*** New version *** A summary of changes: Tactically the engine is considerably stronger, Ktulu 8 find the best moves faster or at lower depths. King safety evaluation has improved to allow Ktulu to detect better when the king is in danger on the board. Passed pawn evaluation is tuned again in this version which detects really faster the danger of passed pawns on the board before they get revealed. The development strategy of pieces in middle game has been clearly improved compared to the previous version which allows Ktulu to play more active than before. Pawn structuring evaluation is completely rewritten with newer concepts. Ktulu plays better than before in terms of positional playing. Our tests suggest this version is approximately 50-100 points stronger than previous version. More information and test results will follow later. The Ktulu engine is UCI and Winboard compatible which makes it possible to use it in your favorite interface. The latest ChessPartner 5.4 interface is also included.

You can buy Ktulu 8.0 in the Lokasoft online shop. Click here... to enter our shop.

Ktulu 7.1 by Rahman Paidar is a strong chess game with playing strength comparable to Gandalf 6. Ktulu has a unique active and interesting playing style and a strong endgame, even without the use of tablebases. Sometimes it likes active positions regardless of whether the opponent has a dangerous attack or not. In endgames, Ktulu becomes tactically stronger. The engine knows how to attack the weak pawns and win the game. In middle game and opening, Ktulu always tries to keep pressure on his opponent.

After around 2.000 test games with 40 moves in 20 minutes the rating of Ktulu 7.1 is 2.650 ELO. This impressive especially without book learning.

The Ktulu engine is UCI and Winboard compatible which makes it possible to use it in your favorite interface. The latest ChessPartner interface is also included.

We have included 2 versions of the engine in the package.
• 7.1 - New stronger version. 20-30 points strong than 7.0.
• 7.5 - Experimental version, is again somewhat stronger.

"After my test Ktulu 7.1 is around 20-30 ELO stronger and is again improved in endgame and king safty (some results can be found on Lokasoft webapge). Ktulu's endgame is the big advantage in comparsion with other very strong engines. Furthermore, Ktulu is playing very solid, sometimes with very good strategic sensational moves never can explain :-) With other words ... an orient engine we must have on our harddisk, ideal for analyzes."

We have collected some results as reported by independent testers. Be sure to check the games pages as well.

    Engine                   Score   Fr   Sh   Kt   Th   Kt   Sp   Ru   Ga   Lo   Sm   Za   Pr   Sl   Ar   De   SO   Na    S-B
01: Fruit 2.2               45.5/64 ···· ==01 =111 =011 =1=1 1011 =0== 1110 1==0 1101 1=01 =111 =1== ==11 =111 1=11 1=11  1395,5
02: Shredder 9.1            40.0/64 ==10 ···· =0== 0=01 0=== 1001 =01= 1=11 ==11 =0== ==1= 111= 111= =110 1=10 11=1 1=11  1214,2
03: Ktulu 7.1               37.5/64 =000 =1== ···· =1=0 1=11 00=1 01== =111 =01= 1=== 010= 1111 ===1 ==== 0=11 1=00 111=  1154,5
04: TheKing 3.33 Pestilence 36.5/64 =100 1=10 =0=1 ···· 0100 01=0 ==== 10== =0== 1=01 01=1 111= 1=01 111= 111= 01== 011=  1123,7
05: Ktulu 7.1 Beta 2        35.0/64 =0=0 1=== 0=00 1011 ···· 0000 =11= ==11 10== 0101 111= 1000 ===0 111= 0==1 1101 11=1  1064,5
06: Spike 1.0a              34.5/64 0100 0110 11=0 10=1 1111 ···· 10=0 0=1= 1==0 00=0 0011 =0=0 0111 ==11 =100 1=1= 1==1  1070,2
07: Ruffian 2.1.0           33.0/64 =1== =10= 10== ==== =00= 01=1 ···· =0=1 01=0 1010 1001 0100 =10= 111= ==== 1==0 1==1  1038,5
08: Gandalf 6.01            33.0/64 0001 0=00 =000 01== ==00 1=0= =1=0 ···· =1== 11=0 1111 1001 1=1= 111= =10= ==01 =110  995,25
09: Loop List               32.5/64 0==1 ==00 =10= =1== 01== 0==1 10=1 =0== ···· 0101 =100 1001 =011 0=01 0==1 1=11 01==  1022,7
10: SmarThink R323          31.0/64 0010 =1== 0=== 0=10 1010 11=1 0101 00=1 1010 ···· 0=1= 00=1 01=1 =001 ==1= =0== ====  984,50
11: Zappa 1.1               31.0/64 0=10 ==0= 101= 10=0 000= 1100 0110 0000 =011 1=0= ···· =0=1 1=01 ==01 11=1 001= 1=11  951,00
12: ProDeo 1.1              31.0/64 =000 000= 0000 000= 0111 =1=1 1011 0110 0110 11=0 =1=0 ···· ===1 0001 11=1 =10= 1=1=  931,75
13: SlowChess WV 2.0        27.0/64 =0== 000= ===0 0=10 ===1 1000 =01= 0=0= =100 10=0 0=10 ===0 ···· ==== 100= 1==1 1011  831,75
14: Aristarch 4.51          26.5/64 ==00 =001 ==== 000= 000= ==00 000= 000= 1=10 =110 ==10 1110 ==== ···· ==1= 1011 1=00  819,75
15: Deep Sjeng 1.6          26.5/64 =000 0=01 1=00 000= 1==0 =011 ==== =01= 1==0 ==0= 00=0 00=0 011= ==0= ···· 1==0 =111  810,75
16: SOS 5.1 for Arena       24.5/64 0=00 00=0 0=11 10== 0010 0=0= 0==1 ==10 0=00 =1== 110= =01= 0==0 0100 0==1 ···· =0==  779,25
17: Naum 1.82               19.0/64 0=00 0=00 000= 100= 00=0 0==0 0==0 =001 10== ==== 0=00 0=0= 0100 0=11 =000 =1== ····  592,00

544 games played / Tournament finished
Tournament start: 2005.10.06, 17:11:14
Latest update: 2005.10.25, 17:57:38
Site/ Country: Trier-Feyen, Germany
Level: Turnooi 40/10
Hardware: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 CPU 3800+ 2400 MHz with 1.023 MB Memory
Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)

    Engine                  Score     Sh   Fr   Sp   Kt   Kt   Ru   Lo   Th   Pr   Sl   SO   Ga   Za   Sm   De   Na   Ar    S-B
01: Shredder 9.1            41.0/64 ···· ==10 1110 1111 =1=1 0001 1110 =110 1=10 10=1 1=0= =10= 01=1 0111 01=1 011= 1110  1291,2
02: Fruit 2.2               40.0/64 ==01 ···· 10=0 =111 00=1 001= 1=0= =001 1==1 11== 111= 10== 1111 11=1 ==0= 1110 1011  1230,5
03: Spike 1.0a              37.5/64 0001 01=1 ···· ==01 1110 1=11 0=10 1001 11=1 00=0 1=1= 00=0 10=1 11=1 =1=1 =11= 0=11  1169,5
04: Ktulu 7.1 Beta 2        36.0/64 0000 =000 ==10 ···· 101= 1=1= 01=1 =001 ===0 0111 ===1 11=1 =111 ==1= 001= 11== =1=1  1089,7
05: Ktulu 7.1               35.5/64 =0=0 11=0 0001 010= ···· ==== ==10 100= 010= =111 1010 1011 10=1 1010 0111 =111 =1=1  1085,2
06: Ruffian 2.1.0           34.5/64 1110 110= 0=00 0=0= ==== ···· =10= =011 1111 1==0 0=11 10== 11=0 =0== 10== =11= 00=1  1095,7
07: Loop List               34.5/64 0001 0=1= 1=01 10=0 ==01 =01= ···· =11= 0==0 =11= 0=11 01== 0100 1=10 =110 1=1= 1110  1074,2
08: TheKing 3.33 Pestilence 33.5/64 =001 =110 0110 =110 011= =100 =00= ···· 10=1 01=1 01== 101= ==== 110= ==00 1110 =01=  1061,7
09: ProDeo 1.1              32.0/64 0=01 0==0 00=0 ===1 101= 0000 1==1 01=0 ···· 01== =110 11=0 =101 0=01 1=11 01=1 101=  985,50
10: SlowChess WV 2.0        31.0/64 01=0 00== 11=1 1000 =000 0==1 =00= 10=0 10== ···· 01== 0==1 =01= 1111 11=1 =00= 110=  964,00
11: SOS 5.1 for Arena       28.5/64 0=1= 000= 0=0= ===0 0101 1=00 1=00 10== =001 10== ···· =010 1=01 0==1 1100 10=1 011=  889,75
12: Gandalf 6.01            28.0/64 =01= 01== 11=1 00=0 0100 01== 10== 010= 00=1 1==0 =101 ···· ==10 0000 010= 110= ==0=  912,00
13: Zappa 1.1               28.0/64 10=0 0000 01=0 =000 01=0 00=1 1011 ==== =010 =10= 0=10 ==01 ···· 1=00 ==11 1110 1==0  866,25
14: SmarThink R323          27.5/64 1000 00=0 00=0 ==0= 0101 =1== 0=01 001= 1=10 0000 1==0 1111 0=11 ···· 100= 1000 11==  851,00
15: Deep Sjeng 1.6          27.0/64 10=0 ==1= =0=0 110= 1000 01== =001 ==11 0=00 00=0 0011 101= ==00 011= ···· 0010 =0=1  875,00
16: Naum 1.82               25.0/64 100= 0001 =00= 00== =000 =00= 0=0= 0001 10=0 =11= 01=0 001= 0001 0111 1101 ···· 10=1  773,75
17: Aristarch 4.51          24.5/64 0001 0100 1=00 =0=0 =0=0 11=0 0001 =10= 010= 001= 100= ==1= 0==1 00== =1=0 01=0 ····  778,75

544 games played / Tournament finished
Tournament: ATL-4, League 1 R1
Place/Country: Trier-Feyen, Germany
Level: Tournament 40/10
Hardware: Dual Intel(R) Xeon(TM) CPU 2.80GHz with 2.047 MB Memory
Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)

You can buy Ktulu in the Lokasoft online shop. Click here... to enter our shop.