The WinBoard Gold Pack 4.4.0
+For the ultimate WinBoard experience!
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+The WinBoard Gold Pack 4.4.0+For the ultimate WinBoard experience!+ |
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+The first two step for using PSWBTM, +configuring it, +and instaling some engines into its database, +have been described on an earlier page of this tutorial. +In the WinBoard Gold Pack PSWBTM comes fully configured, +with two engines pre-installed, so for a first trial these steps +can be skipped. +
++The third step in using PSWBTM is to set up a tournament. +For this you select the "Tools -> New Tournament" menu item. +This pops up a complex window with lot of controls and input fields. +Here you have to provide all details about the tournament. +But don't despair: most of the time you only change a few of these fields, +and leave all others as they were for your last tournament. +It is thus not as bad as it looks! +
++We will start at the top and work our way down. +You can give a name to your tourney, +wich will appear in the PGN headers of all games. +This is optional. +The next line you will have to enter the name of a PGN file, +to which all games of the tourney will then be added. +You thus can select an existing file, +and to this end there is a "Browse" button, to spare you typing the name. +The other two lines of the "File Settings" panel are not important now; +we skip them, making sure the checkboxes in front of them are unchecked. +
+The fields of the next panel, "Tournament Type", are essential. +You have to choose between Gauntlet and Round-Robin with the radio-buttons on the left. +If you have selected "Gauntlet", +(meaning a single engine against one or more others), +it is essential that you select the engine that has to play the gauntlet +with the combo-box. +This combo box shows you (when you open it) the same list of engines you saw in the +engine-manager window. +Just select one by clicking it. +For a Round-Robin this field is ignored. +So for now, click "Round-Robin". +You then must specify how many times the engines will have to play each other +(usually 1 or 2 times, we select 2). +
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++Then you have to select the time control for the tourney. +The panel is more or less self-explanatory, +and supports all time controls known by WinBoard, +including fixed time or fixed depth. +You can also select here if the engines will ponder or not. +To make for a few quick games, select "incremental", with 1 min + 0 sec/move. +
+Then you have to select the starting position. +The default starting position will do for now, +and in that case all other data in the panel is ignored. +But the combo-box on the left also allows you to select +to play from positions given in a PGN or FEN file. +If you select that, you will have to give the corresponding file name in +the field right of it, or browse to such a file. +In that case you will also have to tick if you want to play each position +once, or twice (with reversed colors). +
+The "Initial Pairing Import" panel can be ignored. +
+The last, but most important task, is to select the participants to the tourney. +As only two engines are installed initially, +we need both of them to participate. +Just double-click them in the list on the right +(which is again a display of the engine-manager database), +and this will transfer them to the box on the left +(which shows the participants). +Once both engines are in, the tourney is fully specified, +and we can click "OK" to quit the tournament-setup window. +(As long as the tournament is not started, you can call up the +"New Tournment" dialog again to correct possible errors.) +
+This brings us back into the PSWBTM main window. +The four tabs now all contain some information. +The first one shows the pairings for every round. +(With only two participants, te tourney will finish in single round, though.) +The fourth shows an overview of all the settings for the tourney, +which you just entered. +So you can check there if you goofed. +The fourth and final step, however, +is to go to the "Control" tab. +That is where the buttons are located that allow you to start the tourney, +abort it permanently, or pause it +(immediately, or after finishing the game in progress). +The only confusing thing is that to start the tourney, +you have to press "Resume". +(The button is named this way because the same button is used to restart after a pause.) +After that, the tournament will start, +and run automatically to completion. +While it is running you can use the PSWBTM "Standings" tab sheet to see +how the participants are doing upto now. +And watch and enjoy the games, of course. +WinBoard will pop up as you left it last time, +but noting you change now (including the size and position of all its windows) will be remembered for the next game of the tourney. +
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++After two games our small round-robin will be finished. +The games will have been saved in the PGN file you selected. +
+Congratulations! +You now have played your first tournament +with PSWBTM + WinBoard. +That is all there is to it. +Now just install some more engines, +and you are in business! +
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