HIARCS Chess Pedigree

HIARCS PC Mac & Palm Chess Software
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HIARCS Pedigree

HIARCS is a chess program by Mark Uniacke developed from an original idea born out of a physics classroom at a comprehensive school way back in 1980. The objective was to create a chess playing entity with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, rather than sheer number-crunching, capable of competing with the best human chess players in the world.

HIARCS stands for Higher Intelligence Auto Response Chess System.

In the early years Mark concentrated on computer-computer competition, but since 1994 Mark and HIARCS have successfully turned their attention to their toughest adversary – Mankind!

Now in 2007 HIARCS is again turning its attention to the computer chess competition with the aim to set new standards of chess excellence in defeating all human and computer opposition.

The key milestone achievements of HIARCS are:

	1991 *World Amateur Microcomputer Chess Champion*, Vancouver, Canada.
	1993 *World Computer Chess Olympiad Champion*, London, England.
	1993 *World Microcomputer Chess Software Champion*, Munich, Germany
	1995 *Top placed computer*, Man-Machine AEGON tournament, The Hague, The Netherlands, achieving a Grandmaster performance and defeating top US GM Yasser Seirawan.
	1997 *First microcomputer chess program in history* to defeat a FIDE International Master in match play when HIARCS defeated IM Deen Hergott 4-2 in Ottawa, Canada.
	1997 Garry Kasparov specifically requested HIARCS as his training partner for his second match with IBM’s Deep Blue. He later said on record “HIARCS is much better positionally than Deep Blue”.
	2002 *HIARCS defeats top Russian GM Boris Gulko* 1½-½ in Internet Man-Machine chess challenge match.
	2003 *HIARCS draws chess match 2-2 with World top 10 Super GM Evgeny Bareev*, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
	2005 HIARCS on a Palm PDA becomes the *first handheld chess computer in history* to defeat a GM in a match when it defeated top German GM Jan Gustafsson 3-1 in a Man-Machine Internet match achieving a higher performance rating than Garry Kasparov. Palm HIARCS also defeated GM Sergey Volkov 3-1 and GM Piotr Bobras 3-1 in two four game matches.
	2006 HIARCS for Palm PDA becomes the first handheld chess computer in history to win a GM tournament when it won the 2nd Congress Pichay Invitational in the Philippines and defeated super GM Mark Paragua.
	2007 HIARCS wins Internet Chess Club CCT9 Blitz tournament for the second year running and breaks the 3000 Elo barrier.
	2007 HIARCS wins International Paderborn computer chess tournament in Germany ahead of a world class field including other World Computer Chess Champions..

For a fuller chronological list of HIARCS' achievements click here.

We are running a series of articles in which Mark Uniacke author of HIARCS details where HIARCS began and its evolution and rise through the ranks to become World Chess Software Champion and onwards to its present position offering World Class Chess Software on multiple platforms.

These articles will provide not only details of HIARCS history but will explain various algorithms and ideas used in the HIARCS chess software and key games in its evolution.

Begin with our "Where it all began" article.

Undecided? - please read our "Why Choose HIARCS?" page.

"It is exhilarating to play [HIARCS], more, a lot more than with any other strong program. It is a real pleasure to be defeated that way. Fast, lightning, unexpected death." - Fernando Villegas, April 2007

"HIARCS is much better positionally than Deep Blue." - Garry Kasparov 1997 (after game 5 of the rematch)

For Palm, PC & Mac Chess Software with attitude, features and chess playing strength, you can't beat HIARCS!
HIARCS is designed and developed by Mark Uniacke. Contact the HIARCS Team here: . Read our Privacy Policy here
HIARCS is a trademark of Applied Computer Concepts Ltd. All other product trademarks acknowledged.
Copyright © 2007 Applied Computer Concepts Ltd. All rights reserved. Last modified: Monday May 05, 2008.