Download v1.1 (64-bit version)Download v1.1 (64-bit version)Orion 1.1 is now available!
After devoting a lot of time to Nostradamus, a chess engine that uses a large language model to learn and predict the optimal move for a given position, I finally found the time to enhance Orion!
Here is the new version of 'my little engine':
The gain in Elo should be quite small (something around 50+ Elo), but consistent in my tests with three different datasets mixing CCRL and/or CEGT games. However, I only had time to test at short time controls, so fingers crossed!
Most of the time for this release has been spent on the Cerebrum library. The library has been adapted to focus only on quantised networks, and predict values beyond the previous limited range of -1.98 to 1.98. This allows the networks to predict evaluations directly in terms of pawns and centipawns for direct use in engines. There is no need to mix different values on different scales (win ratio and material) anymore!
I discovered NotebookLM from Google last summer, and used it to generate a podcast from this blog. It's astonishing!
Bibliotecas públicas o digitales:
Traducciones independientes:
Title: Unraveling the Threads of Fate: A Review of "A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly
Introduction
In the realm of historical romance, few authors have managed to captivate readers with the same level of nuance and sensitivity as Cora Reilly. Her novels often transport us to bygone eras, where social conventions and personal desires collide in a dance of emotional complexity. "A Touch of Her Fate," a novel that has garnered significant attention online, particularly in its PDF format available in Spanish for free download, offers readers a compelling exploration of love, loss, and the inexorable forces of fate. This feature aims to provide an in-depth look at Cora Reilly's work, focusing on the themes, plot, and reader reception of "A Touch of Her Fate."
The Story Unfolds
"A Touch of Her Fate" delves into the life of its protagonist, whose journey is marked by the intertwining of destiny and personal choice. Reilly masterfully constructs a narrative that not only explores the societal constraints of the era but also the internal struggles of her characters. The novel prompts readers to reflect on the degree to which our lives are shaped by external forces versus our own decisions.
Themes and Character Development
At its core, "A Touch of Her Fate" is a novel about the human experience. Reilly explores themes of love, resilience, and the quest for identity with a deft hand. Her characters are multidimensional, with backstories that enrich the narrative and encourage empathy from the reader. The protagonist's journey is a testament to the strength of the human spirit, as she navigates through challenges that test her will and her heart.
The Allure of Historical Romance
Historical romance as a genre has a long-standing appeal, offering readers an escape into different times and places. Cora Reilly's work, including "A Touch of Her Fate," contributes to this allure by providing meticulously researched settings and narratives that are both escapist and grounded in the emotional realities of the human experience. The availability of her novels in various formats, including PDF in Spanish, has made her work accessible to a wider audience, highlighting the global appeal of her storytelling.
Reader Reception and Impact
The reception of "A Touch of Her Fate" among readers has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising Reilly's ability to weave a captivating story that resonates on an emotional level. The novel's exploration of universal themes has struck a chord with readers worldwide, leading to a community of fans who appreciate the depth and sensitivity with which Reilly approaches her subjects.
Conclusion
"A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly is a compelling addition to the historical romance genre. Through its thoughtful exploration of human emotions and experiences, the novel invites readers to reflect on the complexities of fate and personal agency. The availability of the novel in PDF format in Spanish for free download has not only made it more accessible but has also underscored the global reach of Reilly's work. For those interested in historical romance that challenges and engages, "A Touch of Her Fate" is certainly worth exploring.
Where to Find "A Touch of Her Fate"
For readers interested in accessing "A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly in PDF format in Spanish for free, several online platforms may offer this option. However, it's essential to ensure that any download is from a reputable source to support the author and the publishing industry. Libraries and bookstores, both online and physical, also carry Reilly's works, offering a legal and straightforward way to enjoy her novels.
As the literary world continues to evolve, the enduring appeal of novels like "A Touch of Her Fate" reminds us of the power of storytelling to connect us across cultures and time. Cora Reilly's work stands as a testament to the lasting impact of well-crafted stories on readers worldwide.
If you're looking for a deep dive into Cora Reilly's A Touch of Fate (Un Toque de Destino), 📖 Book Summary & Context
A Touch of Fate is a standalone arranged marriage mafia romance set in Cora Reilly's popular "Coraverse." It focuses on the story of Samuel Mione and Emma Mancini.
The Plot: Emma Mancini, who uses a wheelchair after a traumatic accident, is forced into an arranged marriage with Samuel Mione, a future Underboss for the Outfit. While Emma is hopeful, Samuel is cold, bitter, and struggling with past guilt and a growing alcohol problem.
Key Tropes: Arranged marriage, age gap (8 years), emotional scars, and the "alpha" hero needing redemption.
Characters: Emma is noted for her resilience and strength despite her disability, while Samuel's journey focuses on overcoming his demons to protect his family. 🔍 Reading and Resource Links
You can find digital versions and community discussions through the following platforms:
Scribd: Offers various PDF uploads and fan-made Spanish translations of Cora Reilly's works, including Un toque de destino and other entries in the series.
24Symbols: A digital library where you can read Cora Reilly books online in Spanish.
Community Groups: The Fans Cora Reilly Español Facebook group and the @thecamorrachronicles Instagram page are excellent for finding "long papers," character analyses, and reading guides in Spanish. ⚠️ Important Note on "Free" PDFs DOWNLOAD Free PDF A Touch of Fate BY Cora Reilly
First, I should consider the legality of this request. Providing links to pirated content is against copyright laws and against the guidelines here. The user might not be aware, but I need to address that responsibly. Also, "Cora Reilly" is a pen name for an actual person, and their work is published, so the user might be looking for a way to access it legally in Spanish without paying. a touch of her fate cora reilly pdf espanol free
Next, I need to check if the book "A Touch of Her Fate" is actually available in Spanish. Sometimes, translations of erotica books might not be as widely available as the English versions. If the Spanish version exists, recommending purchasing it from a legitimate retailer would be the right approach. If not, perhaps suggesting the original English version and then offering to help with translation or a summary could be an alternative.
I should also consider that the user might be interested in the story but cannot afford to buy it. In that case, pointing them to free legal resources, like public libraries that offer e-books for free with a library card. For example, platforms like Libby or OverDrive might have the book if it's part of a library's collection. However, I need to verify if that's the case for this specific title, but I can't check that in real-time. So, a general suggestion would be better.
Additionally, offering to provide a summary or analysis of the book if the user owns a legal copy would be helpful without violating any rules. This way, I assist the user while staying within the boundaries of copyright compliance.
I should also mention the importance of respecting authors' rights and the impact of piracy on creators, especially in the erotic literature genre where authors might rely heavily on sales for their income. Encouraging ethical consumption is key here.
Finally, making sure the response is in Spanish, as the user requested "espanol", but the initial query was in English. Wait, the user said "come up with me a piece for: 'a touch of her fate cora reilly pdf espanol free'". So the request is for a piece in Spanish. Wait, but the user might want the text in Spanish or to find the book in Spanish. Wait, maybe the user is using the phrase "espanol" to indicate that they want the text of the response in Spanish? Or they want the book in Spanish. Let me re-read the query.
Original query: "come up with me a piece for: 'a touch of her fate cora reilly pdf espanol free'". The user might be asking me to create a text (a piece) for that query, which is in English, but maybe they want the response in Spanish. Or perhaps they want to find the book in Spanish and provide info in Spanish. But the initial input is in English, so I need to clarify.
Wait, the user might be non-English and asking me to create content in Spanish about the book. So, the user wants a response in Spanish. Therefore, the assistant's response should be in Spanish. That's why the user added "espanol". So, the user is asking for me to generate a piece (likely a text) about that book in Spanish, but free, perhaps a summary or something, and maybe they want the actual content from a PDF, but that's illegal. So I need to handle this carefully, providing a legal alternative in Spanish.
So, considering all points, the response should be in Spanish, advising against piracy, suggesting legal ways to obtain the book, and offering a summary if they own a legal copy.
Importante: Distribuir o compartir contenido protegido por derechos de autor, como un libro PDF de Cora Reilly en español, es ilegal y viola las leyes de propiedad intelectual. Sin embargo, si estás buscando una obra de Cora Reilly (seudónimo de Laura Anton, autora de literatura erótica), aquí hay información útil y opciones legales:
Los autores, especialmente en géneros como el erótico, dependen de sus ventas para su sustento. La piratería afecta su creatividad y los incentivos para seguir escribiendo. Apóyalos mediante compras legales o reseñas en plataformas digitales.
¿Necesitas ayuda para encontrar versiones oficiales en español de otras obras de Laura Anton/Cora Reilly? 😊
A Touch of Fate by Cora Reilly (sometimes referred to as "A Touch of Her Fate") was officially released on June 25, 2025. It is a standalone mafia romance featuring an arranged marriage between Emma Mancini and Samuel Mione. Review Summary
The book has received mixed feedback, often centered on its handling of sensitive themes and its pacing: Characters & Dynamics:
Emma: Many readers praise her as a strong, resilient protagonist who uses a wheelchair due to a past accident. Reviewers appreciated her communication skills and fierce nature.
Samuel: His character is defined by guilt over his past and a struggle with alcohol addiction. Some found him to be a complex, protective hero, while others felt his redemptive arc was rushed or "bland".
Key Themes: The story focuses heavily on addiction and disability representation. While some readers found these elements moving and well-handled, others criticized the execution as "watered down" or "vanilla" compared to Reilly’s darker previous works.
Pacing & Plot: A common criticism is that the pacing is uneven—slow for the majority of the book with an abrupt ending. Some felt there was too much focus on intimate scenes at the expense of deeper emotional tension. Availability & Language A Touch of Fate by Cora Reilly- a review : r/RomanceBooks
Searching for " A Touch of Fate " (the official title of the book by Cora Reilly) in Spanish often leads to unofficial or potentially unsafe download sites. The book was released in June 2025. Availability and Official Information
While there is no "free" legal PDF for the full book, you can find it through authorized retailers and subscription services:
Official Purchase: The book is available in both digital and physical formats on Amazon and Bookshop.org.
Spanish Version: It is titled "Un toque de destino" in Spanish.
Kindle Unlimited: The eBook is included with a Kindle Unlimited membership, allowing you to read it for "free" if you have a subscription.
Libraries: You can check availability for free digital lending via OverDrive if your local library carries it. Plot Summary
A Touch of Fate: 9798289188878: Reilly, Cora, Reilly, Cora: Books
A Touch of Fate (incorrectly referred to as "A Touch of her Fate") by Cora Reilly
is a dark mafia romance that follows the arranged marriage of Emma Mancini and Samuel Mione. Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles Wiki Full Review Summary Characters Emma Mancini
: A strong, resilient heroine who uses a wheelchair due to a past accident. Readers praised her as one of Reilly's most grounded female leads, noting she is neither a doormat nor defined solely by her disability. Samuel Mione Bibliotecas públicas o digitales:
: The future Underboss of the Outfit, Samuel is portrayed as cold, distant, and struggling with a drinking problem following the betrayal of his twin sister. Themes & Tropes : The novel heavily features the arranged marriage
trope. Key themes include redemption, overcoming trauma, and disability representation. Critical Reception
: Opinions are mixed. Positive reviews highlight the emotional depth and the realistic portrayal of Emma's disability—Cora Reilly explicitly chose not to "miraculously heal" her to remain authentic. Critics, however, noted that some conflicts felt repetitive and were often "solved with sex" rather than communication. Availability and Format A Touch of Fate by Cora Reilly | Goodreads
You're looking for a helpful paper or resource related to "A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly in PDF format, specifically in Spanish, and preferably for free.
Here are a few suggestions:
Remember to respect copyright laws and only download content that is available for free or has been made available by the author or publisher.
If you're unable to find a free PDF version of "A Touch of Her Fate" in Spanish, you can also consider purchasing a digital copy or checking out a physical copy from a library.
Cora Reilly's A Touch of Fate is a poignant departure from the typical mafia romance, trading raw brutality for a deeply emotional exploration of resilience and redemption. The Core Conflict: Beyond the Mafia
While set in the ruthless world of the Outfit, the story’s heart is the internal struggle of its two protagonists. Emma Mancini
is a heroine defined not by her disability, but by her refusal to be pitied. Following a tragic car accident that left her wheelchair-bound, she navigates a society that often values physical utility over individual worth. Her "deep piece" is her psychological agency; she enters an arranged marriage to Samuel Mione
not as a victim, but as a woman determined to claim her own space. Themes of Redemption and Reality The narrative dives into complex psychological territory: Realistic Representation
: Unlike many romance novels, Cora Reilly intentionally avoids a "miraculous healing" trope, maintaining Emma’s disability as a permanent part of her reality to respect the lived experiences of disabled individuals. The Burden of Guilt
: Samuel is a man drowning in the aftermath of betrayal and the loss of friends, often turning to alcohol to numb his trauma. His arc isn't just about falling in love, but about dismantling the walls of addiction and self-loathing. Autonomy vs. Control
: The marriage serves as a "psychological chess match," where the couple must navigate power dynamics and personal freedom within a strictly traditionalist culture. A Touch of Fate by Cora Reilly - Goodreads
Apoye al autor obteniendo el libro por vías legales: compra, préstamo en biblioteca o descarga cuando el autor/editor lo ofrezca gratuitamente.
Invoco sugerencias de búsqueda relacionadas para ayudarte a encontrar ediciones, traducciones o sitios legales.
Title: Unveiling the Mystery: A Touch of Her Fate by Cora Reilly - A Gripping Tale of Love and Destiny
Introduction
In the realm of literature, some books have the power to captivate readers with their intriguing storylines, memorable characters, and thought-provoking themes. One such book is "A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly. This blog post aims to provide an in-depth look at this captivating novel, exploring its plot, characters, and the reasons why it has become a favorite among readers.
About the Book
"A Touch of Her Fate" is a historical romance novel written by Cora Reilly, an Australian author known for her engaging storytelling and meticulous research. The book is part of The Others series, which delves into the lives of characters connected by fate, love, and circumstance.
Plot Summary
The story revolves around the life of a young woman named Caitlin, who finds herself entwined in a complex web of relationships, love, and destiny. As Caitlin navigates her way through the challenges of her life, she begins to realize that her fate is intertwined with that of others in unexpected ways. The novel masterfully weaves together themes of love, loss, and self-discovery, keeping readers on the edge of their seats.
Why You Should Read A Touch of Her Fate
So, what makes "A Touch of Her Fate" a must-read? Here are a few reasons:
The Allure of Free PDFs in Spanish
The availability of "A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly in PDF format, specifically in Spanish, has made it more accessible to a wider audience. For those interested in reading the book in Spanish, a free PDF can be a great option. However, you may be able to find a free PDF through websites like Goodreads or Project Gutenberg. Another alternative option could be Google Books or your local library. Be cautious when downloading free PDFs from unknown sources, as they may pose risks to your device or compromise your data. Traducciones independientes:
Conclusion
"A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly is a captivating novel that has captured the hearts of readers worldwide. With its engaging storyline, memorable characters, and historical context, it's no wonder why this book has become a favorite among literature enthusiasts. If you're interested in reading "A Touch of Her Fate" in Spanish, be sure to explore reputable sources for free PDFs.
The Allure of "A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly: Unveiling the PDF Español Free Resource
The world of literature has witnessed a surge in the popularity of historical romance novels, with authors like Cora Reilly captivating audiences worldwide. One of her notable works, "A Touch of Her Fate," has piqued the interest of readers, particularly those seeking a Spanish translation. This article aims to provide an in-depth look at the book, its author, and the availability of a PDF Español free resource.
About Cora Reilly and Her Literary Career
Cora Reilly is a renowned author celebrated for her meticulously researched historical romance novels. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of human emotions, she has built a loyal following across the globe. Her works often transport readers to bygone eras, immersing them in richly detailed settings and compelling storylines.
Reilly's writing career spans multiple series and standalone novels, with "A Touch of Her Fate" being one of her notable achievements. This novel, like many of her others, explores themes of love, fate, and human connection against a richly detailed historical backdrop.
Unveiling "A Touch of Her Fate"
"A Touch of Her Fate" is a captivating historical romance novel that has resonated with readers worldwide. The story follows the lives of its protagonists, expertly weaving together elements of love, drama, and historical context. Reilly's masterful storytelling and well-developed characters have earned the book a special place in the hearts of its readers.
While I won't delve into specific plot details to avoid spoilers, it's essential to note that "A Touch of Her Fate" is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel that explores complex human relationships. The book's themes and character development have been widely praised, solidifying its position as a standout work in Reilly's bibliography.
The Quest for a PDF Español Free Resource
In today's digital age, accessing literature has become increasingly convenient. Many readers seek free PDF resources, including translations, to enjoy their favorite books. For those interested in "A Touch of Her Fate" and looking for a PDF Español free resource, several options are available:
Before accessing any PDF Español free resource, ensure that you're using a reputable source to avoid any potential risks or copyright infringement.
Conclusion
"A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly is a captivating historical romance novel that has captured the hearts of readers worldwide. For those seeking a Spanish translation, various resources are available, including online libraries, author platforms, and e-book stores.
This article aims to provide a helpful guide for readers interested in exploring "A Touch of Her Fate" in Español. Enjoy your literary journey!
I'm glad you're interested in the book "A Touch of Her Fate" by Cora Reilly! However, I must clarify that I won't be able to provide you with a direct link to a free PDF version of the book in Spanish.
That being said, I can suggest a few options to help you find the book:
Regarding the book's availability in Spanish, I couldn't find any information on whether "A Touch of Her Fate" has been officially translated into Spanish. If you're interested in reading the book in English, I can suggest checking out Cora Reilly's website or social media channels to see if she has any updates on translations or availability.
Looking for a digital copy of "A Touch of Her Fate" Cora Reilly ? This latest installment in the Camorra Chronicles Sins of the Fathers
universe has fans buzzing to see what happens next in the world of the Outfit and the Camorra. While many readers are searching for a
online, the best way to support the author and ensure you get a high-quality, complete translation is through official channels. Quick Book Details: Cora Reilly Spanish (Español) Dark Mafia Romance Part of the interconnected Mafia world. Where to read safely: Kindle Unlimited: Often available for "free" if you have a subscription. Amazon / Google Play Books:
Look for the official Spanish editions to avoid poorly translated bootlegs. Local Library Apps: for digital loans.
Reading official releases ensures you don't miss any spicy chapters or crucial plot points due to bad formatting!
of the plot to see if it's worth the read, or would you like a list of similar mafia romance recommendations?
In the sprawling, dark universe of mafia romance, few names command as much authority as Cora Reilly. Her Born in Blood series has cultivated a global following, leading to a massive surge in readers searching for translations of her work. Recently, one specific search query has spiked across forums and social media: "A Touch of Her Fate Cora Reilly pdf español free." But what is driving this desperate hunt for the digital file, and what are readers actually finding?
Orion 0.9 is available !
More than one year since the last release already: time flies ! I have been very busy these last months, without a lot of time to dedicate to Orion, but the next version is here (it is actually ready since... last November !), with:
Support for SMP
I'm really happy to announce the support for SMP : Orion will now be able to think using several CPUs/threads in parallel, hopefully resulting in a stronger play ;-)
This required a lot, what am I saying, a ** LOT ** of work: I had to redesign the main parts of the engine, to ensure thread-safe execution, split, refactor, simplify, rearrange the code to avoid problems when computing in parallel. On the contrary, I was surprised by the simplicity of the Lazy SMP approach, that's brilliant !
Smaller network architecture
The other big change is the architecture of the neural network: it is now much simpler than the previous one, for a more or less equivalent strength (~20-30 elo weaker in my own tests). I replaced the 40960x2 weights in the first layer by a simple 768x2 scheme (6 types of piece x 2 colors x 64 squares = 768).
This probably hampers accuracy in some complex positions, but globally speeds up evaluation as you don't have to recompute all the first layer when the king is moving (this is really helpful in endgame positions where kings have more mobility). This choice resulted in a 24x smaller network (421 kB vs 10 MB)...!
I'm really happy with the result: It seems possible to compress chess knowledge a lot !
Important note about originalityI know that some people are looking for originality: do not forget that engine creation can remain for some of us (including me) a hobby and/or a way to learn programming and A.I. !
This has always been my goal: develop a 100% original engine, not only in terms of playing style (that's not the case for the moment) but also in terms of code: Orion is not derived from any other engine, I wrote 100% of the lines of code, in my own way, always after having taken the time to understand what I was doing (the most recent example being the NNUE experiments I led in 2020).
For example, Orion is based on a "only-legal" move generator, using flags embedded in each move representation to help sorting and pruning moves during search. Its transposition table also uses the number of pieces on the board as a criterium to replace old-entries.
But then comes the issue of the data used to train the neural network with the NNUE approach.
As for the 0.8 version, the provided network has been trained on positions that were statically evaluated with the nn-82215d0fd0df.nnue network which is the one embedded in StockFish 12. The StockFish engine itself was not used at all in that process: I took the network, reused the code I developed for my NNUE experiments to read the weights and evaluate a bunch of positions that I collected from CCRL games, and then trained my own network with my own (shared) Cerebrum library (note: this time, I was able to use only 128 million of positions, compared to the 360 million used for 0.8).Finally, from this perspective, I think one cannot consider that Orion is - at this stage - a 100% original work, as it uses knowledge coming from another engine. Please note that starting from v0.4, it has actually been the case: I was previously using StockFish 8 (static) evaluations to tune parameters of my handcrafted evaluation function.
But, for sure, this remains the goal, and I already started to work on reaching that objective...
The "zero" approachI think the most exciting challenge now that I know how to design and train neural networks is to find a way to train a network from zero, i.e. only using results of games (win / draw / loss). Inspired by an idea proposed by Connor McMonigle (Seer author), I tried to train one of such network, without success so far.
The idea is to consider endgame positions (3-4-5-6 pieces), use the results provided by Syzygy tablebases, train a network on these positions, use the engine to evaluate 7-pieces positions with the trained network (after a depth 'd' search), re-train a new network on these labelled 3-to-7 pieces positions, and then restart all the process for 8 up to 32 pieces positions. The beauty of this approach is that the network is trained only using the endgame outcome, and shall learn how to "retropropagate" to middlegame positions the expected result.
Next stepsThis is my current effort: try to improve the way to train such a "from zero" neural network, only relying on game results. That's a very difficult challenge ! Be patient ;-)
Orion 0.8 is released !
I finally managed to build my own "neural network trainer", after a lot of experiments (see here) ! I'm now pleased to release a new version of my little engine Orion, where all the evaluation part relies (only) on a neural network !
Architecture
The architecture of the network used is "NNUE-like", but smaller and simpler than the one used by Stockfish 12 : I was very curious to see to which extent it was possible to "compress" chess knowledge without sacrifying too much strength.
After having tested several combinations, I finally found that halving (*) the first NNUE layer was a good compromise between the loss in strength and the gain in speed (which compensates).
Another change is that all dot products are performed on float values, which is a handicap in terms of speed but simpler from a training perpective. Values of the first layer are rounded and stored as 16-bit integers, resulting in a final 10 MB file.
Training data
Training was performed using 360 million unique positions, extracted from CCRL games, against the nn-82215d0fd0df.nnue network. This network has been released back in August in the public domain by Sergio Vieri, and is now embedded in Stockfish 12.
After 150 iterations ("epochs"), my own tests showed an increase of ~200 elo against v0.7, but this has yet to be confirmed (it is probably highly biased by the fact that I kept the same set of opponents).
The Cerebrum
To help other programmers to understand how to train and use neural networks, I decided to share my work through the "Cerebrum" library, composed of a trainer (Python script) and the corresponding inference code to be embedded in an engine (C langage). The trainer is a cleaned version of the one used for Orion, while the inference code is actually the one used in the engine. I hope all of this will be useful.
What's next ?
This version represents a lot of work. Understanding how neural networks work and how to train them was very challenging ! Now, the next challenge will be to "cut the link" with Stockfish's evaluation. The road is still long but, as we said in French, "Paris ne s'est pas faite en un jour" !
Credits
Credits and a big thank to Sergio Vieri for his incredible work, but also to Yu Nasu for the NNUE concept introduction, and following authors/creators who have worked on its implementation in Shogi and Stockfish (see list here). Last but not least, thanks to the CCRL team for providing games of their tournaments in such a simple way !
Final note
Syzygy support has been removed from this version.
(*) The network architecture is : 2x[40960x128 + 128] x [256x32 + 32] x [32x32 + 32] x [32x1 + 1], where "[W + B]" are the weights (W) and the biases (B).
Orion 0.8 is almost ready !
Next version should be released in a few days, if all goes as expected. In the meanwhile, here is how v0.7 performed in CCRL and CEGT lists : this corresponds more or less to a 110-130 elo increase from the v0.6 : I'm very happy !
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCRL | 40/15 | 114 | 2761 | +25 | -25 | 516 |
| CCRL | 40/2 | 128 | 2736 | +17 | -17 | 1231 |
| CEGT | 40/4 | 121 | 2595 | +15 | -15 | 1350 |
(*) Time control (40/15 means 40 moves in 15 minutes)
Experiments with Neural Networks
I really don't have a lot of time these days, but due to the NNUE on-going 'revolution', and because I'm deeply convinced that this kind of approach is the future, I decided to play a bit with neural networks.
My experiments are related here. To date, I managed to get my own NNUE implementation, giving a serious boost in terms of elo performance (note that this version is purely experimental and shouldn't be considered as the official "Orion" : it is provided only for entertainement/experiments).
I'm currently trying to build a 'neural network trainer' to train my own networks, with the aim to build in a first attempt simpler networks than Stockfish's ones, and test if they can improve current v0.7 evaluation function.
Stay tuned !
Orion 0.7 is available !
Next weeks will be busy, and I won't have a lot of time to work on the SMP version. I prefer to release the new version now, which already includes a lot of rework. Main changes are described in the previous post. I forgot to mention that now Orion also embeds an handcrafted KPK bitbase... and a refreshed logo ;-) As regards Transposition Table (TT) ageing, I opted for a simple implementation : at the beginning of a search, TT is informed of how many pieces remain on board. Every TT entry which is already stored with a greater 'popcount' can be safely and unconditionnaly replaced. This seems sound, and gave good results during my own tests.
I hope the new version will reach a +100 elo increase (when using Syzygy tablebases), but that remains to be confirmed !
Happy birthday Orion ! Last version is just one year old, and performed relatively well with an increase of around 100-110 elo from the previous version : I'm very happy :-)
Next version is on good shape : I managed to achieve some good results, mainly thanks to the addition of Syzygy tablebases support. Some parts of the code have been totally rewritten, like evaluation, magic numbers generation, magic/BMI attacks computation, or static exchange evaluation (again !). Among various changes, aspiration window is finally working, Transposition Table is being "aged" (it was not the case until now, but I choose a different approach than other engines - more details to come), hash move is always tried in Quiescence (even if it's a quiet move which should have not been generated) and before move generation (speed gain), and, finally, PVS is also implemented in Quiescence (surprisingly, this does not seem to be common : maybe I'm doing something wrong). For evaluation tuning, I switched from genetic algorithms to pure linear regression (using Python scripts and Scikit-learn). Orion's evaluation has always been and is still... basic :-) At the moment, gain is between 50 (without Syzygy) and 100 (with) elo. I'm wondering whether to release or not the current development version, but at this stage, I would like to try to implement an important feature which is still missing : multi-CPU support (SMP) !
Current version strength (v0.6) :
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCRL | 40/15 | 144 | 2635 | +20 | -20 | 819 |
| CCRL | 40/2 | 149 | 2624 | +17 | -17 | 1204 |
| CEGT | 40/4 | 141 | 2464 | +9 | -9 | 3200 |
(*) Time control (40/15 means 40 moves in 15 minutes)
Orion v0.6 is here !
Almost one year of work... :-) Main changes are :
In my testing conditions (5000 games, 4000 played at 40/1 + 1000 played at 40/2), this version should be ~100 elo stronger than v0.5.
En route for v0.7 and a new long-term objective: reach one day 2800 elo ?!
Orion v0.6 is almost ready to be released !
I'm currently running last tournaments to ensure non-regression with the very last build. It has been almost one year since the last post on this "blog": I worked hard on the new version, continuously trying to improve the engine, test after test... Sometimes, I wonder how other programmers do to improve so quickly their own engine, especially for 2500+ elo engines !
As a rule, and from the very beginning, I always refuse to watch other engines' evalution code. I only took inspiration in code related to search, but only for the parts I can understand and implement on my own. For example, aspiration window at root node is a concept that still doesn't work in Orion. I think I understood the idea, but something is still wrong. As far as evaluation is concerned, Orion's code is 100% original : I only took inspiration from well-known sites like CPW, blogs from other authors (a thought for Mediocre which seems to reborn !) and, for sure, forums (TalkChess being the one I read the more).
Most of the Orion v0.6 progress will come from the evaluation function: I added some concepts and the magic of genetics did the rest :-) In the meanwhile, I'm really proud of the v0.5 strength. This version has been a solid ground to build another release ! After almost one year from its release, here are its current rating:
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCRL | 40/40 | 175 | 2529 | +15 | -15 | 1548 |
| CCRL | 40/4 | 176 | 2513 | +13 | -13 | 2348 |
| CEGT | 40/4 | 166 | 2352 | +13 | -13 | 1922 |
(*) Time control (40/4 means 40 moves in 4 minutes)
Orion v0.5 is available !
After several weeks of hard work, and a huge number of games played to test, test, and test again, I'm pleased to release a new version of my little engine Orion !
So, what's new ? Not a long list of new features, but a lot of code changes and rewrite :
Yes ! It worked ! I finally managed to improve strength using PBIL method (a big thank to Thomas Petzke) ! v0.5 is the first genetically modified version of Orion :-)
Gain can appear low, but I use a simple and straightforward fitness evaluation method : only compare score difference between Orion and Stockfish (v8). My previous attempts failed because of a bad initialisation of weights. Tuning only applied on evaluation terms, from 25 millions of unique positions extracted from CCRL 40/40 games and took ~ 8-10 hours. For the next release, I'll try to include search parameters but this will need to change fitness evaluation and run games : it should really take a lot of time !
Lastly, I tried to improve my testing framework. In previous versions, I only ran gauntlets against my 3 prefered partners : iCE, Lozza, and Madchess. I now run 4000 games against 20 engines, at 40 moves / 60 seconds, using the Hert500.pgn opening book. To preserve my computer, CPU is underclocked at 2.24 GHz. A complete run takes ~ 36 hours (7 games are run in parallel).
I hope all this work will be reflected in an elo gain in real conditions !
Orion v0.5 is approaching !
Since the release of v0.4, I have been working a lot to try to improve Orion, testing dozens of code changes and playing thousands of games. I finally started to get promising results a few weeks ago. I'm currently trying to grab a few more elos before releasing a new version.
In the meanwhile, I'm really satisfied to see that current version performs relatively well in tournaments (it is 60-100 elo stronger than v0.3 !). Compared to previous versions, v0.4 is clearly a strong and sound basis to try new ideas. You'll find in the table below an idea of its current strength. I'm really excited with the current development version : stay tuned !
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCRL | 40/40 | 188 | 2447 | +24 | -24 | 581 |
| CCRL | 40/4 | 205 | 2420 | +18 | -19 | 1045 |
| CEGT | 40/4 | 185 | 2262 | +14 | -14 | 1550 |
(*) Time control (40/4 means 40 moves in 4 minutes)
Orion v0.4 is out !
I'm really happy to release this new version : I worked a lot on it, testing tens of versions, to finally get a version doing what it was intended to :-)
From the source code perspective, this version does not vary a lot from the previous : I only made small adjustements on search and fixed some pieces of code that didn't do what I expected to.
Evaluation was just modified to adjust rooks scoring. I gave a new chance to PBIL algorithm to improve it with no results. This time, I tried to minimize the difference between Orion and Stockfish v8 scores, but in real games, it didn't give better play.
So, what's new in this version ? Even if final code differences are small, there are some big changes:
In addition, a BMI2 version of the engine is now provided, giving a small speed bonus (+ 5%) on compatible systems.
Why releasing a new version now ? Because, even if evaluation has not been improved, my own tests show a clear progression against v0.3 : +/- 100 elo at 40/4 ! I hope this will be confirmed in real tournaments and longer time controls...
Have fun and do not hesitate to give me feedback !
It has been nearly a year since Orion was put online, and you will find in the table below a good idea of its level. I'm quite happy with these results (many thanks to all testers) ! In fact, the engine performed better than I expected. However, during last months, I tried to improve again the last version but faced difficulties... Developing a chess engine can really cause headaches !
I first tried to improve my evaluation function (using genetic algorithms) : it only allowed me to validate my PBIL framework as real strength was finally not increased...! After multiple attempts, I suspected pruning and reductions techniques had (bad) influence while trying to optimize evaluation.
I then started to inspect search tree implementation to decide what to deactivate, and found some bugs and pieces of code not doing what they ware intended to... Several hundreds games later, I also suspected problems in Transposition Table, notably on replacement strategies. I then tried multiple approaches... before being satisfied.
I'm here. And last results seem to go in the right direction, but it's too early to release a new version : a lot of work is still planned ! I want first to stabilize search tree implementation and then give a new chance to genetic algorithms to improve Orion's evaluation function. For the latter, I think I will disable pruning and reduction techniques to better converge to a good solution...
During all my efforts, I also found time to implement a BMI2 version of the engine, giving (on compatible systems) an incredible... +0% speed boost ! Another disappointment... and a new source of forthcoming debug sessions :-)
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCRL | 40/40 | 203 | 2383 | +22 | -22 | 686 |
| CCRL | 40/4 | 209 | 2345 | +18 | -18 | 1187 |
| CEGT | 40/4 | 204 | 2162 | +13 | -13 | 1600 |
(*) Time control (40/4 means 40 moves in 4 minutes)
Orion v0.3 is now available !
I'm very happy to release this new version after several weeks of hard work. It (almost) consists in a complete rewrite of the previous version, in order to have a more readable and robust code, which should be a better basis for further enhancements. And code is not throwing anymore tons of warnings when compiling ;-)
Aside from rewriting, some features have been added, changed or removed :
Evaluation is unchanged. The new pruning techniques allow smaller search trees while adding some search instability. It results in less reliable moves in shallow depths, but should increase strength for longer time controls. I'm very impatient to see how it will behave in tournaments !
Next version will focus on evaluation enhancement with a PBIL framework already implemented and ready to be played with !
New Orion v0.2 ratings :
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCRL | 40/40 | 203 | 2266 | +38 | -38 | 230 |
| CEGT | 40/4 | 1346 | 2105 | +25 | -25 | 600 |
(*) Time control (40/4 means 40 moves in 4 minutes)
Orion v0.2 participated in its first tournament ("Special Stars", organized by CCRL team) and finished in 4th place !
As it was my goal to compete with other engines, I'm very proud of it ;-)
First feedback from testers with computers that don't support 'popcnt' instruction show that the engine may crash : this problem has been fixed and a patched version of Orion v0.2 has been repackaged in the zip file (see download section).
This shows that we never test enough ! Thanks to all testers for their patience...
Please report any new problem here.
I'm pleased to announce the release of Orion v0.2 !
This new version includes :
All these features should improve the engine speed :-)
Please enjoy !
The CEGT team tested intensively Orion v0.1... playing 1100 games ! Here is the rating obtained :
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEGT | 40/4 | 1360 | 2048 | +18 | -18 | 1100 |
(*) Time control (40/4 means 40 moves in 4 minutes)
After the last CCRL update (many thanks to all testers !), these are the ratings of Orion v0.1 :
| Site | TC (*) | Rank | Elo | Games | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCRL | 40/4 | 229 | 2167 | +39 | -39 | 248 |
| CCRL | 40/40 | 220 | 2194 | +116 | -108 | 30 |
(*) Time control (40/4 means 40 moves in 4 minutes)
Orion v0.1 is now listed in CCRL (in the "complete list" only, because It played less than 200 games) !
After 30 games played, Orion has been evaluated at 2194 elo. The error margin is quite big (+/- 116), but totally normal since only a few games were played. I think its real level is closer to 2078 :-)
I'm very happy and proud to release the first version of my UCI chess engine : Orion v0.1 !
I started to work on it several years ago, as a hobby, but decided to rewrite it entirely (and more seriously) at the beginning of the year, switching from Java (easy for prototyping) to C (easiest to distribute).
It includes :
My long term goal is to reach 2500 elo (one day ?!), but for the moment, this version seems to have, let's say, some room for improvement :-)
It's an 100% original work (no fork/derivative), a lot inspired by chessprogramming.wikispaces.com, and ideas taken from the excellent blogs of Jonatan Pettersson (Mediocre) and Thomas Petzke (iCE).
In order to use Orion, you will need a GUI like Arena.
Last but not least, many thanks to Graham for accepting Orion to enter the CCRL competition !
Please enjoy !
Orion is free : you can download and use/test it without limitation/restriction. The zip contains a Windows executable, a personal logo (astronomy is another passion), and a network file. You are allowed to redistribute it or its elements, on the absolute condition that you don't modify them. Sources of the engine are not included since development is in a too early stage. From v0.8, a part of Orion has been released under the MIT license ("The Cerebrum" library).
Download v1.1 (64-bit version)
Previous versions : Download v0.1 to v1.0 (64-bit versions)