Barend Swets

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Barend Swets, a Dutch engineer and early computer chess programmer, who already started computer chess programming in 1966. His knowledge based chess program Bs6676 was the first Dutch chess program and subject of his thesis under Adriaan de Groot. Bs6676 played the ECCC 1976, the WCCC 1977, the ACM 1978 and ACM 1979, the unofficial Dutch championship matches in 1979 and 1980 and the First Dutch Computer Chess Championship in 1981. Barend Swets was the promoter and one of the founders of the ICCA, and started the ICCA Newsletter along with Ben Mittman in 1978.

=Quotes=

1997
By Robert Hyatt, 1997 : Problem is, no one else has stepped forward. I was there when Barend Swets (Believe the spelling is correct) proposed forming this organization in 1977 in Toronto. I was one of many that stood up and said "yes, I'll join." However, others stood up and said I'll not only join, I'll help for nothing, and the ICCA was formed, and continues to work this way.

2001
By Jaap van den Herik, 2001 : In 1977, the ICCA was founded during the Second World Computer-Chess Championship in Toronto. The organisation was the brainchild of Barend Swets and many participants supported the idea, among them Ken Thompson who then tied for 4th place amongst 16 participants with his program BELLE.

2007
By Jaap van den Herik, 2007 : In 1978 Ben Mittman and Barend Swets started the ICCA Newsletter. It was specialized on chess. Owing to the series of Advances in Computer Chess Conferences, which in 1999 changed to Advances in Computer Games Conferences, the ICCA Journal broadened its scope, too, and published articles on other games. This can be seen as a generalization. As a direct consequence, the Journal was renamed into ICGA Journal.

2010
By Jaap van den Herik, 2010 : Along with Barend Swets and Peter van Diepen, I was one of the followers of Euwe and De Groot. Euwe had become extraordinary professor in 1964 Rotterdam and professor in Tilburg (data processing)...

=Publications=
 * Barend Swets (1977). Computers in de opmars. Schakend Nederland 09-1977 (Dutch), pdf hosted by Hein Veldhuis » Bs6676, WCCC 1977
 * Barend Swets, Henk Koppelaar (1978). Schaken met Kunstmatige Intelligente. Intermediair, Vol. 14, No. 19 (Dutch)
 * Barend Swets, Henk Koppelaar (1978). De Struktuur van Schaakprogramma's. Informatie, Vol. 20, No. 6 (Dutch)
 * Barend Swets, Henk Koppelaar (1979). Schakend zand : de Chip als Toekomstig Schaak-Grootmeester. Intermediair, Vol. 15, No. 24 (Dutch)
 * Frieder Schwenkel (1979). Der aktivste europäische Schachprogrammierer (Barend Swets). Europa-Rochade Nr. 179 (German), pdf hosted by Hein Veldhuis
 * Max Pam (1980). Na verloop van tijd ga je weleens denken, dat er een mens in zit - Barend Swets over het programmeren van menselijk denken, Schaakbulletin nr. 150, mei 1980

=External Links=
 * Barend Swets' ICGA Tournaments
 * 2. Europäische Computer-Schachmeisterschaft, August 11, 1978, Computerwoche 33/1978 (German)

=References=

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