Software/Databases
Overview
The first chess computer I ever saw was back in the mid '70s in a San Francisco Radio Shack. The attraction was immediate, so I asked the salesman if I could play a game against it. "Sure," he replied, "but you won't be able to beat it." Fewer than 20 moves later I had it checkmated. After several more games with similar results, my assessment was basically, "So much for chess computers!"
Well, computers, including dedicated chess microprocessors such as the one I encountered above, have come a long way, of course. Nowadays they might talk to you, and a couple of them can beat Garry Kasparov, the world's top-rated player (click here for details of Kasparov's 11/03 match against X3d Fritz). You can get an idea of the range of desktop, portable and handheld chess computers available for purchase these days at the web sites of Saitek and Excalibur, two major chess computer manufacturers. To read up on how chess computers work, click here, and for a brief history of chess and computers, click here or here.
I need to mention, however, that most strong players generally don't spend much time on stand-alone chess computers. Instead they use software programs written for the PC which have earned the respect of the world chess community in recent years. Top titles include Fritz, Shredder, Junior, Chess Tiger, Rebel, Hiarcs, etc. (click here for the 2003 chess computer rankings by the Swedish Chess Computer Association).
As I mentioned in A Word to Parents, playing against a computer using appropriate settings can be great practice. Be sure to print or save your games for later review. The most effective initial setting is where the computer wins 66-75% of the time, as the improving player needs to be able to win at least occasionally. Losing more often than this is a quick way to destroy motivation and lose interest in the game. When the student feels he/she has a chance to win they will have a more invested attitude toward playing. As the player's experience and understanding increases, results will also improve, and eventually they will be beating the computer more often than they lose. When the player starts winning 66-75% of the time, set the computer to play at a higher level to once again challenge the student.
Another helpful way to employ a chess program is to play out specific positions or test various opening lines. For instance, you can replay part of a game you lost--or any game you're studying--over and over again until you discover a successful strategy. In this regard, it's often good to switch sides and see what the computer does with "your" position.
Some programs have an "auto-analyze" option, which can produce master-level analysis on your games. Why not make use of a strong program's ability to point out errors and suggest possible alternatives? However, keep in mind that, from a learning point of view, you will get more benefit if you actively work through problems by annotating your games yourself first, before using this feature.
When looking at chess literature, there will be times when you'll see a possible move which wasn't played in a game (often a tactical shot) and you're not sure why. Let's say you've applied yourself to figuring it out and can't, and there isn't a strong chess player in the next room to ask. Well, here's another place where your chess program can come to the rescue. Though chess software is not as helpful regarding "positional" moves, the analysis of tactics by top-level playing programs is nearly flawless.
In addition to chess playing software, quite a few chess training programs on disk also exist, as well as reference material (e.g., opening systems), tournament management software, and, significantly, database managers for saving and analyzing games.
Recommendations
Playing Programs
Chessmaster is the most popular chess playing software for players from beginner through about Class B. The chess engine is not quite as strong as that of the top programs, but this would not be noticeable to most users. Kids and adults alike find it appealing and easy to work with. Useful instructional lessons are built into the program. Games may be rated to help you track your progress, but keep in mind that software ratings have little, if any, direct correlation to over-the-board tournament ratings. For a review of Chessmaster 9000 (the current version), click here. Chessmaster also has a version for Palm OS. The newly released (May 2003) Chessmaster for Playstation 2 is getting good reviews, and can be utilized to play online.
Fritz (made by ChessBase, in Germany) is what I call my "German-Master-In-A-Box." I use Fritz 6 on an almost daily basis and am extremely pleased with what it delivers, both as a powerful opponent and a valued analyst, especially for highly tactical positions. I also prefer Fritz's clean interface over Chessmaster's more 'busy' appearance. While I haven't tested Fritz 8 (the latest version--click here for a review) yet, I've heard several positive comments about it, and it's good to know it comes with a free subscription to PlayChess.com--ChessBase's online chess server. Another option to be aware of is the new Fritz 2 for the Pocket PC, a delightful portable option. Since Fritz is geared for stronger players, I would not normally recommend it as a first purchase for a beginning or intermediate student, though it is something to keep in mind for the future.
Training Programs
Fritz & Chesster Learn to Play Chess (made by ChessBase) is an award-winning new program for kids which teaches chess in storybook fashion. Prince Fritz's father, King White, departs the castle for a much-needed vacation at the seashore. No sooner is he gone than King Black challenges Prince Fritz to a chess duel, but Fritz doesn't know how to fight! Accompanied by his cousin Bianca, Prince Fritz's training begins by learning how each of the chess pieces move. For instance "opposition of the kings" is observed through sumo wrestlers in action, knight moves are demonstrated by a horse jumping contest, etc. Training exercises are practiced at the IntelliGym until Prince Fritz is finally ready to fight King Black. This program does an excellent job teaching the strategy of the pieces, tactics (particularly those useful in the endgame) and chess rules. The playing portion of the program has 10 levels of difficulty. Fritz & Chesster is an excellent way to get young people started out on the right foot in chess; recommended for age 8 and up, but probably fine for quite a bit younger.
ChessBase also makes more advanced training materials on the openings, the middlegame and the endgame. I like Daniel King's Check and Mate, which is a collection of "pointed games" (games which include periodic challenges to find the right move, awarding points for the correct solution) on the theme of attacking the king. Also, George Renko's Intensive Course Tactics is a nice collection of tactical exercises arranged by theme.
Convekta publishes a number of good training CD-ROMs. Because most of the authors are Russian, at times the English is stilted or strange (I call it "Russlish"). However, it's worth putting up with this, since the quality of the conceptual material is, for the most part, quite high. One of their titles is Ivashchenko's Chess Tactics for Beginners, which teaches and reinforces basic pattern recognition. I particularly recommend CT-Art 3.0, which is the disk version of Maxim Blokh's book The Art of Combination--a collection of tactical exercises. CT-Art 3.0 may be purchased as part of a package called Total Chess Training.
Database Managers
Chess Base (made by the company of the same name) is the standard chess database management program in existence today. It has been an essential tool for me since it first became available over 10 years ago, both for teaching and my own study. ChessBase allows a player to input his/her own games, store games from other sources, or work with games downloaded from the web. The user can create various databases, annotate games and use sophisticated search features to find examples of specific chess positions, structures or maneuvers. ChessBase 8 is the latest release (click here for a review). The easiest way to get to know ChessBase is to download ChessBase Light (the free version) and try it out.
Note: ChessBase (the company) also produces these top chess playing programs: Fritz (see above), Shredder and Junior (world champion-level Junior 8 became available for purchase May 2003). Check out the ChessBase 8/Fritz 8 Workshop, containing helpful articles with technical advice related to this software, written by Steve Lopez (Steve's older articles, called T-Notes, are available here).
Miscellany
PGN or "portable game notation" (saved as .pgn) files are chess games stored in a cross-platform format readable by all major chess database programs. It's possible to download approximately 1,000 top international games per week from one web site alone (see TWIC), either in .pgn format or ChessBase format. If you do not already have a way to open .pgn files, try the PGN viewer at ICC. As a ChessBase user, I convert .pgn files into ChessBase format (.cbh or .cbv) in order to be able to use all its database management features. ChessBase files may likewise be copied into .pgn format.If you have an older PC and would like to find a compatible chess playing program for your child, Chessmaster 7000 may be a few generations stale but it's still a perfectly adequate program. Also, if you aren't able to run Fritz & Chesster (see above), ChessMates is another fun training option for kids from a few years back--we recently saw it for sale on Ebay at a reasonable price, bundled with a few other titles.
Finally, if you're looking for sites where you can download chess programs and utilities, try En Passant or ZDNet.
If you're a Chess Odyssey student and need further assistance
on software issues, please don't hesitate to email Pete.
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