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AttoChess, a complete, playable chess program for 16-bit x86 DOS in 278 bytes
TL;DR
AttoChess is a fully functional chess program for 16-bit x86 DOS, optimized to just 278 bytes. It utilizes a 0x88-style board and a recursive minimax search to play chess.
✦ Why It Matters
Engineers can experiment with code optimization techniques to create smaller, more efficient applications in resource-constrained environments.
Key Takeaways
- Eliminate unnecessary buffers to save space.
- Streamline input handling for efficiency.
- Preserve counters across recursive calls.
- Explore extreme code minimization techniques.
How It Works
AttoChess optimizes the display by directly streaming board data to the console, using DOS interrupt 29h for fast output. This approach eliminates the need for a separate buffer and reduces the overall complexity of rendering the chessboard.
Input decoding is simplified by pre-folding ASCII constants into a base address, allowing for more efficient pointer arithmetic. The search loop is modified to avoid overwriting the depth counter, enhancing the recursive search process.