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= ReleaseNotes.txt
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= Release notes for ChessBrainVB chess engine 
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Changes from version 4.03 to 4.03a (Roger Zuehlsdorf 7-FEB-2024)
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- fix for enpassant problem in Excel/Word-GUI. No changes for UCI/Winboard engine.


Changes from version 4.02 to 4.03 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 5-JAN-2024)
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- changes to support UCI for CuteChess GUI (which sends additonal UCI "isready" before "go")
- optimized UCI time management for very short time controls and increments less then a second

Changes from version 4.01 to 4.02 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 31-DEC-2023)
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- Bugfix for UCI "position startpos" command  (thanks to Gabor Szots)

Changes from version 4.00 to 4.01 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 27-DEC-2023)
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- Added support for Ms-Office 64 bit

Changes from version 3.74 to 4.00 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 24-DEC-2023)
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- Several bug fixes
- Many changes in search logic. No changes in evaluation.
  > Playing strength: about 80-100 ELO gain for short time controls. 
    In test tournament 2min/game+2sec/move against ICE 4.0 and WASP 3.75: +50 ELO  (V3.74 was -50 ELO)
	Eigenmann test suite 30 sec: V3.74 = 41 solved / V4.00 = 58 solved
- Opening book 
- EXCEL version: all data (i.e. opening book) included in Excel file, no external file needed.
- Code cleanup, more comments


Changes from version 3.72 to 3.74 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 09-AUG-2019)
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- minor fixes
- code cleanup
- ELO gain: about 10 ELO 

Changes from version 3.70 to 3.72 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 02-DEC-2018)
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- less optimistic king safety evaluation
- 10% faster: slow VB6 assignments for user defined data types replaced
- code cleanup
- ELO gain: about 30 ELO for short time controls

Changes from version 3.68 to 3.70 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 11-JUL-2018)
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- bug fixes in evaluation
- code cleanup
- ELO gain: about 20 ELO

Changes from version 3.67 to 3.68 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 1-MAR-2018)
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- fixed bug: fifty move counter not seen by helper threads 
- code cleanup

Changes from version 3.61 to 3.65 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 24-FEB-2018)
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- fixed bug: enpassant capture ignored in mate escape move list (reason for game loosing moves)
  this old bug was discovered in engine matches (many thanks to Graham Banks for running this matches)
- some endgame knowledge added for positions with no pawns

Changes from version 3.61 to 3.65 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 18-FEB-2018)
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- new time management, moveoverhead setting added
- UCI fixes, hashfull info added, Chessbase GUI supported using InBetween.exe
- hash file limit 1400MB for compiled exe (IDE and VBA still 384)
- SMP improvements: 
    support for 64 cores
	helper processess starting much faster
	verify hash read/write option to detect hash collisions
- ELO gain on self play: 40/4 about 20 ELO from time management, no improvement for 40/40  

Changes from version 3.60 to 3.61 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 25-DEC-2017)
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- UCI time management problems fixed (tested with ARENA, other GUIs should use Winboard interface)
- UCI buffer overflow problem fixed with long matches (more than 200 moves)
- time management optimized for sudden death games


Changes from version 3.50 to 3.60 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 17-DEC-2017)
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this is a feature release:
- support for UCI protocol (includes settings for number of cores and endgame tablebases)
- very limited support for Syzygy endgame tablebases using the fathom.exe tool output
  (limited to first the first 3 plies because slow - about 10 positions per second)
- code cleanup and changes in singular extensions
- ELO gain in self-play against V3.50 is small: 40/4 about 10 ELO, may be more for 40/40

Changes from version 3.31 to 3.50 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 26-AUG-2017)
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- multi-processor support up to 8 threads (not for VBA office)
  using CreateFileMapping-API for shared hash and PV. (see file MultiCore_Notes.txt)
  Note: Used memory may not show up in task mananger (but displayed correctly in ARENA)
- keep history values for next game move (don't delete values at begin of search)
- better move count pruning exceptions for threat move evasions
- bug fix in pawn eval
- speed optimized
- ELO gain in self-play against V3.31: 60 ELO at 40/4, 30 ELo at 40/40.

Changes from version 3.20 to 3.31 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 4-JUN-2017)
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- several small fixes and code cleanup 
- speed optimized
- changed move heuristic
- ELO increase about 20 ELO
- time management bug fixed

Changes from version 3.03 to 3.20 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 10-MAR-2017)
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- bugfix in king safety
- several small fixes and code cleanup 
- move counter added to Office GUI
- ELO increase about 20 ELO

Changes from version 3.03 to 3.03a (Roger Zuehlsdorf 15-DEC-2016)
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- compact edition for WORD and POWERPOINT added


Changes from version 3.02 to 3.03 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 13-DEC-2016)
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- VBA overflow at depth 100 fixed
- VBA move list output fixed


Changes from version 2.05 to 3.02 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 09-DEC-2016)
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- major rewrite of move generation, king safety and search logic (new stockfish7 patches added if helpful)
- bug fixes and speed improvements
- ELO increase 100 ELO ( CCRL 40/4: 2750 for compiled VB6 EXE, 2250 for VBA code)


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Changes in version 2.05 / 9-FEB-2016
 - fixed problem with Winboard.exe: removed: message box says that draws are not accepted

Changes in version 2.04 / 27-FEB-2016
 - fixed problem with Winboard.exe with black to move

Changes in version 2.03 
 - fixed WORD VBA problem with Avast virus scanner: creates false positive alert => AutoOpen removed fixed it

Changes in version 2.02
 - fixed VBA GUI problem with promotions

Changes in version 2.01
 - show endgame table base access in VBA GUI


Changes from version 1.02 to 2.0 (Roger Zuehlsdorf 14-FEB-2016)
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- improved evalution and search

- problem fixes in hash logic and castling rights

- added special functions for endgames with KQKP, KQKR, KRKP

- added endgame table base access to web service for root position and first ply (see ini file)

- added Wb2Uci files for use with UCI interface

- ELO increase: 100 ELO 


Playing strength (Test matches: CCRL conditions 40  moves in 4 minutes, Powerbook2010-8 moves):
 
 - ChessBrainVB.exe: Winboard 32bit version, compiled Visual Basic 6 : >>> 2600 ELO <<<

   ChessBrainVB_V2 (250kn/s) - Colossus2008b  ...(1600 kn/s / ELO 2644): 51,5/100 36-33-31 52% +14 
   ChessBrainVB_V2 (250kn/s) - SOS 5.1 for Arena (1000 kn/s / ELO 2577): 56,0/100 36-24-40 56% +42

 - ChessbrainVB_PCode.exe: VB6 Pseudo Code (VBA speed as used in Excel/Word): >>> 2100 ELO <<<

   ChessBrainVB_PCode_V2 (20kn/s) - Wing2.0a ....(1800 kn/s / ELO 2097): 51,0/100 41-39-20 51% + 7
   ChessBrainVB_PCode_V2 (20kn/s) - Matheus-2.3  (4000 kn/s / ELO 2054): 64,0/109 53-34-22 59% +63  

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