Rybka.abk, authored by Dr. Wael Deeb, is an opening book for Rybka which can be used under the Arena graphical user interface.

FAQ with Wael Deeb (Nov 18, 2006)

Can you tell us about yourself and your chess background?

My name is Dr.Wael Deeb,I am from Jordan.I am doctor of human medicine and specialist of Internal Medicine.I have been engaged with computer chess since the year 1991.

Dr. Wael Deeb

How was the opening book made?

The Rybka.abk was made from the finest commercial chess monographs and databases purchased and collected over the years. The major difficulty was to find a correct approach to optimize the opening book under the Arena GUI because of the lack of tools. It seems that I finally found the right way regarding this issue.

What is the history behind the book?

The Rybka.abk was intended to be published as a general opening book since the middle of the year 2005,but after the first release of Rybka I started to tune it for Rybka's playing style.This applies for the first release of Rybka.abk as the current one is actually a total re-write.

What are your next plans for the book?

The Rybka.abk will be developed in the future to boost Rybka's playing strength as it get stronger with every release.

What are the book's strengths?

The most important book's strengths are the tuned opening lines against Fritz's,Junior's,Shredder's and Hiarcs opening books so that Rybka can manoeuvre smoothly to the middle game and strike from there. Another advantage of the opening book which worth mentioning is the 32 halfmove limitation in the opening book settings so that Rybka don't leave the middle game stage where it performs best.

What are the book's weaknesses?

I am not aware of any so far. As I said the optimal approach under the Arena GUI is finally revealed to make a superior opening book.

Are there any special book usage or configuration instructions?

Yes.

1.Use the opening book until the 32 halfmoves.

2.Set Priority +15,Number of games +15,Win percentage 0

Note that you can change the number of the halfmoves,but I recommend using my default settings.Another thing is that changing the win percentage will have zero impact over the performance of the opening book because of it's unique structure which is not based on wins and losses.

What other books do you recommend for other user interfaces?

I recommend the Arena Mainbook under the Arena GUI and the Shredder.bkt under the Shredder GUI.

What other books do you recommend for the same interface?

I recommend the Arena Mainbook under the Arena GUI and the Shredder.bkt under the Shredder GUI.

Are there any final comments that you would like to make?

I want to be part of the team which will rise Rybka's playing strength to the next level.

restrictive conditions

-My authorship must be mentioned in any published tournament using the default settings of the opening book,as long as any modification made over it.

-My authorship must be mentioned in any internet-relayed game and/or tournament using the default settings of the opening book,as long as any modification made over it.