Setup your private Cloud Engine

Answer

You may have already read that a growing number of players access their chess engines running on powerful desktop computers from their laptops, from anywhere around the world. Anyone can do it easily with Fritz, Komodo or Houdini and a Playchess account. In easy steps, allow us to show you how you too can run your desktop engine from your laptop, just as if you were simply opening another engine. In fact, you can run more than one if you have the extra computer power to spare.

Requirements

There are a few minimum requirements before starting:

  • Two machines with the Fritz, Komodo, Houdini or ChessBase interface installed.
  • An active subscription to Playchess (the connection is done via a Playchess account)
  • A working internet connection.

Setting up the computer you will access

On the desktop you want to be able to access, start up Fritz, Komodo or Houdini and click on Playchess.com.

Inside the program, go to the Engine tab (as above left) and click on Open Cloud Engines.

An alternate way is just to click on the Cloud button in the engine pane.

Important : Be sure the engine you want to access is not opened in the program already. In other words, if you want to run Komodo, then the engine opened here should be another.

Now you will be asked to fill out your Playchess account info to login.

A large list of engines will appear that you can rent for a price in Ducats

In the toolbar at the top, click on Offer Private Engine.

A list of engines will open from which you can select the engine you want to be able to access. Remember, if the engine is not in the list, it may already be open in the main program. If so, go back, and change it to free up the engine you want.

Accessing the Cloud Engine from your laptop

Just as above, enter the program interface from your laptop, and proceed to the Cloud Engine area. Our engine is now listed, and the the price is listed as Free. We alone can see and access it. No one else will see it listed.

If you double-click on it, the above pane will appear, confirming your choice. Leave it and switch to the main interface.

You will see the engine opened and running, with one minor difference, the name is in dark blue. A quick check of the task manager confirms that we are using zero percent of the processor, keeping it cool and saving battery life among other things.

Needless to say, you can open a local engine, or even other Cloud Engines (another private engine, or a rental). When you are done, if you want to pause the engine, click on Stop in the engine pane, or just close the program.

 

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Created on
16.05.2017
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