Timecat Chess Engine

Timecat is a UCI-compatible chess engine designed in Rust that combines powerful algorithms and advanced evaluation techniques to deliver top-notch chess analysis and game play. Using alpha-beta pruning with the negamax algorithm and the NNUE evaluation method, Timecat achieves enhanced depth and accuracy in game analysis.

Timecat was originally conceived as a personal project. However, with the onset of a new chess-related project, I realized the benefits of publishing Timecat as a library to avoid excessive code duplication. Initially designed for personal use, Timecat will now be refined and updated to enhance its functionality and usability as a library, making it more accessible and beneficial for other users.

Make sure to always update rust to the latest version to use this library.

UCI Compatibility: Fully compatible with the Universal Chess Interface (UCI) standard

Advanced Algorithms: Utilizes alpha-beta pruning and the negamax algorithm for efficient move searching

NNUE Evaluation: Incorporates NNUE (efficiently updatable neural network) for state-of-the-art position evaluation.

Customizable Builds: Supports tailored builds through configurable cargo features.

Initially, Timecat was dependent on the external chess library, which is available at https://github.com/jordanbray/chess. To align more closely with specific requirements, the library was integrated directly into Timecat. This integration permitted significant modifications and extensions to its functionalities, thereby enhancing the engine's overall capabilities. Such integration demonstrates a commitment to adapting and evolving the tools to secure the best possible performance and accuracy in chess analytics.

Timecat currently utilizes the Stockfish NNUE for evaluation (only HalfKP supported). Plans are in place to transition to a custom-trained NNUE in the future.

Although it hasn't been thoroughly tested yet, but my chess engine is capable of defeating chess.com's max bot, which has an Elo rating of 3200.

Timecat is open-sourced under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE. You are free to use, modify, and distribute it under the same license.