# LittlePly foundation release — 29 October 2026

Model-only FP32 weights from checkpoint 857bc93bfffb287dc67e2845a14c214a4691bc1a008dae1fa4d044e5fccc87d2, step 72198. Every tensor was verified exactly against the local source checkpoint. No optimizer, scheduler, RNG, private paths or game state.

Download both numbered model parts from release.json, check their SHA-256 values, concatenate in numeric order, then check the complete archive SHA-256 before extraction:

    cat foundation-model.tar.gz.part000 foundation-model.tar.gz.part001 > foundation-model.tar.gz
    tar -xzf foundation-model.tar.gz
    python3 load_model.py .

The reader uses Python 3.12, torch, transformers and safetensors. Export environment: torch2.9.0+cu128, transformers5.21.0, safetensors0.8.0. It performs a CPU-only BOS-logit smoke test; inference need not be bit-identical across hardware. Install dependencies in your own isolated environment. Configuration and weights reconstruct the model, not the private live service.

The training/evaluation source subset records exact original/rendered hashes; two private dependency fallback paths are redacted. It is not a turnkey retraining bundle. Six-month bulk training data are not included in this release. Historical September downloads remain unchanged. Read https://littleply.com/foundation/ for dataset criteria, exposure counts, lineage, limitations and all 200 evaluation PGNs.

Original LittlePly training/service source is Apache-2.0 (LICENSE.txt). The Rust helper component is GPL-3.0-or-later, NOT Apache-2.0; RUST-NOTICES.md and RUST-LICENSE.txt apply. The separate corresponding-source archive includes the locked dependencies and their individual notices. Rebuild with cargo build --release --locked --offline as documented inside it. No helper binary is distributed here. These notices do not relicense third-party dependencies. Model weights are provided for inspection and reproduction; this release does not assert a broader model license.

The 200-game evaluation used the same frozen three-ply helper for both checkpoints. Live service857bc93bfffb-dc8989b92ba1 uses the new iterative Rust helper. Browser play remains the older September model. Do not conflate these policies or their measurements.