REBEL was a world champion
chess program
In computer chess, a chess engine is a computer program that analyzes chess or chess variant positions, and generates a move or list of moves that it regards as strongest.
A chess engine is usually a back end with a command-line interface with ...
developed by Ed Schröder. Development of REBEL started in 1980 on a
TRS-80
The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of ...
, and it was ported many times to dedicated hardware and the fastest
microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circu ...
s of the day:
*1980s – Running on a TRS-80,
Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mold ...
, and inside of
Mephisto
Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition.
Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' Méphisto'', a 1931 French film
* ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German-Hungarian film based ...
brand dedicated chess computers, it won the
Dutch open computer chess championship
The Dutch pencomputer chess championship was a chess tournament for computer chess programs held from 1981 to 2012. It was organised yearly by the CSVN (Computer Chess Association of the Netherlands) around October or November.
Champions
:
Refe ...
four times.
*1991 – Ported to the
ARM
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between t ...
ChessMachine
The ChessMachine was a chess computer sold between 1991 and 1995 by TASC (The Advanced Software Company). It was unique at the time for incorporating both an ARM2 coprocessor for the chess engine on an ISA card which plugged into an IBM PC and a ...
and named Gideon, it won the
World Microcomputer Chess Championship
World Computer Chess Championship (WCCC) is an event held periodically since 1974 where computer chess engines compete against each other. The event is organized by the International Computer Games Association. It is often held in conjunction with ...
.
*1992 – Gideon won the
World Computer Chess Championship
World Computer Chess Championship (WCCC) is an event held periodically since 1974 where computer chess engines compete against each other. The event is organized by the International Computer Games Association. It is often held in conjunction with ...
, the first time a microprocessor came ahead of a field of
mainframes
A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterpris ...
,
supercomputers, and custom chess hardware.
*1990s – REBEL was ported to
Microsoft DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
and then
Microsoft Windows and sold commercially
**1997 – REBEL won a match with GM Arthur Yusupov 10.5–6.5, the first successful challenge of a
chess grandmaster
Grandmaster (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is held for life, though exceptionally it has ...
by a commercial program.
**1998 – REBEL won a match with GM
Viswanathan Anand
Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (born 11 December 1969) is an Indian chess grandmaster and a former five-time World Chess Champion. He became the first grandmaster from India in 1988, and is one of the few players to have surpassed an Elo rating ...
5–3 (but lost 0.5–1.5 in the standard time control section of the match). He was rated number two in the world at the time.
*2004 – Ed Schröder retired, releasing the last version of REBEL as the
freeware
Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for t ...
chess engine
In computer chess, a chess engine is a computer program that analyzes chess or chess variant positions, and generates a move or list of moves that it regards as strongest.
A chess engine is usually a back end with a command-line interface with ...
Pro Deo.
External links
Ed's recollection of REBEL's history*
ttp://members.home.nl/matador/Inside%20Rebel.pdf "How REBEL Plays Chess" by Ed Schröder(
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
)
Rebel(Chess Programming Wiki)
Chess engines