C++

C++ Used in Stockfish Stockfish is written in a style of C++ that prioritizes performance, predictability, and compile-time resolution over traditional object-oriented design. Rather than heavy use of classes, inheritance, or virtual functions, the engine relies on enums, inline functions, templates, bitwise operations, and plain data structures. This makes the code extremely fast, cache-friendly, and suitable for deep search loops executed billions of times. Enums as Core Types Enums form the backbone of Stockfish’s type system. Instead of using classes for concepts like pieces, squares, colors, or moves, Stockfish represents them as enums with carefully chosen integer values. ...