From: Tord Romstad <tord.romstad <at> gmail <dot> com>
Date: 31 jan 2007
Subject: Re: First draft of the Universal Shogi Interface (USI)

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On 1/31/07, TAKIZAWA Takenobu <takizawa <at> mnc <dot> waseda <dot> ac <dot> jp> wrote:
>
>
> Dear Tord:
>
> I would like to inform you that there is the CSA kifu format
> on our website:
>    http://www.computer-shogi.org/protocol/record_e.html/
>
> Most of Japanese computer shogi programs read/write a kifu
> by this format.  The participants of the WCSCs must provide
> their kifus in this format (they may do after each tournament).
>
> Of course one may use any kifu format inside the program
> and/or for records in local group, but if one plans to
> participate the WCSC, one should prepare to put the kifu
> out by the CSA format.


Dear Takenobu,

Support for the CSA kifu format is of course a requirement in any
shogi software package which wants to be taken seriously,
whether or not participation in the WCSC is planned.  But I want
to implement this functionality in the GUI, not in the engine.  If I
ever participate in the WCSC (I hope I will, perhaps in 2008 or
2009), I intend to let my GUI take care of the communication with
the CSA server, and also of writing kifu files.

In general, one of the goals of my project is to make it easier to
write shogi software. The way things work now, it seems that
everybody has to write not only the intelligent parts of the shogi
engine, but also a GUI (or even several GUIs if the program
should run in more than one OS), opening book code, code for
connecting to and communicating with the CSA server, reading
and writing kifu files (and possibly other formats like PSN), and
so on.  This really shouldn't be necessary.  Most of this
functionality could be moved to the GUI.

Instead of forcing every new shogi programmer to reinvent lots of
wheels, I want to make it possible to write a shogi engine as a
simple command line tool, which does not interact with the
outside world except through standard input and output, and
which can be ported to new operating systems with a simple
recompile.

Best wishes,
Tord


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On 1/31/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">TAKIZAWA Takenobu</b> &lt;<a href="mailto:takizawa <at> mnc <dot> waseda <dot> ac <dot> jp">takizawa@mnc <dot> waseda <dot> ac <dot> jp</a>&gt; wrote:<div><span class="gmail_quote"></span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<br>Dear Tord:<br><br>I would like to inform you that there is the CSA kifu format<br>on our website:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://www.computer-shogi.org/protocol/record_e.html/">http://www.computer-shogi.org/protocol/record_e.html/
</a><br><br>Most of Japanese computer shogi programs read/write a kifu<br>by this format.&nbsp;&nbsp;The participants of the WCSCs must provide<br>their kifus in this format (they may do after each tournament).<br><br>Of course one may use any kifu format inside the program
<br>and/or for records in local group, but if one plans to<br>participate the WCSC, one should prepare to put the kifu<br>out by the CSA format.</blockquote><div><br>Dear Takenobu,<br><br>Support for the CSA kifu format is of course a requirement in any 
<br>shogi software package which wants to be taken seriously, <br>whether or not participation in the WCSC is planned.&nbsp; But I want <br>to implement this functionality in the GUI, not in the engine.&nbsp; If I <br>ever participate in the WCSC (I hope I will, perhaps in 2008 or 
<br>2009), I intend to let my GUI take care of the communication with <br>the CSA server, and also of writing kifu files.<br><br>In general, one of the goals of my project is to make it easier to <br>write shogi software. The way things work now, it seems that 
<br>everybody has to write not only the intelligent parts of the shogi <br>engine, but also a GUI (or even several GUIs if the program <br>should run in more than one OS), opening book code, code for <br>connecting to and communicating with the CSA server, reading
<br>and writing kifu files (and possibly other formats like PSN), and <br>so on.&nbsp; This really shouldn&#39;t be necessary.&nbsp; Most of this <br>functionality could be moved to the GUI.<br><br>Instead of forcing every new shogi programmer to reinvent lots of
<br>wheels, I want to make it possible to write a shogi engine as a <br>simple command line tool,  which does not interact with the <br>outside world except through standard input and output, and <br>which can be ported to new operating systems with a simple
<br>recompile.<br><br>Best wishes,<br>Tord<br><br></div></div><br>

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