rxf5 Nd4 18. Rff1 Rfd8 19. c3 Nc6
20. Bc4 a5 21. Bg5 Kf8 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Qf2 Kg7 24. Rad1
Qe7 25. Rd5 a4 26. Bb5 a3 27. b3 Rac8 28. Rfd1 Nb8 29. Kh1
Rg8 30. Qg3+ Kh8 31. Qd3 Rg7 32. Rd6 Rcg8 33. Rd2 Rc8
34. c4 Rcg8 35. Qd5 Rg4 36. Bd7 Rh4 37. Kg1 Qf8 38. Bf5 Qh6
39. Qxf7 Qe3+ 40. Rf2 Qe1+ 41. Rf1 Qe3+ 42. Rf2 Qc1+
43. Rf1 Qe3+ 44. Rf2 {Novag Citrine complaines 3rd draw.
Philidor complains draw under article 12.3b} 1/2-1/2

[Fernando]

Your results confirm my guess of Philidor playing at around 1900 ElO IN CURRENT computers.

Fern

[Volodymyr]

Hi,
I found another version of this program, an older one.
This is Philidor B1420 (28 Mar 1984)

http://www.mediafire.com/file/1k0byncj3 ... r_B1420.7z

[Tibono2]

Great, thanks Volodymyr!
Kind regards
Tibono

[Dostojewsky]

Hi Luc

Thx for V. B1402

It looks like that V. B1502 has a big tactical weakness.

In a game againt Zarkov 3 it lost a piece in a very simple way.

[fen]3k1br1/1b3p1p/p3pP2/8/1p2p3/1N4N1/PPP4P/1K2R3 w - - 2 25[/fen]

am 25.Nxe4?? because after Bxe4 26.Rxe4 Rg1+ 27.Nc1 Bh6 black win is complete.

I can´t repeat the blunder 25.Nxe4?? with V. B1402.

[Event "Computer Schach Partie"]
[Site "Mess-Emulation"]
[Date "2020.06.12"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Philidor B1502"]
[Black "Zarkov 3.0"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B99"]
[Opening "Sizilianisch"]
[Variation "Najdorf-Variante, Modern Hauptvariante 13.f5 Nc5 14.f6"]
[TimeControl "30moves in 60 min"]
[Termination "normal"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[WhiteType "program"]
[BlackType "program"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Be7 8.
Qf3 Qc7 9. O-O-O Nbd7 10. g4 b5 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. g5 Nd7 13. f5 Nc5 14. f6
gxf6 15. gxf6 Bf8 16. Bd3 b4 17. Nce2 Bb7 18. Ng3 d5 19. Nb3 Nxd3+ 20. Qxd3
Rd8 21. Kb1 dxe4 22. Qxd8+ Qxd8 23. Rxd8+ Kxd8 24. Re1 Rg8 25. Nxe4 Bxe4
26. a3 Bd5 0-1

[Dostojewsky]

In the years of 1982-86 i played lots of games with Mark V and later with the modul Philidor.

Philidor is tactical much stronger, but positional much weaker because it lost special knownledge for the early game.

Here is a sample:

[fen]1rbqk1nr/pp2ppbp/3p2p1/2p5/3nP3/2NPB1P1/PPPQ1PBP/R3K1NR w KQk - 3 8 [/fen]

Mark V plays the wellknown 8.f4 with a further pawnstorm on the kingside.

Philidor has no knowledge about a pawnstorm in this variation and plays the simple 8.Nf3.

So i have a request of an old pc-version from David Broughton with Mark V style.

Do we have such a pc-version that wants to play the positional 8.f4 !?

[mclane]

Another game of Philidor pc software:


[PGN]
[Event "40/120 David Broughton"]
[Site "SCW max QEMU"]
[Date "2020.06.13"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Fidelity Designer Display 2000"]
[Black "Philidor B1502 QEMU"]
[ECO "D48"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3
dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. e4 c5 10. O-O {"} Bb7 {"}
11. Bg5 Be7 12. Qe2 cxd4 13. Nxd4 b4 14. e5 Nxe5 15. Qxe5
bxc3 16. bxc3 Bd6 17. Bxf6 Bxe5 18. Bxd8 Rxd8 19. Rfd1 O-O
20. Rab1 Bxd4 21. cxd4 Rd7 22. Rb6 h6 23. Bc4 Rfd8 24. f3
Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Rxd4 26. Bxa6 Bd5 27. Rb8+ Kh7 28. Rb2 Ra4
29. Bd3+ f5 30. Bb1 Kg6 31. Kf1 Kg5 32. Ke1 h5 33. Kd2 Kf4
34. Kc3 Ke3 35. h3 g5 36. Rb4 Rxb4 37. Kxb4 Kf2 38. Kc5
Kxg2 39. Bxf5 exf5 40. Kxd5 Kxh3 41. a4 g4 42. fxg4 hxg4
43. a5 g3 44. Ke5 g2 45. Kxf5 g1=Q 46. Ke6 0-1
[/PGN]

[mclane]

In the years of 1982-86 i played lots of games with Mark V and later with the modul Philidor.

Philidor is tactical much stronger, but positional much weaker because it lost special knownledge for the early game.

Here is a sample:

[fen]1rbqk1nr/pp2ppbp/3p2p1/2p5/3nP3/2NPB1P1/PPPQ1PBP/R3K1NR w KQk - 3 8 [/fen]

Mark V plays the wellknown 8.f4 with a further pawnstorm on the kingside.

Philidor has no knowledge about a pawnstorm in this variation and plays the simple 8.Nf3.

So i have a request of an old pc-version from David Broughton with Mark V style.

Do we have such a pc-version that wants to play the positional 8.f4 !?

We don’t know what Dave Broughton changed from Version mkv to MkVI.
And we especially do not know what he changed for the pc chess engine we have found here,

Maybe further research will find out about it,

I am sure Dave Broughton would be able to tell us, but he has died and we have not much data about it,

[lstlaure]

Hey, thanks for Philidor B1420! This is the exact same earlier version that I was referring to in one of my first posts of this thread. I remember sending a copy of Philidor B1420 a long time ago to a site called GambitSoft to share it with the world. They had a long list of old chess playing programs to download. I'm almost sure that this is the same copy. What makes me say this is that I also sent B1420 to Mr. Broughton in 1999. Here is one of the comments he made about it:

"You seem to have got hold of a non-official version. I deduce this because it has an interesting file called DOCERRS which was an internal memo from me to the organisation called 'Philidor Chess'. ... The document referred to (DOCERRS) was composed after I was horrified to read what a hash Parker Brothers had made of the manual. I never discovered what happened after that. Wheter they did anything about the manual I do not know. I have never seen an updated edition. Do you have any documentation? The file was passed on to Parker Brothers from Philidor Chess."

This DOCERRS file is in the B1420 file posted here. Unfortunately I never saw the Parker Brothers DOS version of Philidor. I'd love to have it!

Thanks again for Philidor B1420! This was if fact the program B1 version 420, according to Mr. Broughton.

[lstlaure]

Actually, in addition to DOCERRS, Philidor B1420 contains other interesting files containing notes from Mr. Brougthon. "B1CHANGE", "AFDOC" and "SPBEEP".

This is B1CHANGE:

"CHANGES TO PROGRAM B1

Written by: David Broughton
My Ref: B1CHANGES
Date: 1984-03-21

The following is a summary of program changes from version B1360
(10 Nov 1983) to version B1420 (28 Mar 1984).

1 The chess program has been made much stronger.

2 A user-adjustable parameter called Aggression Factor (AF) has
been introduced on F5 Menu 5. The current value can be printed
with F3 Menu 6. Extra instructions for the Manual are in file
AFDOC.

3 Output to device LST now bypasses the DOS interface by using
BIOS function INT 17H. This was to cure the following bug: When
the user pressed Ctrl/Break (which is to return to the operating
system) but replied to the confirmation prompt with ESC (thus
continuing the program) and subsequently switched on the printer
echo and attempted to print something, DOS would intercept the
print and cause control to return to the operating system without
restoring the real time clock interrupt vector so that subsequent
programs would cause a total crash.

4 The critical error interrupt is now used in order to trap BDOS
errors. The result of having no disk in a drive when reading or
storing a game is to cause the message "ERROR n. GAME STOPPED.
TRY AGAIN" where n is the DOS error number plus 50 (for example
error number 52 would be "drive not ready" - see DOS manual under
INT 24). Previously these errors were not trapped and would
cause control to return to the operating system without restoring
the real time clock interrupt vector so that subsequent programs
would cause a total crash.

5 Software interrupts in the range 40H to 43H (previously unused
with DOS 1.1) have been changed to the range 60H to 63H. This
should cure the problems with the IBM Junior and XT machines and
also for IBM-PC's that use hard disks.

6 The special beep routine (used by the chess program when it
makes a move) that is machine-dependent on the IBM-PC has been
directed through a vector so that system programmers who need to
produce to different special beep routine for non-compatible
machines, can do so. A separate document which gives the
technical details is in a file named SPBEEP.

7 The monochrome playing screen graphics of the chess pieces has
been changed to those used in the publicly distributed version.

8 The prompt used to confirm that the user wishes to overwrite
an existing game file has been changed to:

Overwrite? (ENTER = YES; ESC = NO)

9 The program has increased in size but is still within the
original specification of 48 K bytes total memory requirement."

[mclane]

Polgar was also not capable to stand Davids Chess engine...



[Event "40/120 David Broughton"]
[Site "SCW max speed QEMU"]
[Date "2020.06.14"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Mephisto Polgar 1.50"]
[Black "Philidor B1502 QEMU"]
[ECO "E12"]
[Result "0-1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5
Nxd5 7. Qc2 Bd6 {"} 8. Nb5 {"} Nf6 9. Bg5 O-O 10. Rc1 Nc6
11. e4 Be7 12. Bf4 Ne8 13. Bd3 a6 14. Nxc7 Nxc7 15. d5 exd5
16. Bxc7 Qxc7 17. exd5 Rac8 18. dxc6 Qxc6 19. Bxh7+ Kh8
20. Qxc6 Bxc6 21. Bf5 Bd7 22. Rxc8 Rxc8 23. Bxd7 Rc1+
24. Kd2 Rxh1 25. Bf5 Bf6 26. b3 Ra1 27. a4 Ra2+ 28. Bc2 b5
29. g4 g5 30. Kd3 bxa4 31. bxa4 Kg7 32. Nd2 Rb2 33. Nb3 Ra2
34. Nd2 Rb2 35. Nb3 Kf8 36. Nc5 Rb4 37. Nxa6 Rxg4 38. Nb8
Rg2 39. Nd7+ Ke7 40. Nxf6 Kxf6 41. Ke3 Rxh2 42. Be4 Rh3+
43. Kd4 g4 44. Bc6 Ra3 45. Bd5 Rxa4+ 46. Ke3 Rb4 47. Kd3
Rf4 48. Ke2 Rb4 49. Kd3 Rf4 50. Ke2 Ke5 51. Bb3 f5 52. Bc2
Rb4 53. Bd1 f4 54. Kd3 {"Ich gebe auf!"} 0-1

[Dostojewsky]

Sorry to tell you the naked truth but Philidor is not such an sophisticated piece of chesssoftware as the Mark V was.

Philidor didn´t know much about the golden rule of development, or the right material value of the pieces.

Two samples that Mark V is the more sophisticated chessprogram as Philidor:

A)

[fen]r1bqk2r/2pp1ppp/p1n2n2/1pb1p3/4P3/1BN2N2/PPPP1PPP/R1BQK2R w KQkq - 2 7 [/fen]

Philidor misses the rule of development and moves the knight f3 twice with the beginnermove 7.Ng5?
Mark V would play the right moves 7.d3 or 7.0-0.

B)

[fen]r2q1rk1/2p2pp1/p1np1n1p/1pb1p1N1/4P1b1/1BNP4/PPPQ1PPP/R1B2RK1 w - - 0 11 [/fen]

Philidor lost material for nothing with 11.Nxf7??

Mark V would play the right 11.h3! Bh5 12.g4! and after ...Bg6 white can play 13.Nf3

So it is time for me to say goodbye to Philidor. Sorry for the brutal truth.

Here is the whole game. Philidors shows that he is no opponent for Zarkov 3.

[Event "30 moves in 60 minutes"]
[Site "Mess-Emulation"]
[Date "2020.06.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Philidor B1420"]
[Black "Zarkov 3.0"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Opening "Spanische Partie"]
[Variation "Vierspringer (Tarrasch)-Variante"]
[TimeControl "30 moves in 60 minutes"]
[Termination "normal"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[WhiteType "human"]
[BlackType "human"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Ng5 O-O 8.
O-O d6 9. d3 Bg4 10. Qd2 h6 11. Nxf7 Rxf7 12. Bxf7+ Kxf7 13. a3 Qd7 14. b4
Bd4 15. Bb2 Rf8 16. Rae1 Kg8 17. Rb1 Bb6 18. a4 Nd4 19. Ra1 Nf3+ 20. gxf3
Bxf3 21. Qg5 hxg5 22. Rfc1 Qg4+ 23. Kf1 Qg2+ 24. Ke1 Qxf2# 0-1

[TracySMiller]

Philidor lost material for nothing with 11.Nxf7??

Mark V would play the right 11.h3! Bh5 12.g4! and after ...Bg6 white can play 13.Nf3

So it is time for me to say goodbye to Philidor. Sorry for the brutal truth.

Does the 1502 version make the same bad move? Also, it will play better if you run it using QEMU.

[mclane]

The strength is depending on the used hardware.
If you run it on qemu it seems you get max speed.
With dosbox i can set up the speed .