PyChess – A chess program for your Rasp Pi

Online Match

PyChess is suitable for local use, as well as online games. You can log in to FICS by checking the Log on as Guest option when you launch PyChess and then pressing Connect to FICS. PyChess then automatically connects to the FICS server and displays users looking for a chess opponent in a handy display window (Figure 5). Although you can use the FICS server free of charge, registered users receive a rating and are also allowed to participate in online tournaments.

Figure 5: The FICS server hosts online games.

If you fancy one of the entries from the list of search queries as your opponent, you can start a game with this opponent by selecting the corresponding entry in the list and pressing the Accept button at the top right. PyChess now brings up the chessboard, where you can play the game as in the purely local mode. The program logs the game, so you can store and analyze it in the usual way.

Note that the list of searches contains both human players and bots. The program highlights computer opponents with a (C) to the right of the name. To communicate with a human opponent during the game, PyChess offers a simple chat function in the Tools section that you can enable by pressing Show Chat (Figure 6); however, some chat groups are only available to registered visitors.

Figure 6: Chat anyone? No problem with PyChess.

If you want to appear as a chess partner in the search window, simply define your own request. To do so, first enter the kind of chess game you want in the Create Seek section at the bottom (Figure 5). The options include games based on Standard, Lightning, or Blitz rules. You decide on the further details of the game by pressing the small Edit button next to the selected option. For example, you can add time constraints, adjust the opponent's strength, or choose the desired color of your chess pieces (Figure 7). Then, click OK and press Send seek to send your search listing to the virtual billboard.

Figure 7: Choosing the right opponent.

Conclusions

PyChess is one of the most flexible chess clients running on Linux, and it ranks pretty close to its commercial competitors. The software impresses less by optical gimmicks than with a lucid concept and exceptional functionality. Thanks to the well-planned interface, the program is very intuitive. PyChess also offers great flexibility because of its excellent compatibility with the popular chess engines.

Because you have the option of freely defining the starting positions, PyChess is an excellent option for chess puzzles as well as chess games. Finally, PyChess is an excellent choice for online games through the FICS server and thus saves you the trouble of setting up special online software.