Editing Computer chess (section)

== Availability and playing strength ==
[[File:Frans Morsch name on the ICs.jpg|thumb|Computer chess IC bearing the name of developer Frans Morsch (see [[Mephisto (chess computer)|Mephisto]])]]

In the past, stand-alone chess machines (usually microprocessors running software chess programs; occasionally specialized hardware) were sold. Today, [[chess engine]]s may be installed as software on ordinary devices like [[smartphone]]s and [[personal computer|PC]]s,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stockfish download|url=https://stockfishchess.org/download/}}</ref> either alone or alongside [[Graphical user interface|GUI]] programs such as [[Chessbase]] and the [[mobile apps]] for [[Chess.com]] and [[Lichess]] (both primarily websites).<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=8 Best Chess Sites and Websites|magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/best-chess-apps/ |last1=Poindexter |first1=Owen }}</ref> Examples of [[free and open source]] engines include [[Stockfish (chess)|Stockfish]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=GitHub - official-stockfish/Stockfish|website=[[GitHub]] |url=https://github.com/official-stockfish/Stockfish}}</ref> and [[Leela Chess Zero]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=GitHub - LeelaChessZero/lc0|website=[[GitHub]] |url=https://github.com/LeelaChessZero/lc0}}</ref> (Lc0). Chess.com maintains its own [[proprietary]] engine named Torch.<ref name=torch>{{Cite web|date=2023-07-13 |title=Announcing Torch: New #2 Chess Engine |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/torch-chess-engine |access-date=2023-07-14 |website=Chess.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Some chess engines, including Stockfish, have web versions made in languages like [[WebAssembly]] and [[JavaScript]].<ref>{{cite web|title=lichess-org/stockfish.wasm|website=[[GitHub]]|url=https://github.com/lichess-org/stockfish.wasm|access-date=19 January 2025}}</ref> Most chess programs and sites offer the ability to analyze positions and games using chess engines, and some offer the ability to play against engines (which can be set to play at custom levels of strength) as though they were normal opponents.

Hardware requirements for chess engines are minimal, but performance will vary with processor speed, and memory, needed to hold large [[transposition table]]s. <!--needs expansion/updating--->
Most modern chess engines, such as Stockfish, rely on [[efficiently updatable neural network]]s, tailored to be run exclusively on [[CPU]]s,<ref name="Stockfish 16.1">{{cite web|title=Stockfish FAQ: Can Stockfish use my GPU? |url=https://official-stockfish.github.io/docs/stockfish-wiki/Stockfish-FAQ.html#can-stockfish-use-my-gpu|access-date=19 January 2025|website=Stockfish|date=January 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=nnue-pytorch/docs/nnue.md|website=[[GitHub]] |url=https://github.com/official-stockfish/nnue-pytorch/blob/master/docs/nnue.md}}</ref> but Lc0 uses networks reliant on [[GPU]] performance.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Monroe |first1=Daniel |title=Mastering Chess with a Transformer Model |date=2024-10-28 |url=https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.12272 |access-date=2024-11-29 |arxiv=2409.12272 |last2=Chalmers |first2=Philip A.}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Neural Networks for Chess|author=Dominik Klein|date=2022 |page=49|arxiv=2209.01506 }}</ref> Top engines such as Stockfish can be expected to beat the world's best players reliably, even when running on consumer-grade hardware.<ref name=cnnnande>{{Cite news|title=How do you even cheat in chess? Artificial intelligence and Morse code|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/28/sport/chess-how-to-cheating-explainer-spt-intl/index.html|publisher=CNN}}</ref>