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Created page with "'''Home * People * Wim Rens''' border|right|thumb| Willem Rens <ref>Image frim former GambitVB Chess site</ref> '''Willem (Wim) J...."
'''[[Main Page|Home]] * [[People]] * Wim Rens'''
[[FILE:WimRens.JPG|border|right|thumb| Willem Rens <ref>Image frim former GambitVB Chess site</ref> ]]
'''Willem (Wim) J. Rens''',<br/>
a Dutch retired IT professional and analyst, and in the 80s as chess programmer author of [[Gambiet]], which was the first commercial chess program from the Netherlands, written in [[Z80]] [[Assembly|assembly]] language for [[TRS-80]] home computers. After some years of success in the early 80s and involvement with [[Microtrend]], he had several ideas to further improve the program, but most failed due to hardware limitations and the complexity barrier. About thirty years later, he became challenged to try his old ideas about chess programming with [[Basic|Visual Basic]] with the result of [[GambitVB]].
=Gabmol=
<span id="Gabmol"></span>Inspired by the the book ''[[Sargon]]: A Computer Chess Program'' by [[Dan Spracklen|Dan]] and [[Kathe Spracklen]]
<ref>[[Dan Spracklen]], [[Kathe Spracklen]] ('''1978'''). ''SARGON: A Computer Chess Program''. Hayden Bk.Co., [http://www.amazon.com/Sargon-Computer-Program-Dan-Spracklen/dp/0810451557 amazon.com]</ref>,
Wim Rens started chess programming in early 1979. His first program dubbed ''Gabmol'', written in [[Z80]] [[Assembly|assembly]] language for the [[TRS-80]] home computers,
made some publicity in the Netherlands when it won a match versus [[Peter van Diepen|Peter van Diepen's]] program [[IGM]] which ran on a [[UNIVAC 418|UNIVAC 418 III]]
<ref>[[Wim Rens]] ('''1981'''). ''Grondslagen van computerschaak''. [http://home.kpn.nl/a.dikker1/museum/databus.html Databus] 06-81, pp. 13-15, [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/06-1981,%20Databus,%20Wim%20Rens,%20Grondslagen%20van%20computerschaak.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]] (Dutch)</ref>.
=Microtrend=
Wim Rens in his June 1981 Databus article ''Grondslagen van computerschaak'' on how it began with [[Microtrend]] and [[Gambiet]] <ref>Excerpt from: [[Wim Rens]] ('''1981'''). ''Grondslagen van computerschaak''. [http://home.kpn.nl/a.dikker1/museum/databus.html Databus] 06-81, pp. 13-15, [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/06-1981,%20Databus,%20Wim%20Rens,%20Grondslagen%20van%20computerschaak.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]] (Dutch)</ref>:
The second milestone of Gambiet's triumph was achieved under the watchful eye of the firm Microtrend. At home of one of their directors were two [[TRS-80|TSR-80's]], one running [[Sargon|Sargon II]], the other Gabmol. Microtrend was looking for a chess game in their collection, and end of June a decision was made and a contract placed. The result was impressive: two equally fast Tandy computers and Gambiet had no trouble with the once-famous Sargon.
=Gambiet=
Wim Rens was hired by [[Microtrend]] and his program went commercial called [[Gambiet|Gambiet 80]]. After the shared third place at the first [[WMCCC 1980]] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London London], Gambiet further evolved and became the software of the [[Videopac C 7010]] module of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips Philips] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey%C2%B2 Videopac G7000] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_console video game console] in 1982 <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips Philips], [[Videopac C 7010]], French Manual, [http://www.6502man.com/tempo/VIDEOPAC%20CHESS%20%20C7010.pdf pdf]<br/>
© 1982 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips#History N.V. Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken] - Holland<br/>
© 1982 [[Wim Rens]], [[Microtrend|Microtrend International]] - Holland</ref>.
=Photos=
[[FILE:DeVriesRens.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|480px]]
[[Luuk de Vries]] talking with Wim Rens at the [[DOCCC 1982]] <ref>Image from [[Peter van Diepen]] (ed.) ('''1983'''). ''Toernooibulletin van het Nederlands kampioenschap computerschaak 1982''. [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/05-1983,%20toernooibulletin%20van%20het%20Nederlands%20kampioenschap%20computerschaak%201982.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]]</ref>
=GambitVB=
When [[Microsoft]] introduced the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework .NET framework] in 2002, Wim Rens tried his old chess programming ideas with [[Basic|Visual Basic]], and performance critical parts of subsequent versions rewritten in none [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managed_code managed] [[Cpp|C++]] . [[GambitVB]] plays reasonable chess, has an own [[GUI]], and is [[Open Source Engines|open source]] distributed under the terms of the [[Free Software Foundation#GPL|GNU General Public License]] version 3 or later <ref>[http://computer-chess.org/doku.php?id=computer_chess:wiki:lists:native_engine_list Native Engine List] from [[Ron Murawski|Ron Murawski's]] [http://computer-chess.org/doku.php?id=home Computer-Chess Wiki]</ref>.
=Publications=
* [[Wim Rens]] ('''1981'''). ''Grondslagen van computerschaak''. [http://home.kpn.nl/a.dikker1/museum/databus.html Databus] 06-81, pp. 13-15, [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/06-1981,%20Databus,%20Wim%20Rens,%20Grondslagen%20van%20computerschaak.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]] (Dutch)
=External Links=
* [https://www.game-ai-forum.org/icga-tournaments/person.php?id=432 Wim Rens' ICGA Tournaments]
* [https://www.mobygames.com/developer/shots/developerId,534605/developerShotId,21153/ Willem J. Rens Video Game Credits and Biography - MobyGames]
=References=
<references />
'''[[People|Up one level]]'''
[[Category:Chess Programmer|Rens]]
[[FILE:WimRens.JPG|border|right|thumb| Willem Rens <ref>Image frim former GambitVB Chess site</ref> ]]
'''Willem (Wim) J. Rens''',<br/>
a Dutch retired IT professional and analyst, and in the 80s as chess programmer author of [[Gambiet]], which was the first commercial chess program from the Netherlands, written in [[Z80]] [[Assembly|assembly]] language for [[TRS-80]] home computers. After some years of success in the early 80s and involvement with [[Microtrend]], he had several ideas to further improve the program, but most failed due to hardware limitations and the complexity barrier. About thirty years later, he became challenged to try his old ideas about chess programming with [[Basic|Visual Basic]] with the result of [[GambitVB]].
=Gabmol=
<span id="Gabmol"></span>Inspired by the the book ''[[Sargon]]: A Computer Chess Program'' by [[Dan Spracklen|Dan]] and [[Kathe Spracklen]]
<ref>[[Dan Spracklen]], [[Kathe Spracklen]] ('''1978'''). ''SARGON: A Computer Chess Program''. Hayden Bk.Co., [http://www.amazon.com/Sargon-Computer-Program-Dan-Spracklen/dp/0810451557 amazon.com]</ref>,
Wim Rens started chess programming in early 1979. His first program dubbed ''Gabmol'', written in [[Z80]] [[Assembly|assembly]] language for the [[TRS-80]] home computers,
made some publicity in the Netherlands when it won a match versus [[Peter van Diepen|Peter van Diepen's]] program [[IGM]] which ran on a [[UNIVAC 418|UNIVAC 418 III]]
<ref>[[Wim Rens]] ('''1981'''). ''Grondslagen van computerschaak''. [http://home.kpn.nl/a.dikker1/museum/databus.html Databus] 06-81, pp. 13-15, [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/06-1981,%20Databus,%20Wim%20Rens,%20Grondslagen%20van%20computerschaak.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]] (Dutch)</ref>.
=Microtrend=
Wim Rens in his June 1981 Databus article ''Grondslagen van computerschaak'' on how it began with [[Microtrend]] and [[Gambiet]] <ref>Excerpt from: [[Wim Rens]] ('''1981'''). ''Grondslagen van computerschaak''. [http://home.kpn.nl/a.dikker1/museum/databus.html Databus] 06-81, pp. 13-15, [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/06-1981,%20Databus,%20Wim%20Rens,%20Grondslagen%20van%20computerschaak.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]] (Dutch)</ref>:
The second milestone of Gambiet's triumph was achieved under the watchful eye of the firm Microtrend. At home of one of their directors were two [[TRS-80|TSR-80's]], one running [[Sargon|Sargon II]], the other Gabmol. Microtrend was looking for a chess game in their collection, and end of June a decision was made and a contract placed. The result was impressive: two equally fast Tandy computers and Gambiet had no trouble with the once-famous Sargon.
=Gambiet=
Wim Rens was hired by [[Microtrend]] and his program went commercial called [[Gambiet|Gambiet 80]]. After the shared third place at the first [[WMCCC 1980]] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London London], Gambiet further evolved and became the software of the [[Videopac C 7010]] module of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips Philips] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey%C2%B2 Videopac G7000] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_console video game console] in 1982 <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips Philips], [[Videopac C 7010]], French Manual, [http://www.6502man.com/tempo/VIDEOPAC%20CHESS%20%20C7010.pdf pdf]<br/>
© 1982 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips#History N.V. Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken] - Holland<br/>
© 1982 [[Wim Rens]], [[Microtrend|Microtrend International]] - Holland</ref>.
=Photos=
[[FILE:DeVriesRens.jpg|none|border|text-bottom|480px]]
[[Luuk de Vries]] talking with Wim Rens at the [[DOCCC 1982]] <ref>Image from [[Peter van Diepen]] (ed.) ('''1983'''). ''Toernooibulletin van het Nederlands kampioenschap computerschaak 1982''. [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/05-1983,%20toernooibulletin%20van%20het%20Nederlands%20kampioenschap%20computerschaak%201982.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]]</ref>
=GambitVB=
When [[Microsoft]] introduced the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.NET_Framework .NET framework] in 2002, Wim Rens tried his old chess programming ideas with [[Basic|Visual Basic]], and performance critical parts of subsequent versions rewritten in none [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managed_code managed] [[Cpp|C++]] . [[GambitVB]] plays reasonable chess, has an own [[GUI]], and is [[Open Source Engines|open source]] distributed under the terms of the [[Free Software Foundation#GPL|GNU General Public License]] version 3 or later <ref>[http://computer-chess.org/doku.php?id=computer_chess:wiki:lists:native_engine_list Native Engine List] from [[Ron Murawski|Ron Murawski's]] [http://computer-chess.org/doku.php?id=home Computer-Chess Wiki]</ref>.
=Publications=
* [[Wim Rens]] ('''1981'''). ''Grondslagen van computerschaak''. [http://home.kpn.nl/a.dikker1/museum/databus.html Databus] 06-81, pp. 13-15, [http://www.schaakcomputers.nl/hein_veldhuis/database/files/06-1981,%20Databus,%20Wim%20Rens,%20Grondslagen%20van%20computerschaak.pdf pdf] hosted by [[Hein Veldhuis]] (Dutch)
=External Links=
* [https://www.game-ai-forum.org/icga-tournaments/person.php?id=432 Wim Rens' ICGA Tournaments]
* [https://www.mobygames.com/developer/shots/developerId,534605/developerShotId,21153/ Willem J. Rens Video Game Credits and Biography - MobyGames]
=References=
<references />
'''[[People|Up one level]]'''
[[Category:Chess Programmer|Rens]]
