Hi,

I am confounded by all of the computer chess programs out there. Too many to
choose from. Some are free and some are not. I barely know the game and am
looking to improve, especially with respect to my openings. I am looking for
a computer chess program that I can play that will help me improve my game.

Thank You
Tom

For free the Arena chess program is very good. If you want to spend
money get one of the Chessbase products with the Fritz or Shredder
engine. Call Chessbase USA and buy the version before the current one.
You can get Shredder 8 for $25 or Fritz 8 for $29. The newest versions
cost about double that and require a DVD drive.


On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 02:40:53 GMT, "Teece"
wrote:

Hi,

I am confounded by all of the computer chess programs out there. Too many to
choose from. Some are free and some are not. I barely know the game and am
looking to improve, especially with respect to my openings. I am looking for
a computer chess program that I can play that will help me improve my game.

Thank You
Tom

Chet Marino

Teece wrote:
I am confounded by all of the computer chess programs out there. Too many to
choose from. Some are free and some are not. I barely know the game and am
looking to improve, especially with respect to my openings. I am looking for
a computer chess program that I can play that will help me improve my game.

If you are a beginner who wants to improve his game you should look for
a program with many tutorials. Top playing strength wouldn't give you
much other than for analysis purposes. All commercial programs and many
free engines are above average grandmaster strength anyway.

My suggestion would be to go for Chessmaster which has lots of tutorials
and many customized training partners for every strength of play. After
that you may have a look at chess education software. Also the usual
suspects in form of books like Logical Chess Move by Move should be
considered strongly.

There are many book recommendations on the web, perhaps you could take a
look at Dan Heisman's list:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danhei...Book_Guide.htm
Also worthwhile is his chess column at Chesscafe
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/danhei...Nook_Links.htm

Claus-Juergen

As a beginner don't waste your time with useless software.You should
start with some introductory books and learn some basic tactics before
launching into software. Chess just like in life useful things come
with a price sure the freebies are fun but they aren't going to help
your play.

Chessmaster is definitely your best bet if you "barely know the game".
There are lots of tutorials and drills to teach you the basics, and
dozens of opponents to play against that will give you a winnable
challenge no matter what your level.

You can find Chessmaster 9000 for less than $20, and it is well worth
the investment.

jm

Here is a link to a free older version of Fritz
http://copoechecs.free.fr/soft/

Chessmaster 10. Hands down

I was in a position just like yours about a year ago.
I bought Chessmaster 10 and have gone through
most of the tutorials and have learned quite a bit.
More than any of the 'intro' books Ive read.

I learned basic openings using Chessmaster 10 by
playing the 'unrated' games with openings on. this will
give you recommended opening moves.

Arena is a good free chess interface that comes with
many chess engines. I would recommend downloading
it and trying out some of the engines.

Fritz is probably the best for analyzing your games. I
personally use it only for analysis.

Looking to learn openings? try Bookup express.
comes with a free 30day trial.

just my 2cents worth.

J.Lohner
icc 'Inconnux'

Given your description of where you are and what you want, I
unreservedly recommend Chessmaster 9000. It's fun at all levels of play,
and it's tutorials are for those who "barely know the game" all the way
up to advanced ideas. Besides the tutorials, there are excellent
features that can be turned on to help you during a game.

I saw CM9k for $10 on the shelves. The latest version is Chessmaster
10000, but if you get 9000, you'll be getting everything and more than
you seem to be asking for here.

Wilma


"Teece" wrote in
m:

Hi,

I am confounded by all of the computer chess programs out there. Too
many to choose from. Some are free and some are not. I barely know the
game and am looking to improve, especially with respect to my
openings. I am looking for a computer chess program that I can play
that will help me improve my game.

Thank You
Tom