ICC Help: Junior

- Q: What is Junior?
- A: Junior is a chess-playing engine that plugs into Dasher allowing you to analyze chess positions with it or play against it.

- Q: How does it integrate with Dasher?
- A: You can select "Play vs. Computer" to play against it. Or you can analyze games with it, when its analysis will be displayed in a window as reduced algebraic (e.g. e2 e4 Nf3)

- Q: Does it work with programs other than Dasher?
- A: Yes. To verify that you are a member, you must purchase it using ICC Dasher, but after that, it can be used in other programs that support the "UCI" protocol, which is the most popular standard for chess engines. (See below for instructions for using Junior in a few popular programs.) `
- Q: Is the Junior engine a stand-alone program?
- A: No, you need to use it within ICC Dasher (available for free) or another program supporting UCI engines.

- Q: How good is it?
- A: Junior is significantly stronger than Dasher's built-in engine, Crafty. In fact, it's a many-time world champion! In June 2007 Deep Junior won FIDE's "Ultimate Computer Chess Challenge", beating Deep Fritz 4-2. Junior won the "World Microcomputer Chess Championship" twice and the "World Computer Chess Championship" three times, including the last time it entered (2006) when it was undefeated. In 2003 Deep Junior tied a match against Garry Kasparov 3-3, after which Garry said that Deep Junior consistently played better than Deep Blue. Then in 2006 it won a match against Teimour Radjabov.

- Q: How much does this super engine cost?
- A: Junior is $29.95 and Deep Junior is $49.95. This is an exclusive special offer, ONLY AVAILABLE TO ICC MEMBERS. This version is only available as a download.

- Q: What is the difference between Junior and Deep Junior?
- A: Junior is the single processor version. Deep Junior is the multiple processor version: if your computer has multiple processors (or a multicore processor), Deep Junior will take advantage of that to search more deeply and play more strongly. Deep Junior will run on single processor machines, but not offer any increase in speed over Junior.

- Q: How do I buy Junior or Deep Junior?
- A:
1) Download the latest version of ICC Dasher for free from: http://www.chessclub.com/helpcenter/interface/Dasher.html and install it.
2) Sign into the ICC using Dasher
3) Select "Purchase Junior Engine" from the Web menu. After your purchase is complete, Junior will be activated on your computer and you will be provided with a download link to the Junior installer.

- Q: What version of Dasher is required?
- A: 1.2 or higher. Go here to download the latest version of Dasher for free: http://www.chessclub.com/helpcenter/interface/Dasher.html

- Q: What platforms does Junior work on?
- A: It's Windows-only.

- Q: Is it available on CD-ROM?
- A: No, the Junior that works with Dasher is download-only at this time.

- Q: Can I install Junior on my second or third computer?
- A: Yes, up to three installations are allowed.

- Q: Can I re-download and install Junior to the same computer if I accidentally delete it?
- A: Yes.

- Q: Where can I find detailed information on using Junior or purchasing/re-installing it?
- A: While logged in, click on this link inside Dasher: http://www.chessclub.com/helpcenter/Dasher/Junior.htm Note that you can only access these pages through Dasher.

- Q: Where do the Junior engines get installed?
- A: If your Windows user name is XX, try looking here:

\Documents and Settings\XX\Application Data\Internet Chess Club\Dasher\engines\junior

- Q: Will my old version or ChessBase version of Junior work in Dasher?
- A: No. ChessBase's engines use a closed, proprietary communication format, whereas our new Junior product employs UCI, the most widely-used standard protocol. Only the new download-only version works within Dasher and other UCI interfaces.

- Q: How do I load Junior into a ChessBase product?
- A:
1) Launch Fritz/Shredder/ChessBase...
2) Select the Engine menu and select "Create UCI Engine...". This brings up the Setup UCI Engine dialog.
3) Press the Browse button. The Open dialog appears.
4) Locate the Junior application. It may help to enter this path in the file name field:

%APPDATA%\Internet Chess Club\Dasher\engines\junior

Select the engine (it will be junioruci-10.1 or deepjunioruci-10.1) and press the Open button.
5) Press the OK button when returned to the Setup UCI Engine dialog
6) Select the Engine menu from Fritz again and select "Change Main Engine..." The Load engine dialog appears.
7) Select the Junior engine (e.g. Junior 10.1 UCI) so that it is gray with black letters, then press the OK button
8) Now if you select a new game (e.g. Choose New from the File menu, select game type, e.g. Blitz, select the controls, press OK), the main title bar should read something like "Junior 10.1 UCI, Blitz:10'"

- Q: How do I load Junior into BookUp?
- A:
1) Start Chess Opening Wizard (COW).
2) Open any book. This is necessary to bring up the "Edit" menu that only displays when a book is open.
3) Select the "Edit" menu then select "Program Preferences..."
4) When the "Preferences" window displays, select the "Engine" tab.
5) Make sure that the "Send Startup Command" box is checked.
6) Under "Engine Type" select "UCI".
7) Change the UCI "Engine Nickname" to whatever name you want for the engine (e.g. Deep Junior).
8) Press the "Select Engine" button.
9) When the "Browse" window displays, The "Look in" box should refer to:

\Documents and Settings\XX\Application Data\Internet Chess Club\Dasher\engines\junior

(Replace "XX" with your "Windows user login name"). If you specified things correctly the Junior Engine file name should display in the window.
10) Press the "Open" button. This brings you back to the "Preferences" window.
11) Press "OK" and Junior is installed in COW.

(With thanks to Stan Rydz and Ron Lasser for contributions to this FAQ.)