World Chess Software Championship

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The World Chess Software Championship (WCSC) was an annual event organized by the ICGA, where computer chess engines compete against each other on uniform platform. The World Chess Software Championship was a result of the discussions on the requirements imposts on programs participating in a World Computer Chess Championship. During the preparations for the 17th WCCC in Pamplona there was a long lasting and serious discussion on number of cores to be allowed to participate.

The WCCC and WCSC 2024 in Santiago de Compostela will be the last ones ¹:

* This will be the last WCCC. After 50 years, it's time to declare success. The WCCC started out with ELO 1600 programs and today we have ELO 3600 programs. It's time for a celebration...
* The WCCC will include a special half-day event: Chess: History, Experiments, and Search Symposium (CHESS). We will invite to Spain as many of the early pioneers of computer chess, some of whom participated in Stockholm 1974! We will celebrate the past, present, and future of chess, computing, and AI.

Announcement

In September 2009, the ICGA announced following decision ² :

As a result of this input from the participants the ICGA has decided upon the following for the 2010 WCCC and subsequent years:

1. The World Computer Chess Championship for the Shannon Trophy will be contested by teams who have no Restriction placed on them as to their choice of hardware.
2. A new tournament will be introduced called the "World Chess Software Championship" to be held at the same location and during the same period as the WCCC. This will be a uniform platform event using computers loaned by the host organisation. In each game played in this tournament the two computers will be, so far as is possible, identical with respect to their hardware capabilities: number of cores, processor speed, memory size.
3. Participants may compete in either or both of these tournaments for a single entry fee.
4. The time control for the WCCC will be such as to aim for a 4-hour playing session, namely all moves in 1 hour 45 minutes plus an increment of 15 seconds per move.
5. The time limit for the WCSC will be such as to aim for a 2-hour playing session, namely all moves in 45 minutes plus an increment of 15 seconds per move.
6. The WCCC will be an 11-round Swiss System event if there are more than 12 entries, otherwise an all-play-all event.
7. The number of rounds for the WCSC will be decided according to the number of entries in both events but there will be at least 9 rounds in the WCSC.
8. There will as usual be a rest day for an excursion and time set aside for the speed championship.

David Levy President ICGA

Editions

See also

• Computer Olympiad
• World Computer Chess Championship
• World Microcomputer Chess Championship

Postings

• WCCC 2010 by Harvey Williamson, Hiarcs Forum, September 28, 2009
• 2017 Events in Leiden by Jan Krabbenbos, ICGA, April 22, 2017
• World Computer Chess Championships 2018 – Tournament schedule by Mark Lefler on behalf of David Levy, ICGA, February 25, 2018
• ICGA WCCC and WCSC in Santiago de Compostela CCC, March 06, 2024

References