An XBoard protocol compatible chess and antichess variant engine created for fun.

To play a game of chess or antichess against Nakshatra, check out Nakshatra3 @ lichess where it may be online.

Example for Ubuntu and other Debian based distros:

sudo apt install zip git cmake ninja-build g++  # or clang++, need C++20+ support

git clone https://github.com/goutham/nakshatra.git
cd nakshatra
./install.sh

The engine executable file nakshatra will be generated under the build/ directory if installation succeeds.

Install one of the XBoard protocol compatible interfaces such as cutechess, and configure it to run the engine executable file nakshatra as the computer player. Using an opening book (not included) is recommended for variations in gameplay.

Originally developed in 2009 / 2010 as a suicide-chess engine expressly for playing on FICS, where a vibrant community of suicide-chess enthusiasts and engines hung out back in those days. Nakshatra was active on FICS for quite a few years under the handle nakshatra. This old, long abandoned, blog also records a bit of history.

• Chessprogramming wiki served as a great guide for building most parts of the program, especially as I bolted on support for standard chess.
• Various papers on proof number search and its variants by Victor Allis and others.
• Nilatac (or a previous version of it from 2009-ish) that served as my initial inspiration to get started.
• Talkchess community.