First download the Sigma Chess HIARCS product from our
Macintosh download page.
Once you have downloaded the Sigma616-HIARCS12.dmg disk image, please
double click it to open the disk image.
Once the disk image is opened as a volume it will look something like this:
Please read the How to Install.pdf for detailed instructions. In a nutshell
you simply move (drag) the "Sigma 6.1.6 HIARCS 12" folder from the volume to
the recommended location - the "Applications" folder. Once this is done eject
the Sigma 6.1.6 HIARCS 12 Installer volume. under no circumstance should you
run the application from the installer volume itself. You must first
move/drag/drop it into the Applications folder on your Macintosh Hard Disk.
For further details please read the
How to Install document.
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When Sigma Chess HIARCS is first run after installation you will be given
the following dialog:
To install the HIARCS 12.1 SP chess engine simply click the "Install"
button. This enables Sigma Chess to form an association with the HIARCS chess
engine.
Sigma Chess GUI will now launch (start) the HIARCS chess engine and you
will see the following About HIARCS dialog:
You will notice the HIARCS chess engine is currently unregistered and hence
it is running as HIARCS 12.1 SP Lite with limited strength and features. Click
the OK button and you will be given an opportunity to register the HIARCS
engine with the license key you received shortly after purchase.
Enter your License name and code to activate the HIARCS chess engine. If
you have not yet purchased the product or don't have your license details to
hand, please click "Later" to continue. You will be able to
enter the license details later when you have them.
You will now see the following dialog:
This confirms the HIARCS engine is installed. To now use the HIARCS chess
engine as the default chess engine click the "HIARCS" button. Use the "Sigma"
button only if you do not want to use the HIARCS chess engine.
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Shortly after purchase you will receive by email your license name and
code/key information.
Even if you wish to use the HIARCS chess engines in a different chess
GUI we strongly recommend you use Sigma Chess to register the HIARCS chess
engine first.
When you start Sigma Chess if HIARCS is the default chess engine you will
be offered the following registration dialog:
Please enter your personal license name and code into the above dialog and
select the "Register" button. You can copy and paste the license information
from the license email to make it easier. Provided you have entered the
license information correctly to will see the following dialog:
This explains that HIARCS 12.1 SP is registered, but you must restart it in
order for the activation process to complete. You can restart the HIARCS
engine either by quitting and restarting the Sigma Chess GUI or by following
the instruction on restarting the HIARCS chess engine
below.
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After registering the HIARCS chess engine it has to be restarted so that
the activation process can complete. This is how to restart the HIARCS chess
engine (or any other UCI engine) in the Sigma Chess GUI.
First Open the Engine Manager dialog accessed via the
Analyze->Engine->Engine Manager menu item. You will then see the following
Engine Manager dialog. If HIARCS is the default engine it will be shown by
default here.
If you have another engine listed (e.g. Sigma Chess), you can select HIARCS
12.1 SP from the Engine selector at the top of the dialog. If HIARCS 12.1 is
not listed there that is because you did not select to
install when originally asked. Please see our FAQ question on adding a
new UCI chess engine here.
Click the "Stop" button to stop the HIARCS chess engine. The Engine Manager
dialog will then look like this:
Not much has changed, only the engine is now "Not loaded". Now click the
"Start" button to restart the HIARCS chess engine. If you are doing this to
complete the activation process you will now see the following dialog:
This confirms the HIARCS chess engine is now fully activated. Select the OK
button. The Engine Manager dialog will now look something like this and you
will be able to configure the many engine setting options.
A full list and description of the configurable options of the HIARCS chess
engine can be found on our HIARCS UCI Options
page.
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This section explains how to add a new chess engine into the Sigma Chess
GUI so that you can use it within Sigma Chess. We will use the example of the
HIARCS 12.1 MP chess engine although this approach is used to add any UCI chess
engine into Sigma Chess.
First open the Engine Manager dialog accessed via the
Analyze->Engine->Engine Manager menu item. You will then see the following
Engine Manager dialog:
Now click on the "Add..." button to select to add a new UCI chess engine.
You will now see a browse dialog something like this:
To add the HIARCS 12.1 MP UCI chess engine browse to the folder it is in
(the default location is /Applications/Sigma Chess 6.1.6 HIARCS 12/HIARCS).
There you will see it named "Hiarcs12.1MPUCI". Select it and click "Open".
The HIARCS 12.1 MP engine will then load and is now added as a new UCI
chess engine. Please remember to activate it you need to purchase the engine
and enter your license information.
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Yes the HIARCS 12 MP license key will work with BOTH the HIARCS 12.1 SP and
HIARCS 12.1 MP engines. So you can enjoy all the benefits of both engine
versions.
Yes, if any progress and improvements are made to the HIARCS 12 series of
chess engines it is my intention to release those updates for free to Sigma
Chess HIARCS owners. However for obvious reasons I would not release a new HIARCS 13 engine for
free as that is a separate development involving a lot of investment and new
work, although it is my intention to provide discounted upgrade pricing for
the eventual HIARCS 13.
Yes, it is the strongest chess software ever sold for
Apple Macintosh computers.
HIARCS 12.1 scores about 65% against HIARCS 11.2 which itself outscored
other Mac chess programs when it was released.
It is the strongest chess program on both Power PC (G3/G4/G5) and the new
Intel based Macintosh computers. This is all achieved from one single
universal binary application!
Independent engine-engine matches on Macintosh G4s by Richard Fowell indicate that
HIARCS 11.1 SP Mac is stronger than its rivals by:
149 Elo vs HIARCS 10 Mac 140 - 60 (70% for
+149 Elo)
156 Elo vs Toga II 1.2 Beta 2a Mac 283 - 117
(70.75% for +156 Elo)
164 Elo vs Shredder 9.11 Mac 215 - 85 (71.66% for
+164 Elo)
167 Elo vs Fruit 2.21 Mac 288.5 - 111.5 (72.125% for +167
Elo)
218 Elo vs Gambit Fruit Mac 311 - 89 (77.75% for +218
Elo)
233 Elo vs HIARCS 9.6 Mac 159.5 - 40.5 (79.75% for
+233 Elo)
243 Elo vs Glaurung Mac 241 - 59
(80.3% for +243 Elo)
These results comprehensively show HIARCS 11.1 SP was stronger than all
other Apple Macintosh computers when it was released. HIARCS 12.1 takes that
to a new level.
The results are even more impressive on Intel based Macs especially where
the opposition is not a universal binary or Intel enabled. In fact they are so
overwhelming that the PowerPC programs have trouble scoring.
Furthermore the multiprocessor version of HIARCS 12.1 is even stronger
offering the strongest chess playing entity ever on the wonderful Mac
OS X platform.
In conjunction with Sigma Chess Pro, HIARCS can provide you with customised
opponents from beginner at 1250 Elo to Super Grandmaster at 3000 Elo. In
addition Sigma Chess can provide Elo rating statistics so you can have your
progress measured and even graphically presented.
With Sigma Chess Pro GUI and an activated HIARCS chess engine you can
select any set Elo you wish from 1250 Elo up to the top strength supported by
your computer hardware (about 2800-3000 Elo).
Please remember the SP version on maximum strength can play stronger than
all Elo settings and the MP version can play even stronger than that!
Sigma Chess HIARCS Lite is our free demonstration offering. It provides a
Sigma Chess 6.1.6 Lite GUI together with a HIARCS 12.1 Lite chess engine
package to provide the following features:
 |
Choice of HIARCS 12.1 Single or Multiprocessor engine
versions |
|
HIARCS is a Universal binary to maximise
performance on both Intel and PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Macs |
|
Chess
strength up to 3000+ Elo depending on your hardware performance and version. |
|
Full chess brain enabled giving much more attacking chess
quality - exciting chess! |
|
Activated version is 10-40 times faster
than Lite version |
|
Maximum depth extended from 13 moves to 62
moves lookahead |
|
Hiarcs 12.1 scores about 98% v Hiarcs 12.1 Lite! |
|
Unlimited
levels and time controls: Casual, Blitz, Active, Fischer and
Tournament.
|
|
Configurable multiple playing styles, Solid, Normal and Aggressive;
together with hypermodern play. |
|
Configurable Smart Search, Selectivity,
Threats and Combination settings. |
|
Positional and book learning capabilities so
HIARCS improves as it plays. |
|
Full Tournament book with the latest opening theory for study and preparation |
|
Hash tables up to 64Mb. Larger hash tables
up to 2Gb are available with
the Sigma Chess Pro version. |
|
Explore new Sigma Chess 6.1.6
GUI with new features like MultiPV |
|
If you have the Sigma Chess Pro GUI you also get the
following additional features for free!
- Settable Elo chess strength
opponents in the range (1250 Elo - 3000+ Elo depending on your hardware
performance)
- Endgame
database support of Nalimov tablebases up to 6 pieces for perfect play in
the endgame
- Support for hash tables over 64Mb up to 2Gb depending on RAM availability
- Sigma
Chess engine-engine match play so you can watch these machine giants fight
it out!
- Continuous monitor analysis by HIARCS giving world class analysis
for your games
- Full Elo history graph and
statistics.
- Game
collections of up to a million games including PGN & EPD with search
capabilities
- HTML web page export
including "Rules of Chess" collection and diagrams |
|
Free updates of the HIARCS 12 series engine as they
become available. |
. Read our