Answers.Body: <p><a href="https://www.gnu.org/software/chess/manual/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The manual can be found on GNU Chess's website</a>. To set a custom position, use the setboard command followed by the FEN string of the game position.</p>
  
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Answers.Text: The manual linked doesn't mention the setboard command. It does mention the epdload command, however. setboard is an x-board command.
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Answers.Text: @L.ScottJohnson Indeed `setboard` does not seem to be part of the [commands list](https://www.gnu.org/software/chess/manual/html_node/Command-list.html), although `epdload` is. Thanks for pointing this out. So, if I go something like `gnuchess epdload filename` in Bash, it just starts a game with the position specified in the extended position description file? Thanks again.
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Body: <p>I could not find this in the GNU Chess manual by searching, although I might be overlooking it, under a different name.</p>
  <p>What I am seeking to do with GNU Chess is quite simple: Specifying the position of every single piece on the board, for both players, and deciding who starts after that. I'm currently reading a beginner's book on Chess, as I know nearly nothing about it, and would like to follow the tutorials, which suggest to start with particular positions with a chess computer or advanced player, and figure out how to survive.</p>
  <p>The optimal feature would be having the possibility to keep those starting positions in text files, so that I can reuse them and modify them.</p>
  
Tags: <engines>
Title: How to set custom start position in GNU Chess?
ThreadText: # How to set custom start position in GNU Chess?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2023-03-29)
  
  I could not find this in the GNU Chess manual by searching, although I might be overlooking it, under a different name.
  
  What I am seeking to do with GNU Chess is quite simple: Specifying the position of every single piece on the board, for both players, and deciding who starts after that. I'm currently reading a beginner's book on Chess, as I know nearly nothing about it, and would like to follow the tutorials, which suggest to start with particular positions with a chess computer or advanced player, and figure out how to survive.
  
  The optimal feature would be having the possibility to keep those starting positions in text files, so that I can reuse them and modify them.
  
  **Tags:** engines
  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2023-03-29. Score: 3
  
  [The manual can be found on GNU Chess's website](https://www.gnu.org/software/chess/manual/). To set a custom position, use the setboard command followed by the FEN string of the game position.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: The manual linked doesn't mention the setboard command. It does mention the epdload command, however. setboard is an x-board command.  
  > **username_0**: @username_2 Indeed `setboard` does not seem to be part of the [commands list](https://www.gnu.org/software/chess/manual/html_node/Command-list.html), although `epdload` is. Thanks for pointing this out. So, if I go something like `gnuchess epdload filename` in Bash, it just starts a game with the position specified in the extended position description file? Thanks again.  
  
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