v1.6.0-rc1

New engines, quieter Chessnut boards.

• Stockfish 19 replaces 18.
• Maia runs on Maia-3: ratings from 800 to 2400, more human-like moves.
• Chessnut: no beep on ordinary moves; one for check, two for mate, a low
  one for a misplaced piece.
• Chessnut: NEW GAME needs two presses during a game.
• Impossible board positions are turned down.

v1.5.2

Changed

• Main screen (Android and desktop): six buttons for what you do every game
  (new game, undo, redo, flip, hint, board) and a "more" menu for the rest
  (opening library, PGN import/export, game analysis). The texts above the
  board are down to one line: training progress or engine strength, replaced
  briefly by the blunder warning when there is one. Android buttons show a
  tooltip on long-press; the board button is filled green while a board is
  connected.
• The evaluation display is now off until you switch it on; a stored choice
  still wins.
• Boards: there is no board type to choose any more. "Connect board" lists
  the devices in range, recognised boards first, and the app finds out
  whether the one you pick is a DGT Pegasus or a Chessnut by probing its
  Bluetooth services, trying the next candidate when the first does not
  match. On Android a Pegasus is recognised by its advertised UART service
  even after it has been renamed.
• Chessnut: messages name the model the board announces, e.g. "Chessnut Air
  connected". Air+, Pro and Go speak the same protocol as the Air and are
  listed alongside it; only the Air has been tested. The Move is not
  supported.
• Desktop: the "more" button is a plain button with a context menu, so its
  glyph sits centred.

Fixed

• Android, landscape: the New Game dialog no longer hides the colour choice
  and the strength slider below the fold on short screens (phones, 7-inch
  tablets); it now lays out in two columns, opponent on the left and the
  rest on the right.
• Android, DGT Pegasus: disconnecting within the board's start-up sequence
  no longer leaves one "write failed" error per remaining init command
  behind, and a reconnect inside that sequence no longer starts a second,
  interleaved one.
• macOS: the app connects through a freshly created Bluetooth central and
  says why Bluetooth is unavailable instead of failing silently.
• Windows: a board that drops the link while its services are still being
  looked up no longer triggers a cascade of "service not found" / "connect
  failed" reports and a given-up reconnect; the next attempt starts clean.
  Boards advertising a random address now connect reliably. Error messages
  name the Bluetooth status. A second disconnect while already reconnecting
  no longer starts two reconnect timers.
• Linux: the same guard for the BlueZ transport, covered by a test against a
  fake BlueZ. Still unverified on real hardware.
• Linux, macOS: a second disconnect while already reconnecting no longer
  starts two reconnect attempts in parallel.

Build

• Building from source on Windows: Visual Studio and MSYS2 are found
  automatically, so a plain terminal or IDE build works.
• Running the desktop app from Gradle no longer needs a separately installed
  JDK 23; the Foojay toolchain resolver provisions it.

v1.5.2-rc4

Changed

• Main screen (Android and desktop): six buttons for what you do every game
  (new game, undo, redo, flip, hint, board) and a "more" menu for the rest
  (opening library, PGN import/export, game analysis). The texts above the
  board are down to one line: training progress or engine strength, replaced
  briefly by the blunder warning when there is one. Android buttons show a
  tooltip on long-press; the board button is filled green while a board is
  connected.
• The evaluation display is now off until you switch it on; a stored choice
  still wins.
• Boards: there is no board type to choose any more. "Connect board" lists
  the devices in range, recognised boards first, and the app finds out
  whether the one you pick is a DGT Pegasus or a Chessnut by probing its
  Bluetooth services, trying the next candidate when the first does not
  match. On Android a Pegasus is recognised by its advertised UART service
  even after it has been renamed.
• Chessnut: messages name the model the board announces, e.g. "Chessnut Air
  connected". Air+, Pro and Go speak the same protocol as the Air and are
  listed alongside it; only the Air has been tested. The Move is not
  supported.
• Desktop: the "more" button is a plain button with a context menu, so its
  glyph sits centred.

Fixed

• Android, landscape: the New Game dialog no longer hides the colour choice
  and the strength slider below the fold on short screens (phones, 7-inch
  tablets); it now lays out in two columns, opponent on the left and the
  rest on the right.
• Android, DGT Pegasus: disconnecting within the board's start-up sequence
  no longer leaves one "write failed" error per remaining init command
  behind, and a reconnect inside that sequence no longer starts a second,
  interleaved one.
• macOS: the app connects through a freshly created Bluetooth central and
  says why Bluetooth is unavailable instead of failing silently.
• Windows: a board that drops the link while its services are still being
  looked up no longer triggers a cascade of "service not found" / "connect
  failed" reports and a given-up reconnect; the next attempt starts clean.
  Boards advertising a random address now connect reliably. Error messages
  name the Bluetooth status. A second disconnect while already reconnecting
  no longer starts two reconnect timers.
• Linux: the same guard for the BlueZ transport, covered by a test against a
  fake BlueZ. Still unverified on real hardware.
• Linux, macOS: a second disconnect while already reconnecting no longer
  starts two reconnect attempts in parallel.

Build

• Building from source on Windows: Visual Studio and MSYS2 are found
  automatically, so a plain terminal or IDE build works.
• Running the desktop app from Gradle no longer needs a separately installed
  JDK 23; the Foojay toolchain resolver provisions it.

v1.5.2-rc3

Changed

• Main screen (Android and desktop): six buttons for what you do every game
  (new game, undo, redo, flip, hint, board) and a "more" menu for the rest
  (opening library, PGN import/export, game analysis). The texts above the
  board are down to one line: training progress or engine strength, replaced
  briefly by the blunder warning when there is one. Android buttons show a
  tooltip on long-press; the board button is filled green while a board is
  connected.
• The evaluation display is now off until you switch it on; a stored choice
  still wins.
• Boards: there is no board type to choose any more. "Connect board" lists
  the devices in range, recognised boards first, and the app finds out
  whether the one you pick is a DGT Pegasus or a Chessnut by probing its
  Bluetooth services, trying the next candidate when the first does not
  match. On Android a Pegasus is recognised by its advertised UART service
  even after it has been renamed.
• Chessnut: messages name the model the board announces, e.g. "Chessnut Air
  connected". Air+, Pro and Go speak the same protocol as the Air and are
  listed alongside it; only the Air has been tested. The Move is not
  supported.
• Desktop: the "more" button is a plain button with a context menu, so its
  glyph sits centred.

Fixed

• Android, landscape: the New Game dialog no longer hides the colour choice
  and the strength slider below the fold on short screens (phones, 7-inch
  tablets); it now lays out in two columns, opponent on the left and the
  rest on the right.
• Android, DGT Pegasus: disconnecting within the board's start-up sequence
  no longer leaves one "write failed" error per remaining init command
  behind, and a reconnect inside that sequence no longer starts a second,
  interleaved one.
• macOS: the app connects through a freshly created Bluetooth central and
  says why Bluetooth is unavailable instead of failing silently.
• Windows: a board that drops the link while its services are still being
  looked up no longer triggers a cascade of "service not found" / "connect
  failed" reports and a given-up reconnect; the next attempt starts clean.
  Boards advertising a random address now connect reliably. Error messages
  name the Bluetooth status. A second disconnect while already reconnecting
  no longer starts two reconnect timers.
• Linux: the same guard for the BlueZ transport, covered by a test against a
  fake BlueZ. Still unverified on real hardware.
• Linux, macOS: a second disconnect while already reconnecting no longer
  starts two reconnect attempts in parallel.

Build

• Building from source on Windows: Visual Studio and MSYS2 are found
  automatically, so a plain terminal or IDE build works.
• Running the desktop app from Gradle no longer needs a separately installed
  JDK 23; the Foojay toolchain resolver provisions it.

v1.5.2-rc2

More robust board connections on Windows and Linux; Chessnut Air+,
Pro and Go listed alongside the Air.

• Chessnut: the board-type chooser now reads "Chessnut (Air, Air+, Pro,
  Go)"; messages say "Chessnut". Air+, Pro and Go speak the same
  protocol as the Air and should work as before; only the Air has been
  tested. The Move is not supported.

• Boards: the board type no longer has to be chosen by hand. Pick the
  device from the scan list and the app finds out whether it is a DGT
  Pegasus or a Chessnut by checking its Bluetooth services, then
  remembers the answer. The type chooser stays as a fallback.

• DGT Pegasus: disconnecting right after connecting no longer leaves
  stray "write failed" errors behind, and a reconnect during the
  board's start-up sequence no longer confuses it.

• Windows: a board that drops the link while its services are still
  being looked up no longer triggers a cascade of "service not found"
  / "connect failed" reports and a given-up reconnect; the next
  attempt starts clean. Boards advertising a random address now
  connect reliably. Error messages name the Bluetooth status.

• Linux: the same guard for the BlueZ transport. Still unverified on
  real hardware.

• Windows, macOS, Linux: a second disconnect while already
  reconnecting no longer starts two reconnect attempts in parallel.

• Building from source on Windows: Visual Studio and MSYS2 are found
  automatically, so a plain terminal or IDE build works. Running the
  desktop app from Gradle no longer needs a separately installed
  JDK 23.

v1.5.2-rc1

Desktop only: more robust board connections on Windows and Linux.
No changes in the Android app.

• Windows: a board that drops the link while its services are still
  being looked up no longer triggers a cascade of "service not found"
  / "connect failed" reports and a given-up reconnect; the next
  attempt starts clean. Boards advertising a random address now
  connect reliably. Error messages name the Bluetooth status.
• Linux: the same guard for the BlueZ transport. Still unverified on
  real hardware.
• Windows, macOS, Linux: a second disconnect while already
  reconnecting no longer starts two reconnect attempts in parallel.
• Building from source on Windows: Visual Studio and MSYS2 are found
  automatically, so a plain terminal or IDE build works. Running the
  desktop app from Gradle no longer needs a separately installed
  JDK 23.

v1.5.1

Smaller app, no functional changes.

• The release build now removes unused library code (R8 shrinking),
  as requested in the F-Droid review.

v1.5.1-rc1

Smaller app, no functional changes.

• The release build now removes unused library code (R8 shrinking),
  as requested in the F-Droid review.

v1.5.0

Chessnut Air support, next to the DGT Pegasus.

• New: connect a Chessnut Air (board type in the connect dialog). It
  knows every piece: captures and promotions are detected directly,
  a position set up on the board can be taken over, move sounds play
  on the board's speaker, a low battery is announced.
• New: the Chessnut's NEW GAME button restarts what was last played
  (same training line or same opponent) and closes any open dialog.
• New: the New Game dialog remembers your last choice - opponent,
  colour, training line and hints - and opens pre-filled with it.
• Pegasus: engine-move LEDs are re-sent shortly after being shown
  (fixes guides that stayed dark); banner hints for a capture swapped
  too quickly and for a lifted piece without a legal move.

v1.5.0-rc3

Chessnut Air support, next to the DGT Pegasus.

• New: connect a Chessnut Air (board type in the connect dialog). It
  knows every piece: captures and promotions are detected directly,
  a position set up on the board can be taken over, move sounds play
  on the board's speaker, a low battery is announced.
• New: the Chessnut's NEW GAME button restarts what was last played
  (same training line or same opponent) and closes any open dialog.
• New: the New Game dialog remembers your last choice - opponent,
  colour, training line and hints - and opens pre-filled with it.
• Pegasus: engine-move LEDs are re-sent shortly after being shown
  (fixes guides that stayed dark); banner hints for a capture swapped
  too quickly and for a lifted piece without a legal move.