YeaChess 4.xx Series Overview

• 1. Introduction.
• 2. Menus.
• 2.1. The Game Menu.
• 2.2. Quick Keyboard Shortcuts.
• 2.3. The Options Menu.
• 3. A quick description of the supported levels of play.
• 4. Credits and additional info.
• 5. Links.

1. Introduction.

YeaChess is a free computer chess program by the croatian computer programmer Drazen Beljan. It allows you to play versus your computer. First release dates back in 2009. It has a simple interface and powerful and quick artificial intelligence. On the highest levels like Level 8, 9 and 10 where response time takes up to 1, 3 and 5 seconds, the play is pretty sophisticated and quite strong. You can adjust the skill of the computer and save games. The 10 provided levels of play are suitable from advanced to very strong players, especially at the blitz levels that takes no longer than 5 seconds to respond from the engine. However, weaker, beginner and not very strong players might find it difficult to beat (or win a match) against even the lowest level or the other lower levels from 1 to 7.

Quick description (given by the author):

YeaChess is a freeware, first released in 2009. You can play it versus computer with powerful and quick artificial intelligence. Simple interface also provides quick keyboard shortcuts for moves. You can easily adjust computer strength and window size. If you want computer can make a move instead of you by entering CTRL+M. You can save and restore game at current position. Saved games can be used for later processing. Their files are user friendly and ready for printing.
Enjoy playing chess with this program.
Drazen Beljan

2. Menus.

YeaChess, since version 4, has been a lot more cleaned and has just two drop down menus that have synthesized in a concise way the basic features of the program. Version 3 and below had more menus. The simple interface also provides quick keyboard shortcuts for the moves.

2.1. The Game Menu.

• By selecting “New Game as White” you will have the White pieces versus YeaChess.
• By selecting “New Game as Black” you will have the Black pieces versus the AI (artificial intelligence).

• By selecting “Save Game at current position” the game moves are saved till the position on the board at the given moment.
  A dialog window opens where you can select a directory for the games, usually you can choose the YeaChess folder, and to specify a name for the game file. Files are saved as a plain text files so you can specify a *.txt extension if needed and open the files in any text editor (text processing software like Windows Notepad, etc.). After you determine a directory and define a name, press “Save”. The saved games are using a default chess notation. They are user friendly and ready for printing.
  * Note: saving games does not append games to an existing file if selected, instead the process overwrites (replaces) the file.
   
• By selecting “Load Game” you will be able to select and open already saved by YeaChess games.
  A dialog window appears where you can select the directory of the games, usually already chosen, point to the file name of the desired game and open it in the program interface by double clicking on it or by selecting the name and pressing “Open”.

• It opens the Home page of YeaChess in your default web browser, where you can obtain more information about the other software by the same author Drazen Beljan, track changes and follow the latest and improved versions of YeaChess. As of October, 18th the latest version is 4.73 which is almost the same as v.4.69 for which is this quick tutorial designated and based on.

2.2. Quick Keyboard Shortcuts.

2.3. The Options Menu.

• Computer strength - this is the place to define the playing style and skills of YeaChess AI.
• Promote next pawn to - here you can specify your next pawn that reaches the last row to be promoted for another piece. Available options are the four chess pieces that can be promoted - Knight, Bishop, Rook and a Queen.
• Default window size - by pressing this option you adjust the the window screen size to its normal setting.

Introduced in versions after 4.73 YeaChess has four little dots at the right bottom corner (low right) of the window. When you put the mouse pointer over them it becomes a dual arrow pointer allowing you select by click and drag your own defined window size.

3. A quick description of the supported levels of play.

YeaChess playing style is mainly defensive and sometimes drifting (like almost all chess engines with normal settings).

There are 10 levels:

• - levels from 1 to 7 are very fast levels:
  - the first few (levels 1 to 3) sometimes may produce funny moves, but are also not so easy to beat for non-very advanced players, suitable for initiative beginners;
• - levels 4 and 5 are suitable for intermediate players;
• - levels 6 to 7 are stronger, suitable for more advanced players;
• - levels 8, 9 and 10 are serious, stronger and also fast levels for advanced experts of the game of chess. Their response time takes respectively from 1 second for Level 8, up to 5 seconds for Level 10 time to respond (to make a move).
  
  Style is inert, strongly defensive, but excessively taking up opportunities and/or advantages, especially on the serious 3 levels.
  YeaChess is exceptionally strong when having a pair of bishops.

4. Credits and additional info.

YeaChess versions have been tested since version 3.15. Own Collection includes versions since the beginning - version 1.00, but below version 3.15 have not been tested.

Tested versions: 3.15, 3.26, 3.38, 4.39, 4.41, 4.56, 4.69, 4.73, 4.77, 4.78.

Testing has been performed by playing various games against some intermediate players such as 1850~1950 ELO rated on the lower levels and advanced players including ChessGenius Classic 7, Shredder 12 and Shredder Online, Houdini 1.5, SOS 5.1, Grand Master Chess 2.5, Aristarch 4.50, Pro Deo 1.6, Der Bringer 1.9, Queen 4.03, Crafty 22.1, XBOMB Chess Engine, Ruffian 1.0.1, Pharaon 3.5.1, Stockfish 2.0.1.
YeaChess outplayed a lot of opponents and has a positive balance achieved against many of the selected engines.

Used GUIs (graphical user interfaces) include ChessGenius Classic 7 GUI, Arena 1.99beta, Arena 2.0.1 and their respective own GUIs of the programs.
• ChessGenius Classic 7 GUI has been used for running: Genius 7, Houdini 1.5, SOS 5.1, Crafty 22.1, XBOMB Chess Engine, Ruffian 1.0.1, Pharaon 3.5.1, Stockfish 2.0.1;
• Arena 1.99beta, Arena 2.0.1 have been used for running: Houdini 1.5, SOS 5.1, Aristarch 4.50, Pro Deo 1.6;
• Own GUIs have been used for running: Shredder Online, Grand Master Chess 2.5, Der Bringer 1.9, Queen 4.03.

Special credits go on many Download sites contributing the finding of YeaChess and the desired old versions of the software for completing the Collection and on Google for providing a sophisticated search for finding these sites.

5. Links.

All copyrights © reserved to YeaChess, Drazen Beljan, D.G..

Lang Software, ChessGenius, and the ChessGenius logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Lang Software Limited in England, United Kingdom and/or other countries.
Shredder Chess, Shredder, and the Shredder logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Stefan Meyer-Kahlen in Germany and/or other countries.
Other product and brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.