[computer-go] KGS Computer Go tournaments and usage of GNU Go libboard

[Aloril]

Most of this mail was originally posted to gnugo-devel mailing list.

Assumptions:

1) Program complies with GPL

2) Whole source code for program is freely available at net under GPL
terms even when GPL would not require it because program has not been
distributed. For example program participates over net or author brings
his/her own computer on site. Source code corresponding to full program
participating in tournament is available.

3) Only code from ./engine/libboard.a, ./sgf/libsgf.a
and ./utils/libutils.a is used. Especially ./engine/libengine.a is not
used. No patterns from GNU Go are used. Pattern matching code itself
might be OK?

This is how GNU Go docs describe item 3)
"The foundation of the GNU Go engine is a library of very efficient
routines for handling go boards.  This board library, called
'libboard', can be used for those programs that only need a
basic go board but no AI capability. One such program is
'patterns/joseki.c', which compiles joseki pattern
databases from SGF files."

This means all AI code like capture search, l&d, connection search,
influence, patterns, etc.. will be original.


Do I and anybody else using GNU Go source in way as described in above
have permission to enter KGS Computer Go tournaments? These programs of
course would *never* replace GNU Go participation in tournaments.

PS.
http://www.weddslist.com/kgs/rules.html has been clarified so that above
is now clearly OK.

PS2.
I want to try various ideas and not yet use coding time to implement fast 
"put stone on board, remove stones from board" -routines.
These are logically 'same' in all programs programs anyway because Go
rules define them. ;-)

-- 
Aloril <aloril at iki.fi>