19 Nov 08
Hello all,
I'm sure this comes up from time to time (but the forum search feature stinks!), but could someone recommend analysis software?
Rybka?
Shredder?
Fritz?
Others?
I'm a lower-level (1200-1400) player looking to analyze and archive OTB and FINISHED! CC games- I have no experience with any of the above. Is this a "can't go wrong with any of them" scenario?
Thanks.
19 Nov 08
Originally posted by DeepThoughtgo to rybkachess.com and download the free rybka 2.2, which is better than all others you have listed.
There are several free engines, so don't spend any money without looking at them first. I use Crafty for the kind of post-game analysis you're talking about, it does everything I need it to.
19 Nov 08
1 edit
Originally posted by diskamylOh, come on, get off your high horse! OK, so Crafty isn't near Rybka in strength. (Although the newest Crafty 22.4 apparently is much stronger than previous versions of Crafty, but still maybe 150 to 200 points below the free Rybka 2.2n2.) But it depends on what you'll use it for. For cutting edge analysis, you have a point. But for ordinary "gee, what 3-move tactic did I miss" stuff, any of these engines are OK.
yes, and crafty is bad.
BTW, as strong as Rybka 2.2n2 is, it's a little weak in the endgame. (I've seen it fail to mate with KQ vs. K, although I'll admit that doesn't happen very often.) If I were using the free Rybka for analysis, I'd run it in a GUI that would allow me to use a 5-piece tablebase. And I still don't care for the fact that Rybka doesn't give you the full PV line and undercounts the plies and nodes. (A little competitive obfuscation by your hero Mr. Rajlich, I surmise.)
Edit - Also, Cyclone 2.2 is an interesting new freebie engine. (Based on Toga II 1.4 beta 5c, I believe.) A little weaker than Rybka, but maybe by only 50 points or so. And it seems to have better non-tablebase endgame knowledge than Rybka.
19 Nov 08
Originally posted by diskamylThanks for the link. The only problem is I have linux and rybka2.2 is compiled for Windows. Also you get the complete source code with Crafty, which is nice to be able to see if you´re interested in the mechanics of these things. I wasn´t claiming Crafty is particularly strong, but since I didn´t have to pay for it that isn´t a problem.
go to rybkachess.com and download the free rybka 2.2, which is better than all others you have listed.