Computer-Chess Wiki

This is intended to be a complete list of all PC-based chess engines that are not freely available for download. Such lists can get outdated quickly as new authors introduce new engines and older authors lose interest, drop out of the computer chess scene, and notify no one. Luckily most authors no longer prefer private versions because public versions get more attention and testing.

The rules for inclusion into this list

• Engine is not publicly available and is non-commercial
• Engine must have been active at least once in the past 5 years
• Only one private engine per author (most recent engine usually)

Recent Modifications (older modifications at bottom):

• March 2020: added Gadget, CyberNezh, Hypernova, Rustic & StoofVlees; removed Cdrill, it is now public; removed Melee it is dead
• May 2019: removed Rick48, it is now shareware
• October 2018: removed Chess Ebiz, it is now shareware
• August 2018: removed ShashChess, it is now public
• April 2018: added ShashChess & Weini
• January 2018: added Piccolino
• September 2017: removed Zorgus, it is now public
• August 2017: added Ancalagon, Chess Ebiz, RookieMonster & Singularity; removed Yaka, source code is now public
• January 2017: removed Clunk, Maximaa & Zarkov, they are now public
• December 2016: added Wraith; removed Abbess, it is now public; removed Cipollino, Nemeton and Spartacus, this should have been done a long time ago; Falcon, Symbolic shifted to inactive status
• November 2016: removed Isa & Skull, they are now public
• May 2016: removed QueenBee, it is now public
• April 2016: removed Soberango, it is now public
• March 2016: added Bliep, ELVIS, Permabrain, Rubric, Soberango & Squirrel
• November 2015: added CDrill, Clunk & Skull

These are the engines with no activity in the last 5 years. These engines are probably dead.

Older Modifications:

• July 2015: added Abbess & Eva; removed Fridolin, it is now public; added Ciao; removed Frecchia from the same author
• May 2015: added Alcatraz, Dark Horse, Ginkgo & Yaka
• March 2015: removed Carnivor and Timea, both are now public
• February 2015: added The Machine; removed RamJet, it is now public
• December 2014: removed TwilightChess
• November 2014: added Yaka to main list; added Neurologic to inactive list;
• October 2014: added Nemeto & Spartacus; removed Lozza, it is now public
• September 2014: added Hustle Motor, ISA & QueenBee; removed Equinox, it is now public
• August 2014: removed Satana, it is now public
• July 2014: added Lozza & RamJet; misc minor updates
• May 2014: added Balor & PuppetMaster
• March 2014: added ChessPartner UCI Engine, Skipper, Thorgal & Thresher
• February 2014: added FIBChess; removed Arminius, it is now public
• November 2013: removed Tigran, it is now public
• October 2013: added Shrike
• August 2013: added Zadrexsaurus; removed Maverick, it is now public
• April 2013: added CWU Chess, Giordano Bruno, LRChess, Ribozyme, Spin Chess & Tigran; removed Nebula, NirvanaChess & Leonidas, all are now public
• March 2013: added Climber, Control, Maverick, & NaltaP312; removed Rueno (replaced by public TDchess)
• January 2013: added NirvanaChess, Raptor, & TrojanKnight; Removed Durandal & Rasbojnik, the source is publicly available; removed Serena, it was

publicly released as AdaChess; added link for Satana

• November 2012: added Durandal, Leonidas, Nebula, Serena, and WhiskySoda; removed LUCI, it is replaced by Durandal
• May 2012: added Tang; removed Magic, it is now public
• April 2012: added Anubis; removed Rhetoric, it is now public
• March 2012: added Cryptic
• February 2012: added Amaia and Rhetoric
• January 2012: added Ikarus, Falcon, and CrazyChips; removed Nemo, it is now public
• November 2011: added Arminius, Blackmail, DCP, LUCI, Rasbojnik, Satana, Sidonia, and Sweetleaf; removed Deep Noob, it is abandoned
• October 2011: removed Chiron, Mentally Challenged, NaltaP312 and Stallion Chess Engine, all of them are now public
• August 2011: added Anaconda (but ChessBase-Native is free to download) and Magic
• July 2011: added Nemo
• March 2011: removed Purple Haze and Bobcat, both are now public
• February 2011: added Jazz; removed Jazz & Zeta, they were released publicly
• January 2011: added Bunny & Equinox; removed Scaramanga, it is a clone of the Now engine
• October 2010: added Scaramanga, Goldbar and Rueno; removed Vapor it is now public
• September 2010: added Rick48, Ditw, ChessTraining, Fridolin, Bolt, Chexa & Bursche
• August 2010: added Kirby & Nightmare
• July 2010: removed Hannibal: it is now public
• June 2010: added Vapor, Bobcat, Fantod, Wombat & Rondo; removed Zilch: it is declared dead; removed Vajolet: it is now public; MemeChess renamed to Puca
• May 2010: added Vajolet
• April 2010: added Cowrie, PurpleHaze & Sibyl; added link for NaltaP312; Removed ChessMind: it is now public
• March 2010: added Spandrel & Zeta; removed MatMoi & Darmenios, they are now public; removed Quadrox, it was renamed to ChessV and released publicly
• February 2010: added Hannibal, Almond, EGM & Darmenios
• January 2010: removed Jabba, Rainbow Serpent & Redqueen: they are now public; removed Manado Chess, it is a source-code-only engine; removed Nimród, it is a retreated engine
• November 2009: Ancalagon is dead, it is replaced by Rainbow Serpent
• October 2009: added ChessMind; Goldentree renamed to Olympus
• September 2009: added Jabba
• August 2009: added Freccia; removed goaT(Toga CMLX) and Algebar(Rocinante): these engines changed names and became public
• July 2009: added Nimrod, Zilch, and NaltaP
• June 2009: added Sillycon, Plisk, EtaBeta, Cipollino, Manado Chess and Mentally Challenged. Removed Plisk, Bubble and Chesley the Chess Engine, they are now public. Removed Onno, it is now commercial
• May 2009: added Chesley the Chess Engine, TwilightChess, Bubble, Pandix, Vlad Tepes, ChessV, and TuttiFruity. ChessV and n2 removed, they are now public
• April 2009: added Moneypenny, Quadrox, RedQueen, n2, Cheetah, ApiChess, and Carnivor; Centurion and CTD removed, they are both retired; Demon renamed to Crimson and then deleted from this list - it is now publicly available
• March 2009: added Goldentree; removed Myrddin, it is freely available now
• February 2009: Added Myrddin; removed Anaconda, it is a free download from ChessBase with a CB-only interface
• January 2009: added Algebar, Anaconda and Demon; KMTChess removed, it is no longer private
• December 2008: added Cogito, EdlChess, Chimp, KMTChess, Flywheel, Cipollino, Eichhoernchen, Kallisto, and Tzunami; Glass removed, it is no longer private; Nexus replaced with Argonaut; Comeback is removed, it was not a private engine, but an engine beta; Ikarus removed, it is commercial; Grok, Hossa, Jake, Phark, and Qalat transferred to the inactive list. Dolphin and Cipollino removed, they are clones
• November 2008: added Dolphin, MeneChess, WaDuuttie, and Z; Zzzzzz, Caligula, and RBrChess removed: they are no longer private; private engine Chronos renamed to Glass; Styx removed – it seems to be a clone
• October 2008: added Hal, Pebble, and Matmoi; Brainless removed: it is no longer private
• August 2008: removed Rodin, it is no longer private
• July 2008: added goaT, Onno, and HansDamf; XyclOps and Oxygen removed – both are clones!
• June 2008: added Ancalagon, Dr. Theopolis, and Rodin; Comeback author identified; Sorgenkind and Cerebro removed, they are no longer private
• Apr 2008: added Comeback; Anatoli and ZCT removed, they are no longer private
• March 2008: added Achilles/Axon, Anatoli, Azraël, Bird, Brainless, Caligula, Centurion, CTD, Oxygen, Rascal, RBrChess, Sorgenkind, Styx, XyclOps; Engines with 2002 dates shifted to inactive list; Bright, Clarabit, and Dirty are no longer private. Some dates changed to 2008

Assistance in creating this list: Tony Thomas, Guenther Simon, Olivier Deville, Robert Allgeuer, Dr. Wael Deeb, Zach Wegner, Norbert Raimund Leisner, and Gerhard Schwager. Thanks guys!