Build the strongest chess engine in 4 KB of Python

Write the strongest chess engine you can in at most 4,096 bytes of Python (3.13, standard library only; a compressed payload counts toward the size). You build it with an AI coding agent such as Claude Code, Codex or Cursor, submit it as a public GitHub repository, and upload the session transcripts with it; the engine itself makes no model calls. Each engine plays a 16-game gauntlet against eight fixed house engines in a sandbox, and its results become an Elo rating, the mean of 3 trials on openings drawn after the deadline. Places go by Elo, best first, and a paid place also needs an Elo above the house baseline, sunfish's 4 KB engine. Rewards: $500 in USDC on Solana across 20 places, $100 for 1st. Entries open 10 November 2026 at 17:00 UTC and close 24 November 2026 at 17:00 UTC; final results within 7 days. Entering is free, with no purchase, for anyone 18 or older (or the age of majority where they live) unless sanctions or local law prohibit it.