On Mon, 4 Aug 2003, Markus Enzenberger wrote:
The organizers of the Gifu Challenge have announced that they will use a new server-based protocol named SBCP instead of the Modem Protocol in future tournaments. A description of the protocol can be found here: http://igo.bz/cgf/CGF2004-Protocol.txt
I am not happy that they did not choose GTP, it would have been a good choice for all the requirements listed in the their specification.
Programmers that already use GTP for regression testing and interfacing the engine to a user interface will have to support another protocol or use a program translating the protocols.
I know that at least 4 Go programs which participated in tournaments already support GTP: GnuGo, Explorer, NeuroGo and Golois (anyone knows more?).
Let me add that bridges between GTP and GMP already exist, and would certainly be ready for the next tournament. So all other programs would just have to setup this bridge, and would not have to implement a new protocol, either.
Regards, Arend Bayer