Product Description

Josh Waitzkin, International Master and eight-time National Chess Champion, coaches players to grasp the basic fundamentals of chessand to master the game through exciting courses and tutorials taken directly from his groundbreaking book, The Art of Learning. Players can then practice their newly learned skills in single-player mode or challenge their friends to a fun-spirited competition in multiplayer mode via LAN or Internet. ESRB Rated E for Everyone

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #236 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Model: 68366
• Released on: 2007-10-30
• ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
• Platform: Windows
• Dimensions: 3.00 pounds

Features

• Extensive course on the basics of chess taught by International Chess Master Josh Waitzkin
• Tutorials from Josh Waitzkin's groundbreaking book The Art of Learning
• Attacking Chess course commentary by Grandmaster Larry Christiansen
• 900 of chess's most important games presented and analyzed; single or multiplayer gameplay
• 600,000+ game database; coverage of all classic and modern opening variations

Customer Reviews

Superb for its intended use
A lot of people criticize Chessmaster for what it isn't. It isn't the strongest chess engine. Correct. That honor currently belongs to Rybka. It's database functions aren't industrial strength. Correct again. ChessBase and Chess Assistant beat it easily in this category. Chessmaster, however claims to have a very strong engine (absolutely true), perhaps the most convenient and capable way out there of playing against the engine at less than full strength (rated personalities), and excellent instructional material. It delivers on all of these and more at a very reasonable price.

Also, some say that there isn't much change from upgrade to upgrade. I don't have version 10, but I had used 9000 for quite awhile. It didn't work well on a newer computer, so I purchased the Grandmaster edition. Not only have I had no problems with the program, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the (IMHO) much cleaner interface and excellent chess sets. From 9000, at least, I found it a real step up.

I have the big database programs, and they are great for what they are. But for what Chessmaster is (at a fraction of the cost) it's pretty hard to beat.

It's worth $20
I've owned Chessmaster 10 since it first came out, but was hesitant to buy the Grandmaster Edition based on some of the reviews. True, it is very similar to its predecessor, but for me was worth Amazon's $19.95. Finally, no cd is required (I know, you could download no-cd patches for earlier versions, but this made upgrading especially troublesome). This to me was almost reason enough to buy it. Second you can customize the interface with various skins, and add your own avatar, which I really appreciate. Third, the chess engine seems a little better. Even though I usually play the mid 1500-level players, their gameplay seems improved. For me, however, the best new feature is Josh Waitzkin's "The Art of Learning" module." Hearing his blow-by-blow description of his match with Jeff Sarwer is amazing.

I'm running this under Window's Vista Ultimate, and have had no problems whatsoever. Once again, for me this upgrade *IS* worth $19.95, though I probably wouldn't have paid $49.95 for it.

Great way to start playing chess
This is my family's favorite computer game now. I find the tutorial and games with audio commentary fascinating...almost like watching a good movie. My kids (6 & 10) enjoyed the tutorials, and they love to play against the computer simulated players (with name and personality). At this price, it's a great bargain. It's a great way to start to learn to play chess, and the kids are getting pretty good.