Is anyone using Shredder 8 for practice at home? Any comments on the
program, its usefulness/utility for improving vis-a-vis OTB opponents?

--
HH
'What goes around comes around'.
-- Robert J. Fischer

"Harry Haller" wrote in message ...
Is anyone using Shredder 8 for practice at home? Any comments on the
program, its usefulness/utility for improving vis-a-vis OTB opponents?

I usually don't practice against programs, but I know some people who
do.

Advantages :
----------

- strong opponents exposes you to a high level of chess
- makes you aware of importance of tactics in chess
- always available
- no ego problems when losing (I mean for the human player...)

Drawbacks :
---------

- very disheartening (you just lose most often than not)
- difficult to tune down in a realistic way
- doesn't play and react like humans (very objective, doesn't know
fear, handles initiative much better, play based mostly on tactics)
- doesn't help the learning process as it can't explain you why you
lose
- more difficult to focus when playing against the computer than
against a human opponent

So, my advice would be to play only occasionally against the computer
if your objective is to improve OTB. Better to use the program as an
analytical tool. If you want to play against it anyway, be sure not to
make it your only opponent : you need to preserve some variety by
playing human players and weaker players too.

Just to illustrate this last idea : a friend of mine plays Shredder
every day in a rapid game. Though this is a fairly good training for
defence, a side effect is that he has developed a very passive style
(just trying to resist and get the draw), avoids tactics like the
plague (which is good against the computer, but not against humans),
and has some difficulties winning against weaker players. Though, to
be fair, he puts up better resistance against stronger players.

Hope that helps,

Wonderful summation of things to keep in mind. Thank you.

--
HH
'What goes around comes around'.
-- Robert J. Fischer


"SaltOfLife" wrote in message
m...
"Harry Haller" wrote in message
...
Is anyone using Shredder 8 for practice at home? Any comments on the
program, its usefulness/utility for improving vis-a-vis OTB opponents?

I usually don't practice against programs, but I know some people who
do.

Advantages :
----------

- strong opponents exposes you to a high level of chess
- makes you aware of importance of tactics in chess
- always available
- no ego problems when losing (I mean for the human player...)

Drawbacks :
---------

- very disheartening (you just lose most often than not)
- difficult to tune down in a realistic way
- doesn't play and react like humans (very objective, doesn't know
fear, handles initiative much better, play based mostly on tactics)
- doesn't help the learning process as it can't explain you why you
lose
- more difficult to focus when playing against the computer than
against a human opponent

So, my advice would be to play only occasionally against the computer
if your objective is to improve OTB. Better to use the program as an
analytical tool. If you want to play against it anyway, be sure not to
make it your only opponent : you need to preserve some variety by
playing human players and weaker players too.

Just to illustrate this last idea : a friend of mine plays Shredder
every day in a rapid game. Though this is a fairly good training for
defence, a side effect is that he has developed a very passive style
(just trying to resist and get the draw), avoids tactics like the
plague (which is good against the computer, but not against humans),
and has some difficulties winning against weaker players. Though, to
be fair, he puts up better resistance against stronger players.

Hope that helps,

A practical approach, if you want to play engines as exercise, use
different ones, and different versions: Different styles and strenghts
will make any training more useful. Just like human opposition.

HD

Harry Haller skrev:
Wonderful summation of things to keep in mind. Thank you.