j2chess.com

Quick review of the j2chess evolution!

version 2.9

27 August 2007 - Current version of j2chess!

List of new stuff:

new features:

Português do Brasil language support
New Language option: it is now possible to choose j2chess language regardless of the OS locale (j2chess restart required)
Game log renderer: little icons are now dislayed (, , ...) instead of letters (N, K, ...)
PGN libraries: columns can be dynamicaly sorted

geek stuff:

Layout: GroupLayout has been replaced by JGoodies Forms layout manager

version 2.8

22 March 2007

List of new stuff:

new features:

Export current board position to PNG or JPEG bitmap image
Board preference: new Display Possible Moves option
To open a PGN file library, it is now possible to drag & drop the file onto the board
Direct load of the game if a one game only PGN library is opened
Board' squares have now a slight border

bug fix:

erratic red mark in square board fixed

version 2.7

27 November 2006

List of new stuff:

new features:

SMP (symmetric multiprocessing ) support: j2chess engine is stronger on multi-cores/CPU systems
Preferences dialogbox: new Engine tab to access related options (nb of threads, ...)

geek stuff:

j2chess engine is also smarter due to a better move selection
game time management: j2chess uses 1/40^th of its remaining time for a move (previously 1/33^th)

version 2.6

26 June 2006

List of new stuff:

look and feel: j2chess adopts Matisse (Netbeans GUI builder)

improved Preferences dialogbox
improved New Game dialogbox
improved License Agreement dialogbox
homogeneous Ok & Cancel buttons
cosmetic help menu changes
mate/slatemate/draw dialogboxes redesigned with animated icons

new features:

Sound preference: new Mute All option
Board preference: new Color Gradient option
Board preference: new Show when king is check option
Board preference: improved Show Coordinates option
Board preference: improved Show Last Move option

geek stuff:

new performance test (multi-threaded)
Splash window: check for optimum nb of thread the first run of the 2.6 version

bug fix:

on Pawn's excelsior: sub-promotion bug new fixed

version 2.5

19 January 2006

List of new stuff:

feature improvement:
- logical complement to the "Restore previous board" option, a dialogbox now tells if a game is in progress on j2chess startup
look:
- a redesigned Preferences dialogbox (Mac OS X Aqua style)
bug fix:
- PGN export: game notation was wrong in case of ambiguous moves

version 2.4

17 December 2005

List of new features:

a new "Game Info" dialogbox to easily update the PGN's Seven Tag Roster of the current game
a new dedicated area to display brief messages
engine improvements:
- Zobritz keys (used for Board.equals)
- Hashtable coded but not enabled, too slow!
bug fixes:
- on j2chess startup: the "display new board" option is now more reliable
- PGN export: game notation was wrong in case of move repetition with check
- legal moves: if the same position occurs 3 times, the draw notified but now additional moves are authorised
and as always some spelling mistake fixes

version 2.3

13 September 2005

List of new features:

snappier splash window (up to two times quicker to initialise and load resources)
on j2chess startup, the 2 following options are available:
- display new board
- restore previous board
computer thoughts can now be stopped anytime by clicking the Play/Stop button
current game can be saved as PGN file
new piece style: Mac!
session username is now used instead of "Human" for player name
technical stuff:
- j2chess property files are now stored in a proper j2chess directory
- j2chess is now screen resolution aware (to avoid the board to be bigger than the current display!)
and as always more spelling mistake fixes

version 2.2

11 July 2005

List of features:

new auto promote option
square coordinates can now be displayed or not
new sounds and sound options
improvements concerning the "New game" dialogbox:
- the board matches the defined Side and Time control options
- current game's state is frozen and then restored if the cancel option is chosen
cosmetic improvements for:
- mate/slatemate/draw dialogboxes
- keyboard shortcuts' window
- blitz mode: active clock's background is highlighted now
new Help menu's options for the Windows & Mac platforms:
- j2chess website
- email feedback
j2chess' strength slightly better thanks to an improvement in the moves sorting
spelling mistake fixes
bug fix: autoreply option while game in progress

version 2.1

23 May 2005

List of features:

new game dialogbox to define settings
blitz and blitz Fischer mode are now available for new games
keyboard shortcuts help is now available
various user interface improvement (board, preferences and library frame)
menubar items reshuffled
menubar is now Mac OS X "friendly"
game moves are preserved when j2chess is closed and then reopened
isMaterialTooLow() function improved (to detect draw games in case of low material)

version 2

18 Dec 2004

List of features:

the main board's window can be resized (from tiny to huge!)
pieces are available in 4 different styles (Alpha, Harlequin, Leipzig & Marroquin)
when computer plays, piece's move can be animated
the progressbar is back during computer thought
annoucement of the Mat is displayed

version 1.4

16 Aug 2004

List of features:

evaluation of position improved (slatemate is now detected)
board colors improved

version 1.3

15 Jul 2004

List of features:

negaScout improved (now the search function is "time accurate"!)
preferences dialogbox reorganisation
mini board
new buttons' look
the "show last move" feature is now an option and can be disabled
the game log is in its own window

version 1.2

03 Apr 2004

List of features:

splash window in its own thread and with a progressbar
images loaded with MediaTracker during initialisation
internationalisation (EN and FR, default is EN)
drag&drop improved
use of an animated gif during computer thought!
new feedback mailbox: feedback@j2chess.com

version 1.1

08 Nov 2003

List of features:

splash window improved
evaluation function improved
draw is detected if material is insufficient
code source reorganised in package

version 1.0.2

26 Oct 2003

List of features:

just a bit of code clean-up

version 1.0.1

10 Oct 2003

List of features:

drag&drop of pieces!
Let the music play: sounds are now available!
code clean-up

version 1

23 Sept 2003

First public version of j2chess! Main features are:

data structure based on Mailbox representation
search algorithm based on NegaScout
opening books
GUI
pgn reader