How do I learn Chess Programming?

Question

Basically I have seen that people write a lot of chess algorithms, and ask questions in this forum, which I fumble to answer appropriately. I see the code, but unable to make out whether it is correct or not?

I am myself a software professional, but I am unfamiliar with chess algorithms, or coding-related stuff. Could you please help me to suggest where I can learn these things, or I will get the explanations ?

Answer 1

• https://www.chess.com/blog/zaifrun/creating-a-chess-engine-from-scratch-part-1
• http://mediocrechess.blogspot.com (a blog that gives you some ideas how chess engine works)

How you would approach the problem:

• Check out chessprogramming.wikispaces.com. This'll be your reference site.
• Create an account at talkchess.com. All the best engine developers are there. If there's an engine question that you can't find an answer there, you won't find it anywhere else.
• Check out the TSCP engine source code. TSCP is a simpler but working implementation chess engine. Easier to read than Stockfish.
• Do something. Try to write a chess board generator. Check the reference sites above. Study how TSCP does it.
• Compare your PERF results with https://chessprogramming.wikispaces.com/Perft
• Write a simple position evaluation with materials only. Copy the PST table from TSCP or the chessprogramming site.
• Write a simple nega-max and alpha-beta search.
• Read about UCI protocol
• Add transposition table
• Add simple null-move pruning

Answer 2

If you want to check a very simple chess engine written in C (even simpler than TCSP) and beginners oriented you can take a look at Secondchess:

https://github.com/emdio/secondchess

Answer 3

Here are some of my favorite references:

• Bruce Moreland's Site - Clear descriptions of basic chess programming ideas. It doesn't get into the nitty-gritty, but it's a great reference for understanding the high-level ideas.

• ICE Chess Blog - Someone documenting his journey to creating an engine from scratch. It's good for details if you can find the blog post you're looking for.

• Chess Programming Wiki - Basically an encyclopedia of chess programming. IMO the explanations aren't suitable for beginners, but it covers basically everything under the sun.

• Chess Algorithms - A book on chess algorithms written for beginners. DISCLAIMER: I am the author. I hope this does not break any rules regarding self-promotion, especially given that 1. this exactly answers the question 2. it is available for free and 3. I have given my other favorite references.