Ashley, an International Master, walks you through the basics and intermediate techniques.įor children 9 years old and up, Chess Mates (Theatrix, Windows/Mac, $34.95) provides an entertaining introduction to the game, featuring Wigby the Wizard and animated chess pieces. Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess (Davidson, $37.95, Windows 3.1/95/98) is a good beginner's choice. But don't be fooled by its antics this is the commercial version of the professional Fritz chess program, which once beat Kasparov in a stunning upset. If you have a sense of humor, Extreme Chess (Davidson/Simon and Schuster, Windows 3.1/95/98, $29.95) sends obnoxious messages while you're playing, and if you take to long to move, it grunts and makes the sound of impatient fingers thumping on a table. You can search for games by opening line, board position or multiple search criteria. You can get detailed information about each contest, including a move list, opening, results, event ratings and player ratings. More experienced players will enjoy Chessmaster 6000's database of 300,000 actual games. There are tutorials for beginning to intermediate players, and a virtual coach who can suggest the best moves while you're in a game. For example, the program can tell you if you make an illegal move or annotate your move list. You'll also find a variety of voice responses. If you like to listen to classical music while you play, you'll love Chessmaster 6000, which has a large library of optional background music by masters including Bach, Beethoven and Chopin.

You can also choose the kind of chess pieces you use. Graphically, Chessmaster offers a variety of 2D and 3D boards chessboards in styles ranging from marble to wood. First, you can choose from 95 opponents - each with a photograph, biography and unique playing style and skill level. It has superb graphics and a variety of features designed to teach the game and make learning entertaining. Professional programs aren't as fancy, but they often play at a higher level and have tactical features that make them better suited for advanced players.Ĭhessmaster 6000 (Mindscape, Windows 95/98, $39.95) is the Cadillac of commercial programs. Commercial programs have entertaining graphics, multimedia tutorials and other features that make them a good choice for beginners to intermediate players. PC chess programs are divided into two categories: commercial and professional. That's the top one percent of chess players in the world. Many chess programs can play above the master's level of 2,200.

An average patzer like me is rated at about 1,500, while Garry Kasparov, the reigning human champ, is rated at 2,790 by the International Chess Federation. Like chess players themselves, these programs are rated on a numeric scale.

As PCs have become much more powerful, computer chess programs have become better and much cheaper.

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