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+[This article was reproduced from a GNU Bulletin.]
+
+                          GNU Chess
+                      by Stuart Cracraft
+		copyright 1987 Stuart Cracraft
+
+
+   GNU Chess is a communal chess program. Contributors donate their
+time and effort in order to make it a stronger, better, sleeker program.
+Contributions take many forms: interfaces to high-resolution displays,
+opening book treatises, speedups of the underlying algorithms, additions
+of extra heuristics. These contributions are then distributed to the
+large user-base so that all may enjoy the fruits of our labor. The
+original and continuing purpose of this project is to permanently end 
+the rampant hoarding of computer chess software that has been the 
+case for the past 20 years.
+
+   Many people have contributed to GNU Chess. Their contributions have
+improved the program from being a patzer (weak program) to being a
+grandpatzer (decently strong program). In its growth since initial
+release, GNU Chess has gone from approximately class D to expert
+strength. It beats the Fidelity Excel commercial unit rather handily.
+
+   GNU Chess's structure is a hybrid of the Shannon Type-A and
+Type-B methods. It conducts a full-width search to a fixed-depth
+and then continues with a quiescence search for many more ply.
+This quiescence search helps the program find positions which
+can be safely evaluated and which are not too turbulent. If
+a terminal position is too turbulent, the evaluation will be
+highly inaccurate. Additional searching by investigating series
+of captures, checks, and other potentially imbalance-producing
+moves is quite helpful.
+
+  GNU Chess will sacrifice pieces in order to reach known winning
+endings. Also, it uses a trade-down bonus to encourage the stronger
+side to trade off certain types of pieces thus reaching a more
+simplified and therefore ostensibly "clearer" position.
+
+  GNU Chess has certain types of knowledge regarding easier endgames.
+This allows it to play these endings somewhat better than might be
+expected.
+
+  GNU Chess has time heuristics that it uses to improve its handling 
+of time-controls and hasten its making of "obvious" moves.
+ 
+  GNU Chess is interfaced to the SUN Windows and X Windows
+display protocols and can display its pieces in elaborate format,
+similar to chess diagrams.
+
+  GNU Chess has an opening book which consists of many variations
+from MCO (Modern Chess Openings).
+
+  For comparison purposes, GNU Chess running on a VAX 8650 is
+stronger than the famous Chess 4.5 running on a CDC 6400.
+
+  We wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following
+individuals: (in alphabetical order) Jim Aspnes, Wayne Christopher,
+Steve Dougherty, David Goldberg, Richard Greenblatt, David Kittinger,
+Richard Stallman, John Stanback, and Ken Thompson.
+
+  Contact information: The author may be reached by a variety of
+methods. Via U.S. mail: Stuart Cracraft, 5 Via Amistosa, Suite G,
+Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca. 92688 USA. 
+    By Internet: 'cracraft at wheaties.ai.mit.edu'
+The author may also be contacted via the Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+675 Massachusetts Ave.,Cambridge MA 02139.