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 xics(1)                                                             xics(1)




 NAME
      xics - X-Windows interface to the Internet Chess Server

 SYNOPSIS
      xics servername [portnumber]

 DESCRIPTION
      xics is an X-Windows interface to the Internet Chess Server (ICS). ICS
      is a program that allows players to connect to a machine over the
      internet and play games with one another. Normally, the output of ICS
      is in ASCII format which discourages chess novices from playing.  xics
      parses this output and displays the chess board on the graphics
      screen. One can use the mouse to make moves (instead of typing them in
      on the keyboard). The default port number is 5000.

      xics initiates a telnet session with the specified host (ICS) and
      connects to the given port number. It then opens up a graphics window
      displaying the chess board. Any board position printed by ICS is
      parsed and displayed by xics. When playing a game, moves are made by
      clicking the mouse on the piece to be moved and then releasing the
      mouse on the square where the piece is to be moved to. xics will
      generate the proper move (e.g. a2-a4) and send it to ICS via telnet.
      The usual ICS interface (via the keyboard) is still available.

      You can use xics for watching others play chess too. Use existing ICS
      commands such as "observe 0" and "refresh" to print the board, which
      will automatically be displayed in the graphics window. Please note
      that xics can parse boards printed using "style 1" or "style 8" only.

      When invoking xics, keep the xterm window from which you invoke xics
      handy. You will need it for entering your name and password and most
      ICS commands.

 AVAILABILITY
      xics works only on UNIX(TM) machines running X-Windows. It uses only
      Xlib and is otherwise quite portable.

 TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
      xics creates a bidirectional pipe between itself and telnet. This pipe
      is used to feed input to telnet as well as collect output from it.
      xics multiplexes over 3 types of inputs:

      stdin - whatever is typed on the keyboard is sent to the telnet
      session

      output of telnet - is printed on the screen as well as parsed for
      displaying boards graphically

      mouse clicks - are used to generate moves that are printed on stdout
      and are also sent to the telnet session




                                    - 1 -       Formatted:  November 9, 2024






 xics(1)                                                             xics(1)




 COMMANDS
      In addition to ICS commands that can be entered using the keyboard,
      xics will allow the following:

      move pieces using the mouse -- To move a piece, drag it to the
      destination square. This is irrespective of whether you are capturing
      a piece, or simply moving a piece to an empty square, capturing a pawn
      "en-passant", or promoting it to another piece.  When a move is made,
      no attempt is made by xics to see if the move is valid.  The move is
      simply sent to ICS. ICS will take care of ascertaining the validity of
      the move. If the move is not valid, ICS will print "command not
      found". If the move is valid, ICS will generate the new board and
      print it. xics will grab this output and display it on the graphics
      board. Thus the check for correctness of moves is taken care of,
      indirectly. One can castle by moving the king to the proper
      destination.

      Play -- This button can only be used to respond to match requests from
      other people. If you want to ask a match with someone else, you need
      to use the keyboard.

      Flag -- Sends the command "flag" to ICS.

      Refresh -- Sends the command "refresh" to ICS.

      Quit -- When the button "QUIT" is hit, xics will send "quit" to ICS
      and will itself terminate.

 BUGS
      None known, but doesn't mean there aren't any.

 LIMITATIONS
      Several. Most ICS commands cannot be executed using the mouse (they
      have to be typed in); the program will work only on UNIX(TM) machines;
      its parsing abilities are dependent on the output format of ICS; not
      all output of telnet is represented graphically, etc., etc., etc.

      Perhaps the most serious limitation is that if the format of ICS
      output is changed, xics will cease to work unless its source is
      modified. Hopefully the person who maintains ICS will refrain from
      modifying the board style.

 AUTHOR
      Shirish Chinchalkar (chinch@cs.cornell.edu) gets the blame for helping
      people waste their time playing chess instead of making them spend
      their time doing more productive work.  Urban Koistinen (md85-
      epi@nada.kth.se) modified the program so that one could move pieces as
      in xboard.  Nelson Minar (nelson@reed.edu) modified telnet.c to take
      care of the tty and busy wait problems. Patrick Surry
      (pds@epcc.ed.ac.uk) added code to display a continuously ticking
      clock.



                                    - 2 -       Formatted:  November 9, 2024






 xics(1)                                                             xics(1)




 COPYRIGHT
      This software is free and can be distributed freely without
      permission. You are more than welcome to make modifications to it, but
      if you want to share your improvements with the rest of the world,
      send me a copy of your code.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
      The bitmaps for chess pieces were obtained from xboard and xchess.

 SEE ALSO
      Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in the newsgroup
      rec.games.chess on USENET.










































                                    - 3 -       Formatted:  November 9, 2024