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Computer Chess Created In 487 Bytes, Breaks 32-Year-Old Record

Posted by Soulskill on from the go-small-or-go-home dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The record for smallest computer implementation of chess on any platform was held by 1K ZX Chess, which saw a release back in 1983 for the Sinclair ZX81. It uses just 672 bytes of memory, and includes most chess rules as well as a computer component to play against. The 32-year-old record has been beaten this week by the demoscene group Red Sector Inc. They have implemented a fully-playable version of chess called BootChess in just 487 bytes (readme file including source code).

6 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Incredible! by DigitAl56K · · Score: 5, Funny

    Next you'll be telling me you can create operating systems in less than 15GB!

    1. Re:Incredible! by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've noticed that they take a fairly liberal definition of "chess", as they simply discard certain rules, such as en passant pawn capture or castling moves, which are pretty important chess moves. It's a bit hard to argue that this is really "chess" if they just decide to leave out inconvenient rules ("chess lite?"). I probably wouldn't complain about other ommissions such as the 3-repetition rule, but castling?

      Even so, a very cool accomplishment in micro-optimization techniques.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Incredible! by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

      Next you'll be telling me you can create operating systems in less than 15GB!

      If you complain, we'll re-write it in Java and make it 30GB

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    3. Re:Incredible! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I've noticed that they take a fairly liberal definition of "chess", as they simply discard certain rules, such as en passant pawn capture or castling moves, which are pretty important chess moves. It's a bit hard to argue that this is really "chess" if they just decide to leave out inconvenient rules ("chess lite?"). I probably wouldn't complain about other ommissions such as the 3-repetition rule, but castling?

      Hmmm ... Read your history of chess - Modern Chess is a variant called "Mad Queen" - there are more variants of chess than there are of Poker, and just because we have become used to an agreed-upon standard does not invalidate other styles ...

    4. Re:Incredible! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Modern Chess is not now a variant called Mad Queen. It is a standardized game referred to as Chess and understood world-wide.

      Modern chess may have originated in a game that at one time was referred to as "Mad Queen".

  2. Re:"includes most chess rules" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    They have altered the rules. Pray they do not alter it further.