Universal chess interface

The Universal Chess Interface ( UCI ) is an open chess communication protocol which is used by chess engines to communicate with the graphical user interface (GUI).

It was developed in November 2000 by Rudolf Huber and Stefan Meyer-Kahlen, the author of Shredder , and is not compatible with the older and widely used XBoard protocol. Both protocols can be used without license fees .

After ChessBase had integrated the Universal Chess Interface into its software in 2002, the protocol subsequently found widespread use. A variety of chess programs and GUIs support the UCI, such as Shredder, Fritz , Chess Assistant , Chess Partner and Arena .

Web links

• Technical UCI specification on shredderchess.de
• Information on UCI engines ( Memento from July 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on superchessengine.com (English)