macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install cheopslocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install cheopsMacPorts ports tree · games/cheops/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install cheops with Homebrew, MacPorts
CHEss OPponent Simulator. Version 1.3 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
CHEss OPponent Simulator
Project links
Commands and aliases
- cheops
history
Project history and usage
CHEOPS, the CHEss OPponent Simulator, is a small command-line chess program and engine by Tristan Miller. It is niche, but official project pages provide enough release history to document it as a traditional Unix-style game package.
Project history
The official homepage says CHEOPS was conceived and written by Tristan Miller and describes it as a fully functional chess program supporting human-vs-human, human-vs-computer, and computer-vs-computer play. It uses a 64-square linear board representation, alpha-beta search, and a static evaluation function over material, mobility, and motif features.
The NEWS file records an initial 1.0 release in November 2003, GNU-style packaging with configure script and man page in 1.1, compiler compatibility fixes in 1.2, and GPL-3.0 relicensing in 1.3.
Adoption history
The project is small, but the homepage documents source releases on GitHub and nothingisreal.com, openSUSE packages, and third-party Windows builds. The batch metadata lists Homebrew and MacPorts packaging.
CHEOPS is therefore more of a preserved portable Unix game than a widely adopted chess engine ecosystem project.
How it is used
Users run cheops in a terminal, choose who controls each side, optionally adjust computer-opponent evaluation weights, and enter moves in coordinate notation such as g1f3. The man page documents commands for help, resigning, redisplaying the board, reversing the board, showing computer thinking, logging, saving, starting a new game, and quitting.
The package builds with a standard configure script on Unix-like systems, matching the expectations of source-based package managers and ports collections.
Why package nerds care
CHEOPS is package-nerd significant mainly as a small, old-school Unix game package: source tarballs, configure and make, a section 6 man page, GPL licensing, and ports-package distribution.
It also shows why package managers keep niche software alive: even a four-star chess program can remain installable decades after its first release when it follows conventional source distribution patterns.
Timeline
- 2003: CHEOPS 1.0 initial release.
- 2003: CHEOPS 1.1 added GNU-style packaging, configure script, man page, and --help/--version.
- 2015: CHEOPS 1.2 fixed compilation with modern GCC.
- 2016: CHEOPS 1.3 released and relicensed under GPL-3.0.
Related projects
- GNU Chess, chesstool, and xboard are listed in the CHEOPS man page as related tools.
- openSUSE packaging and MacPorts/Homebrew formulas are relevant distribution relatives for this kind of Unix game.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
cheops | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.3
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://logological.org/cheops
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://logological.org/cheopsnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:cheops |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/cheops |
| Homepage | https://logological.org/cheops |
| Repository | https://github.com/logological/cheops |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/logological/cheops#readme |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://files.nothingisreal.com/software/cheops/cheops-1.3.tar.bz2 |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | cheops |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
MacPorts95%
cheops
sudo port install cheops- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Cheops
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment