.github/workflows/deploy.yml

@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@ jobs:
           name: site-publish
           path: publish
 
+      # GitHub artifacts don't preserve the Unix executable bit, so Stockfish (the only file
+      # the app spawns as a subprocess) arrives non-executable. Restore 755 here; rsync -a then
+      # carries it to the server, where the service user can run it regardless of file owner.
+      - name: Restore Stockfish executable bit
+        run: chmod 755 publish/Resources/stockfish-ubuntu-x86-64-sse41-popcnt
+
       - name: Prepare SSH
         run: |
           install -m 700 -d ~/.ssh

JoshHeaps.Net/wwwroot/css/chess/spectate.css

@@ -88,16 +88,29 @@ html, body {
     cursor: pointer;
 }
 
+/* Overlaid on the bottom of the card at game end, so it never adds to the card's height
+   (which would shift the whole grid as games finish and are cleared). */
+.gameOverlay {
+    position: absolute;
+    left: 0;
+    right: 0;
+    bottom: 0;
+    display: flex;
+    flex-direction: column;
+    align-items: center;
+    gap: 0.6rem;
+    padding: 0.9rem 1rem;
+    background-color: rgba(20, 20, 22, 0.92);
+    border-radius: 0 0 10px 10px;
+}
+
 .gameResult {
     text-align: center;
     font-weight: bold;
     color: #8cd5ed;
-    margin-top: 0.75rem;
 }
 
 .copyPgnBtn {
-    display: block;
-    margin: 0.75rem auto 0;
     background-color: #8cd5ed;
     color: #262626;
     border: 0;
@@ -154,6 +167,13 @@ body.fullscreen-open {
     text-align: center;
     font-weight: bold;
     margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
+    /* Reserve two lines so the header doesn't reflow as the move count gains digits,
+       the side-to-move text changes, or the check tag toggles. */
+    line-height: 1.3;
+    min-height: 2.6em;
+    display: flex;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: center;
 }
 
 /* Always occupies its space (it's only hidden, not removed) so toggling "check" never

JoshHeaps.Net/wwwroot/js/ChessScripts/Spectate.js

@@ -274,34 +274,42 @@ const Spectate = {
 
         if (!card) return;
 
-        let banner = card.querySelector(".gameResult");
+        // The result and Copy PGN button live in an overlay anchored over the board so showing
+        // them at game end never changes the card's height (which would shift the whole grid).
+        let overlay = card.querySelector(".gameOverlay");
 
         if (!text) {
-            banner?.remove();
-            card.querySelector(".copyPgnBtn")?.remove();
+            overlay?.remove();
             card.classList.remove("over");
             return;
         }
 
-        if (!banner) {
-            banner = document.createElement("div");
+        if (!overlay) {
+            overlay = document.createElement("div");
+            overlay.className = "gameOverlay";
+
+            const banner = document.createElement("div");
             banner.className = "gameResult";
-            card.appendChild(banner);
+            overlay.appendChild(banner);
+
+            card.appendChild(overlay);
         }
 
-        banner.textContent = text;
+        overlay.querySelector(".gameResult").textContent = text;
         card.classList.add("over");
         this.addCopyPgn(gameId, card);
     },
 
     addCopyPgn(gameId, card) {
-        if (card.querySelector(".copyPgnBtn")) return;
+        const overlay = card.querySelector(".gameOverlay");
+
+        if (!overlay || overlay.querySelector(".copyPgnBtn")) return;
 
         const btn = document.createElement("button");
         btn.className = "copyPgnBtn";
         btn.textContent = "Copy PGN";
         btn.onclick = (event) => { event.stopPropagation(); this.copyPgn(gameId); };
-        card.appendChild(btn);
+        overlay.appendChild(btn);
 
         // Prefetch now (while the game is still in memory) so copy works during the
         // brief window before the finished game is cleaned up.

native/chess_engine/src/learned_model.cpp

@@ -87,10 +87,12 @@ static void save_global_weights();   /* defined below; load rewrites stale files
 static void load_global_weights(const char* path) {
     WinCounters loaded{};
     bool ok = false;
+    bool fileExisted = false;
 
     if (path && *path) {
         std::ifstream f(path);
         if (f) {
+            fileExisted = true;
             int version = 0;
             if ((f >> version) && version == LEARNED_VERSION) {
                 auto readTable = [&](double t[chess::PIECE_TYPE_NB][64]) -> bool {
@@ -110,9 +112,12 @@ static void load_global_weights(const char* path) {
     g_counts = ok ? loaded : WinCounters{};
     recompute_weights();
 
-    /* Stale / wrong-version / unreadable: wipe the file's contents (keep the file) by
-     * rewriting it blank-but-versioned, so the next load matches and we never reread garbage. */
-    if (!ok)
+    /* Only create a fresh file when none exists yet (first run): write it blank-but-versioned
+     * so there's a valid target to persist into. If a file IS present but couldn't be parsed
+     * (old format, corrupt, or a partial write), leave its bytes untouched — never destroy
+     * accumulated training data on startup. We just play from neutral weights this session;
+     * the next training apply() overwrites the file with a clean, current-format save. */
+    if (!ok && !fileExisted)
         save_global_weights();
 }