DamExchange - GAMEREQ

GAMEREQ Message

Only the Initiator may send a GAMEREQ message. By sending this message, the Initiator requests the start of a game.

Layout

1 byte	2 bytes	32 bytes	1 byte	3 bytes	3 bytes	1 byte	1 byte	50 bytes
header	version	Initiator name	Follower color	thinking time	number of moves	starting position	color to move first	position

header	message type, always 'R' (upper case)
version	version of the DamExchange protocol, always '01'
Initiator name	name of the computer program that sends the message; the name should consist of exactly 32 positions; if the name is shorter than 32 positions, add trailing blanks at the right (do not use '\0' characters); the name should not start with a blank character
Follower color	the color (white or black) the Follower plays with; must be 'W' (upper case) for white or 'Z' (upper case) for black
thinking time	the time in minutes for each player for the whole game; must be specified in 3 positions; use leading zeroes (character '0') if the number of minutes is less than 100; when the thinking time of one of the two players is over, the game may be ended by the Initiator as well as the Follower (see GAMEEND message)
number of moves	the total number of moves for the whole game; must be specified in 3 positions; use leading zeroes (character '0') if the number of moves is less than 100; When the number of moves is reached during the game, the game may be ended by the Initiator as well as the Follower; the number of moves can also be specified as '000', in that case there is no limit on the number of moves for the whole game
starting position	'A': indication for starting with the normal starting position (with white to move first), in this case the fields color to move first and position should not be included in the message 'B': indication that color to move first and position are being included in the message and should be used as the starting position of the game
color to move first	'W' if white has to move first in position 'Z' if black has to move first in position
position	50 bytes specifying for each of the board fields 1 to 50 which piece occupies that field; the possible pieces are: 'e': empty field 'w': white piece 'z': black piece 'W': white king 'Z': black king

Example:
0----0----1----1----2----2----3----3----4----4----5----5----6----6 0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5 R01Tornado voor Windows 4.0 W060065A

Tornado starts a game with the normal starting board position. Tornado itself plays black (because the Follower plays white). The game will consist of 65 moves with a playing time of one hour for each player.

Processing on receipt (by the Follower) of a GAMEREQ message

Receipt (by the Follower) of a GAMEREQ message is being recognized by the header (upper case 'R').
The version number must be checked; if version is greater than '01', this message is from a higher version of DamExchange, and a GAMEACC message must be sent with acceptance code 1. A version number less than '01' does not exist.
Field Initiator name is for informational purposes only, it can be used for display and in saved games.
If field Follower color is 'W' or 'Z', the Follower will play the game with the specified color.
thinking time and number of moves are used by the Follower to calculate the evaluation time it can use per move.
The starting position indicator specifies the starting position for the game to play.
If it is 'A', the game is to be started with the normal starting position (with white to move first). Fields color to move first and position are not included in the GAMEREQ message.
If it is 'B', the game is to be started with color to move first in the board position given by position.
After processing the GAMEREQ message, the Follower replies by sending a GAMEACC message.
Dependent on the fields starting position and Follower color, either the Initiator or the Follower will be the first to send a MOVE message (after the GAMEACC message sent by the Follower).

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