Reset

Resets XBoard and the chess engine to the beginning of a new chess game. The `r' key is a keyboard equivalent. In Internet Chess Server mode, clears the current state of XBoard, then resynchronizes with the ICS by sending a refresh command. If you want to stop playing, observing, or examining an ICS game, use an appropriate command from the Action menu, not `Reset'. See Action Menu.

Load Game

Plays a game from a record file. The `g' key is a keyboard equivalent. A popup dialog prompts you for the file name. If the file contains more than one game, a second popup dialog displays a list of games (with information drawn from their PGN tags, if any), and you can select the one you want. Alternatively, you can load the Nth game in the file directly, by typing the number `N' after the file name, separated by a space.

The game file parser will accept PGN (portable game notation), or in fact almost any file that contains moves in algebraic notation. Notation of the form `P@f7' is accepted for piece-drops in bughouse games; this is a nonstandard extension to PGN. If the file includes a PGN position (FEN tag), or an old-style XBoard position diagram bracketed by `[--' and `--]' before the first move, the game starts from that position. Text enclosed in parentheses, square brackets, or curly braces is assumed to be commentary and is displayed in a pop-up window. Any other text in the file is ignored. PGN variations (enclosed in parentheses) are treated as comments; XBoard is not able to walk variation trees. The nonstandard PGN tag [Variant "varname"] functions similarly to the -variant command-line option (see below), allowing games in certain chess variants to be loaded. There is also a heuristic to recognize chess variants from the Event tag, by looking for the strings that the Internet Chess Servers put there when saving variant ("wild") games.

Load Next Game

Loads the next game from the last game record file you loaded. The shifted `N' key is a keyboard equivalent.

Load Previous Game

Loads the previous game from the last game record file you loaded. The shifted `P' key is a keyboard equivalent. Not available if the last game was loaded from a pipe.

Reload Same Game

Reloads the last game you loaded. Not available if the last game was loaded from a pipe.

Save Game

Appends a record of the current game to a file. A popup dialog prompts you for the file name. If the game did not begin with the standard starting position, the game file includes the starting position used. Games are saved in the PGN (portable game notation) format, unless the oldSaveStyle option is true, in which case they are saved in an older format that is specific to XBoard. Both formats are human-readable, and both can be read back by the `Load Game' command. Notation of the form `P@f7' is accepted for piece-drops in bughouse games; this is a nonstandard extension to PGN.

Copy Game

Copies a record of the current game to an internal clipboard in PGN format and sets the X selection to the game text. The game can be pasted to another application (such as a text editor or another copy of XBoard) using that application's paste command. In many X applications, such as xterm and emacs, the middle mouse button can be used for pasting; in XBoard, you must use the Paste Game command.

Paste Game

Interprets the current X selection as a game record and loads it, as with Load Game.

Load Position

Sets up a position from a position file. A popup dialog prompts you for the file name. If the file contains more than one saved position, and you want to load the Nth one, type the number N after the file name, separated by a space. Position files must be in FEN (Forsythe-Edwards notation), or in the format that the Save Position command writes when oldSaveStyle is turned on.

Load Next Position

Loads the next position from the last position file you loaded.

Load Previous Position

Loads the previous position from the last position file you loaded. Not available if the last position was loaded from a pipe.

Reload Same Position

Reloads the last position you loaded. Not available if the last position was loaded from a pipe.

Save Position

Appends a diagram of the current position to a file. A popup dialog prompts you for the file name. Positions are saved in FEN (Forsythe-Edwards notation) format unless the `oldSaveStyle' option is true, in which case they are saved in an older, human-readable format that is specific to XBoard. Both formats can be read back by the `Load Position' command.

Copy Position

Copies the current position to an internal clipboard in FEN format and sets the X selection to the position text. The position can be pasted to another application (such as a text editor or another copy of XBoard) using that application's paste command. In many X applications, such as xterm and emacs, the middle mouse button can be used for pasting; in XBoard, you must use the Paste Position command.

Paste Position

Interprets the current X selection as a FEN position and loads it, as with Load Position.

Mail Move

Reload CMail Message

See CMail.

Exit

Exits from XBoard. The shifted `Q' key is a keyboard equivalent.

Machine White

Tells the chess engine to play White.

Machine Black

Tells the chess engine to play Black.

Two Machines

Plays a game between two chess engines.

Analysis Mode

XBoard tells the chess engine to start analyzing the current game/position and shows you the analysis as you move pieces around. Note: Some chess engines do not support Analysis mode.

To set up a position to analyze, you do the following:

1. Select Edit Position from the Mode Menu

2. Set up the position. Use the middle and right buttons to bring up the white and black piece menus.

3. When you are finished, click on either the Black or White clock to tell XBoard which side moves first.

4. Select Analysis Mode from the Mode Menu to start the analysis.

Analyze File

This option lets you load a game from a file (PGN, XBoard format, etc.) and analyze it. When you select this menu item, a popup window appears and asks for a filename to load. If the file contains multiple games, another popup appears that lets you select which game you wish to analyze. After a game is loaded, use the XBoard arrow buttons to step forwards/backwards through the game and watch the analysis. Note: Some chess engines do not support Analysis mode.

ICS Client

This is the normal mode when XBoard is connected to a chess server. If you have moved into Edit Game or Edit Position mode, you can select this option to get out.

To use xboard in ICS mode, run it in the foreground with the -ics option, and use the terminal you started it from to type commands and receive text responses from the chess server. See Chess Servers below for more information.

XBoard activates some special position/game editing features when you use the `examine' or `bsetup' commands on ICS and you have `ICS Client' selected on the Mode menu. First, you can issue the ICS position-editing commands with the mouse. Move pieces by dragging with mouse button 1. To drop a new piece on a square, press mouse button 2 or 3 over the square. This brings up a menu of white pieces (button 2) or black pieces (button 3). Additional menu choices let you empty the square or clear the board. Click on the White or Black clock to set the side to play. You cannot set the side to play or drag pieces to arbitrary squares while examining on ICC, but you can do so in `bsetup' mode on FICS. In addition, the menu commands `Forward', `Backward', `Pause', and `Stop Examining' have special functions in this mode; see below.

Edit Game

Allows you to make moves for both Black and White, and to change moves after backing up with the `Backward' command. The clocks do not run.

In chess engine mode, the chess engine continues to check moves for legality but does not participate in the game. You can bring the chess engine into the game by selecting `Machine White', `Machine Black', or `Two Machines'.

In ICS mode, the moves are not sent to the ICS: `Edit Game' takes XBoard out of ICS Client mode and lets you edit games locally. If you want to edit games on ICS in a way that other ICS users can see, use the ICS `examine' command or start an ICS match against yourself.

Edit Position

Lets you set up an arbitrary board position. Use mouse button 1 to drag pieces to new squares, or to delete a piece by dragging it off the board or dragging an empty square on top of it. To drop a new piece on a square, press mouse button 2 or 3 over the square. This brings up a menu of white pieces (button 2) or black pieces (button 3). Additional menu choices let you empty the square or clear the board. You can set the side to play next by clicking on the word White or Black at the top of the screen. Selecting `Edit Position' causes XBoard to discard all remembered moves in the current game.

In ICS mode, changes made to the position by `Edit Position' are not sent to the ICS: `Edit Position' takes XBoard out of `ICS Client' mode and lets you edit positions locally. If you want to edit positions on ICS in a way that other ICS users can see, use the ICS `examine' command, or start an ICS match against yourself. (See also the ICS Client topic above.)

Training

Training mode lets you interactively guess the moves of a game for one of the players. You guess the next move of the game by playing the move on the board. If the move played matches the next move of the game, the move is accepted and the opponent's response is autoplayed. If the move played is incorrect, an error message is displayed. You can select this mode only while loading a game (that is, after selecting `Load Game' from the File menu). While XBoard is in `Training' mode, the navigation buttons are disabled.

Show Game List

Shows or hides the list of games generated by the last `Load Game' command.

Edit Tags

Lets you edit the PGN (portable game notation) tags for the current game. After editing, the tags must still conform to the PGN tag syntax:

    <tag-section> ::= <tag-pair> <tag-section>
                            <empty>
    <tag-pair> ::= [ <tag-name> <tag-value> ]
    <tag-name> ::= <identifier>
    <tag-value> ::= <string>

See the PGN Standard for full details. Here is an example:

    [Event "Portoroz Interzonal"]
    [Site "Portoroz, Yugoslavia"]
    [Date "1958.08.16"]
    [Round "8"]
    [White "Robert J. Fischer"]
    [Black "Bent Larsen"]
    [Result "1-0"]

Any characters that do not match this syntax are silently ignored. Note that the PGN standard requires all games to have at least the seven tags shown above. Any that you omit will be filled in by XBoard with `?' (unknown value), or `-' (inapplicable value).

Edit Comment

Adds or modifies a comment on the current position. Comments are saved by `Save Game' and are displayed by `Load Game', `Forward', and `Backward'.

ICS Input Box

If this option is set in ICS mode, XBoard creates an extra window that you can use for typing in ICS commands. The input box is especially useful if you want to type in something long or do some editing on your input, because output from ICS doesn't get mixed in with your typing as it would in the main terminal window.

Pause

Pauses updates to the board, and if you are playing against a chess engine, also pauses your clock. To continue, select `Pause' again, and the display will automatically update to the latest position. The `P' button and keyboard `p' key are equivalents.

If you select Pause when you are playing against a chess engine and it is not your move, the chess engine's clock will continue to run and it will eventually make a move, at which point both clocks will stop. Since board updates are paused, however, you will not see the move until you exit from Pause mode (or select Forward). This behavior is meant to simulate adjournment with a sealed move.

If you select Pause while you are observing or examining a game on a chess server, you can step backward and forward in the current history of the examined game without affecting the other observers and examiners, and without having your display jump forward to the latest position each time a move is made. Select Pause again to reconnect yourself to the current state of the game on ICS.

If you select `Pause' while you are loading a game, the game stops loading. You can load more moves manually by selecting `Forward', or resume automatic loading by selecting `Pause' again.

Accept

Accepts a pending match offer. If there is more than one offer pending, you will have to type in a more specific command instead of using this menu choice.

Decline

Declines a pending offer (match, draw, adjourn, etc.). If there is more than one offer pending, you will have to type in a more specific command instead of using this menu choice.

Call Flag

Calls your opponent's flag, claiming a win on time, or claiming a draw if you are both out of time. You can also call your opponent's flag by clicking on his clock or by pressing the keyboard `t' key.

Draw

Offers a draw to your opponent, accepts a pending draw offer from your opponent, or claims a draw by repetition or the 50-move rule, as appropriate. The `d' key is a keyboard equivalent.

Adjourn

Asks your opponent to agree to adjourning the current game, or agrees to a pending adjournment offer from your opponent.

Abort

Asks your opponent to agree to aborting the current game, or agrees to a pending abort offer from your opponent. An aborted game ends immediately without affecting either player's rating.

Resign

Resigns the game to your opponent. The shifted `R' key is a keyboard equivalent.

Stop Observing

Ends your participation in observing a game, by issuing the ICS observe command with no arguments. ICS mode only.

Stop Examining

Ends your participation in examining a game, by issuing the ICS unexamine command. ICS mode only.

Backward

Steps backward through a series of remembered moves. The `[<]' button and the `b' key are equivalents. In addition, pressing the Control key steps back one move, and releasing it steps forward again.

In most modes, `Backward' only lets you look back at old positions; it does not retract moves. This is the case if you are playing against a chess engine, playing or observing a game on an ICS, or loading a game. If you select `Backward' in any of these situations, you will not be allowed to make a different move. Use `Retract Move' or `Edit Game' if you want to change past moves.

If you are examining an ICS game, the behavior of `Backward' depends on whether XBoard is in Pause mode. If Pause mode is off, `Backward' issues the ICS backward command, which backs up everyone's view of the game and allows you to make a different move. If Pause mode is on, `Backward' only backs up your local view.

Forward

Steps forward through a series of remembered moves (undoing the effect of `Backward') or forward through a game file. The `[>]' button and the `f' key are equivalents.

If you are examining an ICS game, the behavior of Forward depends on whether XBoard is in Pause mode. If Pause mode is off, `Forward' issues the ICS forward command, which moves everyone's view of the game forward along the current line. If Pause mode is on, `Forward' only moves your local view forward, and it will not go past the position that the game was in when you paused.

Back to Start

Jumps backward to the first remembered position in the game. The `[<<]' button and the shifted `B' key are equivalents.

In most modes, Back to Start only lets you look back at old positions; it does not retract moves. This is the case if you are playing against a local chess engine, playing or observing a game on a chess server, or loading a game. If you select `Back to Start' in any of these situations, you will not be allowed to make different moves. Use `Retract Move' or `Edit Game' if you want to change past moves; or use Reset to start a new game.

If you are examining an ICS game, the behavior of @samp{Back to Start} depends on whether XBoard is in Pause mode. If Pause mode is off, `Back to Start' issues the ICS `backward 999999' command, which backs up everyone's view of the game to the start and allows you to make different moves. If Pause mode is on, @samp{Back to Start} only backs up your local view.

Forward to End

Jumps forward to the last remembered position in the game. The `[>>]' button and the shifted `F' key are equivalents.

If you are examining an ICS game, the behavior of @samp{Forward to End} depends on whether XBoard is in Pause mode. If Pause mode is off, `Forward to End' issues the ICS `forward 999999' command, which moves everyone's view of the game forward to the end of the current line. If Pause mode is on, `Forward to End' only moves your local view forward, and it will not go past the position that the game was in when you paused.

Revert

If you are examining an ICS game and Pause mode is off, issues the ICS command `revert'.

Truncate Game

Discards all remembered moves of the game beyond the current position. Puts XBoard into `Edit Game' mode if it was not there already.

Move Now

Forces the chess engine to move immediately. Chess engine mode only.

Retract Move

Retracts your last move. In chess engine mode, you can do this only after the chess engine has replied to your move; if the chess engine is still thinking, use `Move Now' first. In ICS mode, `Retract Move' issues the command `takeback 1' or `takeback 2' depending on whether it is your opponent's move or yours.

Always Queen

If this option is off, XBoard brings up a dialog box whenever you move a pawn to the last rank, asking what piece you want to promote it to. If the option is true, your pawns are always promoted to queens. Your opponent can still underpromote.

Animate Dragging

If Animate Dragging is on, while you are dragging a piece with the mouse, an image of the piece follows the mouse cursor. If Animate Dragging is off, there is no visual feedback while you are dragging a piece, but if Animate Moving is on, the move will be animated when it is complete.

Animate Moving

If Animate Moving is on, all piece moves are animated. An image of the piece is shown moving from the old square to the new square when the move is completed (unless the move was already animated by Animate Dragging). If Animate Moving is off, a moved piece instantly disappears from its old square and reappears on its new square when the move is complete.

Auto Comment

If this option is on, any remarks made on ICS while you are observing or playing a game are recorded as a comment on the current move. This includes remarks made with the ICS commands `say', `tell', `whisper', and `kibitz'. Limitation: remarks that you type yourself are not recognized; XBoard scans only the output from ICS, not the input you type to it.

Auto Flag

If this option is on and one player runs out of time before the other, XBoard will automatically call his flag, claiming a win on time. In ICS mode, Auto Flag will only call your opponent's flag, not yours, and the ICS may award you a draw instead of a win if you have insufficient mating material. In local chess engine mode, XBoard may call either player's flag and will not take material into account.

Auto Flip View

If the Auto Flip View option is on when you start a game, the board will be automatically oriented so that your pawns move from the bottom of the window towards the top.

Auto Observe

If this option is on and you add a player to your `gnotify' list on ICS, XBoard will automatically observe all of that player's games, unless you are doing something else (such as observing or playing a game of your own) when one starts. The games are displayed from the point of view of the player on your gnotify list; that is, his pawns move from the bottom of the window towards the top. Exceptions: If both players in a game are on your gnotify list, if your ICS `highlight' variable is set to 0, or if the ICS you are using does not properly support observing from Black's point of view, you will see the game from White's point of view.

Auto Raise Board

If this option is on, whenever a new game begins, the chessboard window is deiconized (if necessary) and raised to the top of the stack of windows.

Auto Save

If this option is true, at the end of every game XBoard prompts you for a file name and appends a record of the game to the file you specify. Disabled if the `saveGameFile' command-line option is set, as in that case all games are saved to the specified file. See Load and Save options.

Blindfold

If this option is on, XBoard displays the board as usual but does not display pieces or move highlights. You can still move in the usual way (with the mouse or by typing moves in ICS mode), even though the pieces are invisible.

Flash Moves

If this option is on, whenever a move is completed, the moved piece flashes. The number of times to flash is set by the flashCount command-line option; it defaults to 3 if Flash Moves is first turned on from the menu.

Flip View

Inverts your view of the chess board for the duration of the current game. Starting a new game returns the board to normal. The `v' key is a keyboard equivalent.

If you are playing a game on an ICS, the board is always oriented at the start of the game so that your pawns move from the bottom of the window towards the top. Otherwise, the starting orientation is determined by the `flipView' command line option; if it is false (the default), White's pawns move from bottom to top at the start of each game; if it is true, Black's pawns move from bottom to top. See User interface options.

Get Move List

If this option is on, whenever XBoard receives the first board of a new ICS game (or a different game from the one it is currently displaying), it retrieves the list of past moves from the ICS. You can then review the moves with the `Forward' and `Backward' commands or save them with `Save Game'. You might want to turn off this option if you are observing several blitz games at once, to keep from wasting time and network bandwidth fetching the move lists over and over. When you turn this option on from the menu, XBoard immediately fetches the move list of the current game (if any).

Highlight Last Move

If Highlight Last Move is on, after a move is made, the starting and ending squares remain highlighted. In addition, after you use Backward or Back to Start, the starting and ending squares of the last move to be unmade are highlighted.

Move Sound

If this option is on, XBoard alerts you by playing a sound after each of your opponent's moves (or after every move if you are observing a game on the Internet Chess Server). The sound is not played after moves you make or moves read from a saved game file. By default, the sound is the terminal bell, but on some systems you can change it to a sound file using the soundMove option; see below.

If you turn on this option when using XBoard with the Internet Chess Server, you will probably want to give the `set bell 0' command to the ICS, since otherwise the ICS will ring the terminal bell after every move (not just yours). (The `.icsrc' file is a good place for this; see ICS options.)

ICS Alarm

When this option is on, an alarm sound is played when your clock counts down to the icsAlarmTime (by default, 5 seconds) in an ICS game. For games with time controls that include an increment, the alarm will sound each time the clock counts down to the icsAlarmTime. By default, the alarm sound is the terminal bell, but on some systems you can change it to a sound file using the soundIcsAlarm option; see below.

Old Save Style

If this option is off, XBoard saves games in PGN (portable game notation) and positions in FEN (Forsythe-Edwards notation). If the option is on, a save style that is compatible with older versions of XBoard is used instead. The old position style is more human-readable than FEN; the old game style has no particular advantages.

Periodic Updates

If this option is off (or if you are using a chess engine that does not support periodic updates), the analysis window will only be updated when the analysis changes. If this option is on, the Analysis Window will be updated every two seconds.

Ponder Next Move

If this option is off, the chess engine will think only when it is on move. If the option is on, the engine will also think while waiting for you to make your move.

Popup Exit Message

If this option is on, when XBoard wants to display a message just before exiting, it brings up a modal dialog box and waits for you to click OK before exiting. If the option is off, XBoard prints the message to standard error (the terminal) and exits immediately.

Popup Move Errors

If this option is off, when you make an error in moving (such as attempting an illegal move or moving the wrong color piece), the error message is displayed in the message area. If the option is on, move errors are displayed in small popup windows like other errors. You can dismiss an error popup either by clicking its OK button or by clicking anywhere on the board, including downclicking to start a move.

Premove

If this option is on while playing a game on an ICS, you can register your next planned move before it is your turn. Move the piece with the mouse in the ordinary way, and the starting and ending squares will be highlighted with a special color (red by default). When it is your turn, if your registered move is legal, XBoard will send it to ICS immediately; if not, it will be ignored and you can make a different move. If you change your mind about your premove, either make a different move, or double-click on any piece to cancel the move entirely.

Quiet Play

If this option is on, XBoard will automatically issue an ICS `set shout 0' command whenever you start a game and a `set shout 1' command whenever you finish one. Thus, you will not be distracted by shouts from other ICS users while playing.

Show Coords

If this option is on, XBoard displays algebraic coordinates along the board's left and bottom edges.

Show Thinking

If this option is set, the chess engine's notion of the score and best line of play from the current position is displayed as it is thinking. The score indicates how many pawns ahead (or if negative, behind) the chess engine thinks it is. In matches between two machines, the score is prefixed by `W' or `B' to indicate whether it is showing White's thinking or Black's, and only the thinking of the engine that is on move is shown.

Test Legality

If this option is on, XBoard tests whether the moves you try to make with the mouse are legal and refuses to let you make an illegal move. Moves loaded from a file with `Load Game' are also checked. If the option is off, all moves are accepted, but if a local chess engine or the ICS is active, they will still reject illegal moves. Turning off this option is useful if you are playing a chess variant with rules that XBoard does not understand. (Bughouse, suicide, and wild variants where the king may castle after starting on the d file are generally supported with Test Legality on.)

Info XBoard

Displays the XBoard documentation in info format. For this feature to work, you must have the GNU info program installed on your system, and the file `xboard.info' must either be present in the current working directory, or have been installed by the `make install' command when you built XBoard.

Man XBoard

Displays the XBoard documentation in man page format. For this feature to work, the file `xboard.6' must have been installed by the `make install' command when you built XBoard, and the directory it was placed in must be on the search path for your system's `man' command.

Hint

Displays a move hint from the chess engine.

Book

Displays a list of possible moves from the chess engine's opening book. The exact format depends on what chess engine you are using. With GNU Chess 4, the first column gives moves, the second column gives one possible response for each move, and the third column shows the number of lines in the book that include the move from the first column. If you select this option and nothing happens, the chess engine is out of its book or does not support this feature.

About XBoard

Shows the current XBoard version number.

Iconize

Pressing the `i' or `c' key iconizes XBoard. The graphical icon displays a white knight if it is White's move, or a black knight if it is Black's move. If your X window manager displays only text icons, not graphical ones, check its documentation; there is probably a way to enable graphical icons. If you get black and white reversed, we would like to hear about it; see Problems below for instructions on how to report this problem.

You can add or remove shortcut keys using the X resources `form.translations'. Here is an example of what would go in your `.Xdefaults' file:

    XBoard*form.translations: \
      Shift<Key>?: AboutGameProc() \n\
      <Key>y: AcceptProc() \n\
      <Key>n: DeclineProc() \n\
      <Key>i: NothingProc()

Binding a key to `NothingProc' makes it do nothing, thus removing it as a shortcut key. The XBoard commands that can be bound to keys are:

    AbortProc, AboutGameProc, AboutProc, AcceptProc, AdjournProc,
    AlwaysQueenProc, AnalysisModeProc, AnalyzeFileProc,
    AnimateDraggingProc, AnimateMovingProc, AutobsProc, AutoflagProc,
    AutoflipProc, AutoraiseProc, AutosaveProc, BackwardProc,
    BlindfoldProc, BookProc, CallFlagProc, CopyGameProc, CopyPositionProc,
    DebugProc, DeclineProc, DrawProc, EditCommentProc, EditGameProc,
    EditPositionProc, EditTagsProc, EnterKeyProc, FlashMovesProc,
    FlipViewProc, ForwardProc, GetMoveListProc, HighlightLastMoveProc,
    HintProc, Iconify, IcsAlarmProc, IcsClientProc, IcsInputBoxProc,
    InfoProc, LoadGameProc, LoadNextGameProc, LoadNextPositionProc,
    LoadPositionProc, LoadPrevGameProc, LoadPrevPositionProc,
    LoadSelectedProc, MachineBlackProc, MachineWhiteProc, MailMoveProc,
    ManProc, MoveNowProc, MoveSoundProc, NothingProc, OldSaveStyleProc,
    PasteGameProc, PastePositionProc, PauseProc, PeriodicUpdatesProc,
    PonderNextMoveProc, PopupExitMessageProc, PopupMoveErrorsProc,
    PremoveProc, QuietPlayProc, QuitProc, ReloadCmailMsgProc,
    ReloadGameProc, ReloadPositionProc, RematchProc, ResetProc,
    ResignProc, RetractMoveProc, RevertProc, SaveGameProc,
    SavePositionProc, ShowCoordsProc, ShowGameListProc, ShowThinkingProc,
    StopExaminingProc, StopObservingProc, TestLegalityProc, ToEndProc,
    ToStartProc, TrainingProc, TruncateGameProc, and TwoMachinesProc.

-tc or -timeControl minutes[:seconds]

Each player begins with his clock set to the `timeControl' period. Default: 5 minutes. The additional options `movesPerSession' and `timeIncrement' are mutually exclusive.

-mps or -movesPerSession moves

When both players have made `movesPerSession' moves, a new `timeControl' period is added to both clocks. Default: 40 moves.

-inc or -timeIncrement seconds

If this option is specified, `movesPerSession' is ignored. Instead, after each player's move, `timeIncrement' seconds are added to his clock. Use `-inc 0' if you want to require the entire game to be played in one `timeControl' period, with no increment. Default: -1, which specifies `movesPerSession' mode.

-clock/-xclock or -clockMode true/false

Determines whether or not to display the chess clocks. If clockMode is false, the clocks are not shown, but the side that is to play next is still highlighted. Also, unless `searchTime' is set, the chess engine still keeps track of the clock time and uses it to determine how fast to make its moves.

-st or -searchTime minutes[:seconds]

Tells the chess engine to spend at most the given amount of time searching for each of its moves. Without this option, the chess engine chooses its search time based on the number of moves and amount of time remaining until the next time control. Setting this option also sets clockMode to false.

-depth or -searchDepth number

Tells the chess engine to look ahead at most the given number of moves when searching for a move to make. Without this option, the chess engine chooses its search depth based on the number of moves and amount of time remaining until the next time control. With the option, the engine will cut off its search early if it reaches the specified depth.

-thinking/-xthinking or -showThinking true/false

Sets the Show Thinking option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-ponder/-xponder or -ponderNextMove true/false

Sets the Ponder Next Move menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-mg or -matchGames n

Automatically runs an n-game match between two chess engines, with alternating colors. If the `loadGameFile' or `loadPositionFile' option is set, XBoard starts each game with the given opening moves or the given position; otherwise, the games start with the standard initial chess position. If the `saveGameFile' option is set, a move record for the match is appended to the specified file. If the `savePositionFile' option is set, the final position reached in each game of the match is appended to the specified file. When the match is over, XBoard displays the match score and exits. Default: 0 (do not run a match).

-mm/-xmm or -matchMode true/false

Setting `matchMode' to true is equivalent to setting `matchGames' to 1.

-fcp or -firstChessProgram program

Name of first chess engine. Default: `gnuchessx'.

-scp or -secondChessProgram program

Name of second chess engine, if needed. A second chess engine is started only in Two Machines (match) mode. Default: `gnuchessx'.

-fb/-xfb or -firstPlaysBlack true/false

In games between two chess engines, firstChessProgram normally plays white. If this option is true, firstChessProgram plays black. In a multi-game match, this option affects the colors only for the first game; they still alternate in subsequent games.

-fh or -firstHost host

-sh or -secondHost host

Hosts on which the chess engines are to run. The default for each is `localhost'. If you specify another host, XBoard uses `rsh' to run the chess engine there. (You can substitute a different remote shell program for rsh using the `remoteShell' option described below.)

-fd or -firstDirectory dir

-sd or -secondDirectory dir

Working directories in which the chess engines are to be run. The default is "", which means to run the chess engine in the same working directory as XBoard itself. (See the CHESSDIR environment variable.) This option is effective only when the chess engine is being run on the local host; it does not work if the engine is run remotely using the -fh or -sh option.

-initString string

-secondInitString string

The string that is sent to initialize each chess engine for a new game. Default:

    new
    random

Setting this option from the command line is tricky, because you must type in real newline characters, including one at the very end. In most shells you can do this by entering a `\' character followed by a newline. It is easier to set the option from your `.Xdefaults' file; in that case you can include the character sequence `\n' in the string, and it will be converted to a newline.

If you change this option, don't remove the `new' command; it is required by all chess engines to start a new game.

You can remove the `random' command if you like; including it causes GNU Chess 4 to randomize its move selection slightly so that it doesn't play the same moves in every game. Even without `random', GNU Chess 4 randomizes its choice of moves from its opening book. Many other chess engines ignore this command entirely and always (or never) randomize.

You can also try adding other commands to the initString; see the documentation of the chess engine you are using for details.

-firstComputerString string

-secondComputerString string

The string that is sent to the chess engine if its opponent is another computer chess engine. The default is `computer\n'. Probably the only useful alternative is the empty string (`'), which keeps the engine from knowing that it is playing another computer.

-reuse/-xreuse or -reuseFirst true/false

-reuse2/-xreuse2 or -reuseSecond true/false

If the option is false, XBoard kills off the chess engine after every game and starts it again for the next game. If the option is true (the default), XBoard starts the chess engine only once and uses it repeatedly to play multiple games. Some old chess engines may not work properly when reuse is turned on, but otherwise games will start faster if it is left on.

-firstProtocolVersion version-number

-secondProtocolVersion version-number

This option specifies which version of the chess engine communication protocol to use. By default, version-number is 2. In version 1, the "protover" command is not sent to the engine; since version 1 is a subset of version 2, nothing else changes. Other values for version-number are not supported.

-ics/-xics or -internetChessServerMode true/false

Connect with an Internet Chess Server to play chess against its other users, observe games they are playing, or review games that have recently finished. Default: false.

-icshost or -internetChessServerHost host

The Internet host name or address of the chess server to connect to when in ICS mode. Default: `chessclub.com'. Another popular chess server to try is `freechess.org'. If your site doesn't have a working Internet name server, try specifying the host address in numeric form. You may also need to specify the numeric address when using the icshelper option with timestamp or timeseal (see below).

-icsport or -internetChessServerPort port-number

The port number to use when connecting to a chess server in ICS mode. Default: 5000.

-icshelper or -internetChessServerHelper prog-name

An external helper program used to communicate with the chess server. You would set it to "timestamp" for ICC (chessclub.com) or "timeseal" for FICS (freechess.org), after obtaining the correct version of timestamp or timeseal for your computer. See "help timestamp" on ICC and "help timeseal" on FICS. This option is shorthand for `-useTelnet -telnetProgram program'.

-telnet/-xtelnet or -useTelnet true/false

This option is poorly named; it should be called useHelper. If set to true, it instructs XBoard to run an external program to communicate with the Internet Chess Server. The program to use is given by the telnetProgram option. If the option is false (the default), XBoard opens a TCP socket and uses its own internal implementation of the telnet protocol to communicate with the ICS. See Firewalls.

-telnetProgram prog-name

This option is poorly named; it should be called helperProgram. It gives the name of the telnet program to be used with the `gateway' and `useTelnet' options. The default is `telnet'. The telnet program is invoked with the value of `internetChessServerHost' as its first argument and the value of `internetChessServerPort' as its second argument. See Firewalls.

-gateway host-name

If this option is set to a host name, XBoard communicates with the Internet Chess Server by using `rsh' to run the `telnetProgram' on the given host, instead of using its own internal implementation of the telnet protocol. You can substitute a different remote shell program for `rsh' using the `remoteShell' option described below. See Firewalls.

-internetChessServerCommPort or -icscomm dev-name

If this option is set, XBoard communicates with the ICS through the given character I/O device instead of opening a TCP connection. Use this option if your system does not have any kind of Internet connection itself (not even a SLIP or PPP connection), but you do have dialup access (or a hardwired terminal line) to an Internet service provider from which you can telnet to the ICS.

The support for this option in XBoard is minimal. You need to set all communication parameters and tty modes before you enter XBoard.

Use a script something like this:

    stty raw -echo 9600 > /dev/tty00
    xboard -ics -icscomm /dev/tty00

Here replace `/dev/tty00' with the name of the device that your modem is connected to. You might have to add several more options to these stty commands. See the man pages for `stty' and `tty' if you run into problems. Also, on many systems stty works on its standard input instead of standard output, so you have to use `<' instead of `>'.

If you are using linux, try starting with the script below. Change it as necessary for your installation.

    #!/bin/sh -f
    # configure modem and fire up XBoard
    
    # configure modem
    (
      stty 2400 ; stty raw ; stty hupcl ; stty -clocal
      stty ignbrk ; stty ignpar ; stty ixon ; stty ixoff
      stty -iexten ; stty -echo
    ) < /dev/modem
    xboard -ics -icscomm /dev/modem

After you start XBoard in this way, type whatever commands are necessary to dial out to your Internet provider and log in. Then telnet to ICS, using a command like `telnet chessclub.com 5000'. Important: See the paragraph below about extra echoes, in Limitations.

-icslogon or -internetChessServerLogonScript file-name

Whenever XBoard connects to the Internet Chess Server, if it finds a file with the name given in this option, it feeds the file's contents to the ICS as commands. The default file name is `.icsrc'. Usually the first two lines of the file should be your ICS user name and password. The file can be either in $CHESSDIR, in XBoard's working directory if CHESSDIR is not set, or in your home directory.

-msLoginDelay delay

If you experience trouble logging on to an ICS when using the `-icslogon' option, inserting some delay between characters of the logon script may help. This option adds `delay' milliseconds of delay between characters. Good values to try are 100 and 250.

-icsinput/-xicsinput or -internetChessServerInputBox true/false

Sets the ICS Input Box menu option. See Mode Menu. Default: false.

-autocomm/-xautocomm or -autoComment true/false

Sets the Auto Comment menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-autoflag/-xautoflag or -autoCallFlag true/false

Sets the Auto Flag menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-autobs/-xautobs or -autoObserve true/false

Sets the Auto Observe menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-moves/-xmoves or -getMoveList true/false

Sets the Get Move List menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-alarm/-xalarm or -icsAlarm true/false

Sets the ICS Alarm menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-icsAlarmTime ms

Sets the time in milliseconds for the ICS Alarm menu option. See Options Menu. Default: 5000.

-pre/-xpre \fRor\fB -premove true/false

Sets the Premove menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-quiet/-xquiet or -quietPlay true/false

Sets the Quiet Play menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-colorizeMessages or -colorize

Setting colorizeMessages to true tells XBoard to colorize the messages received from the ICS. Colorization works only if your xterm supports ISO 6429 escape sequences for changing text colors.

-colorShout foreground,background,bold

-colorSShout foreground,background,bold

-colorChannel1 foreground,background,bold

-colorChannel foreground,background,bold

-colorKibitz foreground,background,bold

-colorTell foreground,background,bold

-colorChallege foreground,background,bold

-colorRequest foreground,background,bold

-colorSeek foreground,background,bold

-colorNormal foreground,background,bold

These options set the colors used when colorizing ICS messages. All ICS messages are grouped into one of these categories: shout, sshout, channel 1, other channel, kibitz, tell, challenge, request (including abort, adjourn, draw, pause, and takeback), or normal (all other messages).

Each foreground or background argument can be one of the following: black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, white, or default. Here ``default'' means the default foreground or background color of your xterm. Bold can be 1 or 0. If background is omitted, ``default'' is assumed; if bold is omitted, 0 is assumed.

Here is an example of how to set the colors in your `.Xdefaults' file. The colors shown here are the default values; you will get them if you turn `-colorize' on without specifying your own colors.

    xboard*colorizeMessages: true	
    xboard*colorShout: green
    xboard*colorSShout: green, black, 1
    xboard*colorChannel1: cyan
    xboard*colorChannel: cyan, black, 1
    xboard*colorKibitz: magenta, black, 1
    xboard*colorTell: yellow, black, 1
    xboard*colorChallenge: red, black, 1
    xboard*colorRequest: red
    xboard*colorSeek: blue
    xboard*colorNormal: default

-soundProgram progname

If this option is set to a sound-playing program that is installed and working on your system, XBoard can play sound files when certain events occur, listed below. The default program name is "play". If any of the sound options is set to "$", the event rings the terminal bell by sending a ^G character to standard output, instead of playing a sound file. If an option is set to the empty string "", no sound is played for that event.

-soundShout filename

-soundSShout filename

-soundChannel filename

-soundKibitz filename

-soundTell filename

-soundChallenge filename

-soundRequest filename

-soundSeek filename

These sounds are triggered in the same way as the colorization events described above. They all default to "", no sound. They are played only if the colorizeMessages is on.

-soundMove filename

This sound is used by the Move Sound menu option. Default: "$".

-soundIcsAlarm filename

This sound is used by the ICS Alarm menu option. Default: "$".

-soundIcsWin filename

This sound is played when you win an ICS game. Default: "" (no sound).

-soundIcsLoss filename

This sound is played when you lose an ICS game. Default: "" (no sound).

-soundIcsDraw filename

This sound is played when you draw an ICS game. Default: "" (no sound).

-soundIcsUnfinished filename

This sound is played when an ICS game that you are participating in is aborted, adjourned, or otherwise ends inconclusively. Default: "" (no sound).

Here is an example of how to set the sounds in your .Xdefaults file:

    xboard*soundShout: shout.wav
    xboard*soundSShout: sshout.wav
    xboard*soundChannel1: channel1.wav
    xboard*soundChannel: channel.wav
    xboard*soundKibitz: kibitz.wav
    xboard*soundTell: tell.wav
    xboard*soundChallenge: challenge.wav
    xboard*soundRequest: request.wav
    xboard*soundSeek: seek.wav
    xboard*soundMove: move.wav
    xboard*soundIcsWin: win.wav
    xboard*soundIcsLoss: lose.wav
    xboard*soundIcsDraw: draw.wav
    xboard*soundIcsUnfinished: unfinished.wav
    xboard*soundIcsAlarm: alarm.wav

-lgf or -loadGameFile file

-lgi or -loadGameIndex index

If the `loadGameFile' option is set, XBoard loads the specified game file at startup. The file name `-' specifies the standard input. If there is more than one game in the file, XBoard pops up a menu of the available games, with entries based on their PGN (Portable Game Notation) tags. If the `loadGameIndex' option is set to `N', the menu is suppressed and the N th game found in the file is loaded immediately. The menu is also suppressed if `matchMode' is enabled or if the game file is a pipe; in these cases the first game in the file is loaded immediately. Use the `pxboard' shell script provided with XBoard if you want to pipe in files containing multiple games and still see the menu.

-td or -timeDelay seconds

Time delay between moves during `Load Game'. Fractional seconds are allowed; try `-td 0.4'. A time delay value of -1 tells XBoard not to step through game files automatically. Default: 1 second.

-sgf or -saveGameFile file

If this option is set, XBoard appends a record of every game played to the specified file. The file name `-' specifies the standard output.

-autosave/-xautosave or -autoSaveGames true/false

Sets the Auto Save menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false. Ignored if `saveGameFile' is set.

-lpf or -loadPositionFile file

-lpi or -loadPositionIndex index

If the `loadPositionFile' option is set, XBoard loads the specified position file at startup. The file name `-' specifies the standard input. If the `loadPositionIndex' option is set to N, the Nth position found in the file is loaded; otherwise the first position is loaded.

-spf or -savePositionFile file

If this option is set, XBoard appends the final position reached in every game played to the specified file. The file name `-' specifies the standard output.

-oldsave/-xoldsave or -oldSaveStyle true/false

Sets the Old Save Style menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-display

-geometry

-iconic

These and most other standard Xt options are accepted.

-movesound/-xmovesound or -ringBellAfterMoves true/false

Sets the Move Sound menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false. For compatibility with old XBoard versions, -bell/-xbell are also accepted as abbreviations for this option.

-exit/-xexit or -popupExitMessage true/false

Sets the Popup Exit Message menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-popup/-xpopup or -popupMoveErrors true/false

Sets the Popup Move Errors menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-queen/-xqueen or -alwaysPromoteToQueen true/false

Sets the Always Queen menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-legal/-xlegal or -testLegality true/false

Sets the Test Legality menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-size or -boardSize (sizeName | n1,n2,n3,n4,n5,n6,n7)

Determines how large the board will be, by selecting the pixel size of the pieces and setting a few related parameters. The sizeName can be one of: Titanic, giving 129x129 pixel pieces, Colossal 116x116, Giant 108x108, Huge 95x95, Big 87x87, Large 80x80, Bulky 72x72, Medium 64x64, Moderate 58x58, Average 54x54, Middling 49x49, Mediocre 45x45, Small 40x40, Slim 37x37, Petite 33x33, Dinky 29x29, Teeny 25x25, or Tiny 21x21. Pieces of all these sizes are built into XBoard. Other sizes can be used if you have them; see the pixmapDirectory and bitmapDirectory options. The default depends on the size of your screen; it is approximately the largest size that will fit without clipping.

You can select other sizes or vary other layout parameters by providing a list of comma-separated values (with no spaces) as the argument. You do not need to provide all the values; for any you omit from the end of the list, defaults are taken from the nearest built-in size. The value `n1' gives the piece size, `n2' the width of the black border between squares, `n3' the desired size for the clockFont, `n4' the desired size for the coordFont, `n5' the desired size for the default font, `n6' the smallLayout flag (0 or 1), and `n7' the tinyLayout flag (0 or 1). All dimensions are in pixels. If the border between squares is eliminated (0 width), the various highlight options will not work, as there is nowhere to draw the highlight. If smallLayout is 1 and `titleInWindow' is true, the window layout is rearranged to make more room for the title. If tinyLayout is 1, the labels on the menu bar are abbreviated to one character each and the buttons in the button bar are made narrower.

-coords/-xcoords or -showCoords true/false

Sets the Show Coords menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false. The `coordFont' option specifies what font to use.

-autoraise/-xautoraise or -autoRaiseBoard true/false

Sets the Auto Raise Board menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-autoflip/-xautoflip or -autoFlipView true/false

Sets the Auto Flip View menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-flip/-xflip or -flipView true/false

If Auto Flip View is not set, or if you are observing but not participating in a game, then the positioning of the board at the start of each game depends on the flipView option. If flipView is false (the default), the board is positioned so that the white pawns move from the bottom to the top; if true, the black pawns move from the bottom to the top. In any case, the Flip menu option (see Options Menu) can be used to flip the board after the game starts.

-title/-xtitle or -titleInWindow true/false

If this option is true, XBoard displays player names (for ICS games) and game file names (for `Load Game') inside its main window. If the option is false (the default), this information is displayed only in the window banner. You probably won't want to set this option unless the information is not showing up in the banner, as happens with a few X window managers.

-buttons/-xbuttons or -showButtonBar True/False

If this option is False, xboard omits the [<<] [<] [P] [>] [>>] button bar from the window, allowing the message line to be wider. You can still get the functions of these buttons using the menus or their keyboard shortcuts. Default: true.

-mono/-xmono or -monoMode true/false

Determines whether XBoard displays its pieces and squares with two colors (true) or four (false). You shouldn't have to specify `monoMode'; XBoard will determine if it is necessary.

-flashCount count

-flashRate rate

-flash/-xflash

These options enable flashing of pieces when they land on their destination square. `flashCount' tells XBoard how many times to flash a piece after it lands on its destination square. `flashRate' controls the rate of flashing (flashes/sec). Abbreviations: `flash' sets flashCount to 3. `xflash' sets flashCount to 0. Defaults: flashCount=0 (no flashing), flashRate=5.

-highlight/-xhighlight or -highlightLastMove true/false

Sets the Highlight Last Move menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-blind/-xblind or -blindfold true/false

Sets the Blindfold menu option. See Options Menu. Default: false.

-clockFont font

The font used for the clocks. If the option value is a pattern that does not specify the font size, XBoard tries to choose an appropriate font for the board size being used. Default: -*-helvetica-bold-r-normal--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*.

-coordFont font

The font used for rank and file coordinate labels if `showCoords' is true. If the option value is a pattern that does not specify the font size, XBoard tries to choose an appropriate font for the board size being used. Default: -*-helvetica-bold-r-normal--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*.

-font font

The font used for popup dialogs, menus, comments, etc. If the option value is a pattern that does not specify the font size, XBoard tries to choose an appropriate font for the board size being used. Default: -*-helvetica-medium-r-normal--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*.

-fontSizeTolerance tol

In the font selection algorithm, a nonscalable font will be preferred over a scalable font if the nonscalable font's size differs by `tol' pixels or less from the desired size. A value of -1 will force a scalable font to always be used if available; a value of 0 will use a nonscalable font only if it is exactly the right size; a large value (say 1000) will force a nonscalable font to always be used if available. Default: 4.

-bm or -bitmapDirectory dir

-pixmap or -pixmapDirectory dir

These options control what piece images xboard uses. The XBoard distribution includes one set of pixmap pieces in xpm format, in the directory `pixmaps', and one set of bitmap pieces in xbm format, in the directory `bitmaps'. Pixmap pieces give a better appearance on the screen: the white pieces have dark borders, and the black pieces have opaque internal details. With bitmaps, neither piece color has a border, and the internal details are transparent; you see the square color or other background color through them.

If XBoard is configured and compiled on a system that includes libXpm, the X pixmap library, the xpm pixmap pieces are compiled in as the default. A different xpm piece set can be selected at runtime with the `pixmapDirectory' option, or a bitmap piece set can be selected with the `bitmapDirectory' option.

If XBoard is configured and compiled on a system that does not include libXpm (or the `--disable-xpm' option is given to the configure program), the bitmap pieces are compiled in as the default. It is not possible to use xpm pieces in this case, but pixmap pieces in another format called "xim" can be used by giving the `pixmapDirectory' option. Or again, a different bitmap piece set can be selected with the `bitmapDirectory' option.

Files in the `bitmapDirectory' must be named as follows: The first character of a piece bitmap name gives the piece it represents (`p', `n', `b', `r', `q', or `k'), the next characters give the size in pixels, the following character indicates whether the piece is solid or outline (`s' or `o'), and the extension is `.bm'. For example, a solid 80x80 knight would be named `n80s.bm'. The outline bitmaps are used only in monochrome mode. If bitmap pieces are compiled in and the bitmapDirectory is missing some files, the compiled in pieces are used instead.

If the bitmapDirectory option is given, it is also possible to replace xboard's icons and menu checkmark, by supplying files named `icon_white.bm', `icon_black.bm', and `checkmark.bm'.

For more information about pixmap pieces and how to get additional sets, see zic2xpm below.

-whitePieceColor color

-blackPieceColor color

-lightSquareColor color

-darkSquareColor color

-highlightSquareColor color

Colors to use for the pieces, squares, and square highlights. Defaults:

    -whitePieceColor       #FFFFCC
    -blackPieceColor       #202020
    -lightSquareColor      #C8C365
    -darkSquareColor       #77A26D
    -highlightSquareColor  #FFFF00
    -premoveHighlightColor #FF0000

On a grayscale monitor you might prefer:

    -whitePieceColor       gray100
    -blackPieceColor       gray0
    -lightSquareColor      gray80
    -darkSquareColor       gray60
    -highlightSquareColor  gray100
    -premoveHighlightColor gray70

-drag/-xdrag or -animateDragging true/false

Sets the Animate Dragging menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-animate/-xanimate or -animateMoving true/false

Sets the Animate Moving menu option. See Options Menu. Default: true.

-animateSpeed n

Number of milliseconds delay between each animation frame when Animate Moves is on.

-ncp/-xncp or -noChessProgram true/false

If this option is true, XBoard acts as a passive chessboard; it does not start a chess engine at all. Turning on this option also turns off clockMode. Default: false.

-mode or -initialMode modename

If this option is given, XBoard selects the given modename from the Mode menu after starting and (if applicable) processing the loadGameFile or loadPositionFile option. Default: "" (no selection). Other supported values are MachineWhite, MachineBlack, TwoMachines, Analysis, AnalyzeFile, EditGame, EditPosition, and Training.

-variant varname

Activates preliminary, partial support for playing chess variants against a local engine or editing variant games. This flag is not needed in ICS mode. Recognized variant names are:

    normal        Normal chess
    wildcastle    Shuffle chess, king can castle from d file
    nocastle      Shuffle chess, no castling allowed
    fischerandom  Fischer Random shuffle chess
    bughouse      Bughouse, ICC/FICS rules
    crazyhouse    Crazyhouse, ICC/FICS rules
    losers        Lose all pieces or get mated (ICC wild 17)
    suicide       Lose all pieces including king (FICS)
    giveaway      Try to have no legal moves (ICC wild 26)
    twokings      Weird ICC wild 9
    kriegspiel    Opponent's pieces are invisible
    atomic        Capturing piece explodes (ICC wild 27)
    3check        Win by giving check 3 times (ICC wild 25)
    shatranj      An ancient precursor of chess (ICC wild 28)
    unknown       Catchall for other unknown variants

In the shuffle variants, xboard does not shuffle the pieces, but you can do it by hand using Edit Position. Some variants are supported only in ICS mode, including fischerandom, bughouse, and kriegspiel. The winning/drawing conditions in crazyhouse (offboard interposition on mate), losers, suicide, giveaway, atomic, and 3check are not fully understood. In crazyhouse, xboard does not yet keep track of offboard pieces. Shatranj is unsupported, but it may be usable if you turn off Test Legality.

-debug/-xdebug or -debugMode true/false

Turns on debugging printout.

-rsh or -remoteShell shell-name

Name of the command used to run programs remotely. The default is `rsh' or `remsh', determined when XBoard is configured and compiled.

-ruser or -remoteUser user-name

User name on the remote system when running programs with the `remoteShell'. The default is your local user name.

-h

Displays `cmail' usage information.

-c

Shows the conditions of the GNU General Public License. See Copying.

-w

Shows the warranty notice of the GNU General Public License. See Copying.

-v

-xv

Provides or inhibits verbose output from `cmail' and XBoard, useful for debugging. The `-xv' form also inhibits the cmail introduction message.

-mail

-xmail

Invokes or inhibits the sending of a mail message containing the move.

-xboard

-xxboard

Invokes or inhibits the running of XBoard on the game file.

-reuse

-xreuse

Invokes or inhibits the reuse of an existing XBoard to display the current game.

-remail

Resends the last mail message for that game. This inhibits running XBoard.

-game <name>

The name of the game to be processed.

-wgames <number>

-bgames <number>

-games <number>

Number of games to start as White, as Black or in total. Default is 1 as white and none as black. If only one color is specified then none of the other color is assumed. If no color is specified then equal numbers of White and Black games are started, with the extra game being as White if an odd number of total games is specified.

-me <short name>

-opp <short name>

A one-word alias for yourself or your opponent.

-wname <full name>

-bname <full name>

-name <full name>

-oppname <full name>

The full name of White, Black, yourself or your opponent.

-wna <net address>

-bna <net address>

-na <net address>

-oppna <net address>

The email address of White, Black, yourself or your opponent.

-dir <directory>

The directory in which `cmail' keeps its files. This defaults to the environment variable `$CMAIL_DIR' or failing that, `$CHESSDIR', `$HOME/Chess' or `~/Chess'. It will be created if it does not exist.

-arcdir <directory>

The directory in which `cmail' archives completed games. Defaults to the environment variable `$CMAIL_ARCDIR' or, in its absence, the same directory as cmail keeps its working files (above).

-mailprog <mail program>

The program used by cmail to send email messages. This defaults to the environment variable `$CMAIL_MAILPROG' or failing that `/usr/ucb/Mail', `/usr/ucb/mail' or `Mail'. You will need to set this variable if none of the above paths fit your system.

-gamesFile <file>

A file containing a list of games with email addresses. This defaults to the environment variable `$CMAIL_GAMES' or failing that `.cmailgames'.

-aliasesFile <file>

A file containing one or more aliases for a set of email addresses. This defaults to the environment variable `$CMAIL_ALIASES' or failing that `.cmailaliases'.

-logFile <file>

A file in which to dump verbose debugging messages that are invoked with the `-v' option.

-event <event>

The PGN Event tag (default `Email correspondence game').

-site <site>

The PGN Site tag (default `NET').

-round <round>

The PGN Round tag (default `-', not applicable).

-mode <mode>

The PGN Mode tag (default `EM', Electronic Mail).

Other options

Any option flags not listed above are passed through to XBoard. Invoking XBoard through CMail changes the default values of two XBoard options: The default value for `-noChessProgram' is changed to true; that is, by default no chess engine is started. The default value for `-timeDelay' is changed to 0; that is, by default XBoard immediately goes to the end of the game as played so far, rather than stepping through the moves one by one. You can still set these options to whatever values you prefer by supplying them on CMail's command line. See Options.

Type `cmail' from a shell to start a game as white. After an opening message, you will be prompted for a game name, which is optional -- if you simply press <Enter>, the game name will take the form `you-VS-opponent'. You will next be prompted for the short name of your opponent. If you haven't played this person before, you will also be prompted for his/her email address. `cmail' will then invoke XBoard in the background. Make your first move and select `Mail Move' from the `File' menu. See File Menu. If all is well, `cmail' will mail a copy of the move to your opponent. If you select `Exit' without having selected `Mail Move' then no move will be made.

When you receive a message from an opponent containing a move in one of your games, simply pipe the message through `cmail'. In some mailers this is as simple as typing `| cmail' when viewing the message, while in others you may have to save the message to a file and do `cmail < file' at the command line. In either case `cmail' will display the game using XBoard. If you didn't exit XBoard when you made your first move then `cmail' will do its best to use the existing XBoard instead of starting a new one. As before, simply make a move and select `Mail Move' from the `File' menu. See File Menu. `cmail' will try to use the XBoard that was most recently used to display the current game. This means that many games can be in progress simultaneously, each with its own active XBoard.

If you want to look at the history or explore a variation, go ahead, but you must return to the current position before XBoard will allow you to mail a move. If you edit the game's history you must select `Reload Same Game' from the `File' menu to get back to the original position, then make the move you want and select `Mail Move'. As before, if you decide you aren't ready to make a move just yet you can either select `Exit' without sending a move or just leave XBoard running until you are ready.

It is possible to have a `cmail' message carry more than one game. This feature was implemented to handle IECG (International Email Chess Group) matches, where a match consists of one game as white and one as black, with moves transmitted simultaneously. In case there are more general uses, `cmail' itself places no limit on the number of black/white games contained in a message; however, XBoard does.

Because XBoard can detect checkmate and stalemate, `cmail' handles game termination sensibly. As well as resignation, the `Action' menu allows draws to be offered and accepted for `cmail' games.

For multi-game messages, only unfinished and just-finished games will be included in email messages. When all the games are finished, they are archived in the user's archive directory, and similarly in the opponent's when he or she pipes the final message through `cmail'. The archive file name includes the date the game was started.

It's possible that a strange conjunction of conditions may occasionally mean that `cmail' has trouble reactivating an existing XBoard. If this should happen, simply trying it again should work. If not, remove the file that stores the XBoard's PID (`game.pid') or use the `-xreuse' option to force `cmail' to start a new XBoard.

Versions of `cmail' after 2.16 no longer understand the old file format that XBoard used to use and so cannot be used to correspond with anyone using an older version.

Versions of `cmail' older than 2.11 do not handle multi-game messages, so multi-game correspondence is not possible with opponents using an older version.

The GNU Chess engine is available from:

ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gnuchess/

You can use XBoard to play a game against GNU Chess, or to interface GNU Chess to an ICS.

Crafty is a chess engine written by Bob Hyatt. You can use XBoard to play a game against Crafty, hook Crafty up to an ICS, or use Crafty to interactively analyze games and positions for you.

Crafty is a strong, rapidly evolving chess program. This rapid pace of development is good, because it means Crafty is always getting better. This can sometimes cause problems with backwards compatibility, but usually the latest version of Crafty will work well with the latest version of XBoard. Crafty can be obtained from its author's FTP site: ftp://ftp.cis.uab.edu/hyatt/.

To use Crafty with XBoard, give the -fcp and -fd options as follows, where <crafty's directory> is the directory in which you installed Crafty and placed its book and other support files.

The ``zic2xpm'' program is used to import chess sets from the ZIICS(*) program into XBoard. ``zic2xpm'' is part of the XBoard distribution. ZIICS is available from:

ftp://ftp.freechess.org/pub/chess/DOS/ziics131.exe

To import ZIICS pieces, do this:

1. Unzip ziics131.exe into a directory:

2. Use zic2xpm to convert a set of pieces to XBoard format.

    unzip -L ziics131.exe -d ~/ziics

For example, let's say you want to use the FRITZ4 set. These files are named ``fritz4.*'' in the ZIICS distribution.

    mkdir ~/fritz4
    cd ~/fritz4
    zic2xpm ~/ziics/fritz4.*

3. Give XBoard the ``-pixmap'' option when starting up, e.g.:

    xboard -pixmap ~/fritz4

Alternatively, you can add this line to your .Xdefaults file:

    xboard*pixmapDirectory: ~/fritz4

(*) ZIICS is a separate copyrighted work of Andy McFarland. The ``ZIICS pieces'' are copyrighted works of their respective creators. Files produced by ``zic2xpm'' are for PERSONAL USE ONLY and may NOT be redistributed without explicit permission from the original creator(s) of the pieces.