|
Chess
|
Chess - argubly the most perplexing game in existance. Here you can learn how to play the game, and master it. Links to free chess engines and other chess related software are provided below. If you wish to jump to other topics, use the quick-access links on the right.
Also sure to check out the chess downloads section to get free chess software for Windows PCs.
|
|
|
Downloads
|
This section provides links to download great chess programs and software. All links shown below are linked to free software. Please note that all the programs are not in any way affiliated with Fortress Productions.
|
|
WinBoard
|
Author(s): Tim Mann (tim.mann@compaq.com) - head programmer, Mark Williams, Henrik Gram
Company: Digital Equipment Corporation
Website: http://www.tim-mann.org/chess.html
This is the most preferred free Chess program of all. WinBoard can serve many different purposes, among them:
- Chess Engines - WinBoard allows you to play any compatable engine, or watch a game between two engines. There are over a 100 free chess engines available for download online. GNU Chess is the engine that comes with WinBoard. Of all the engines presented here, this one is undoudtedly the strongest, with a rating of about 2500 (FIDE ratings). I personally have set up several games between GNU Chess and the other engines presented here. Of all of them, ThinkerBoard was the only engine that was able to beat GNU Chess. Yet after the six games played, GNU Chess reigned the best (4-2).
- Chess Servers - You can play against other Internet Chess Server (ICS) users, observe games they are playing, review games in the ICS libraries, chat, and more. WinBoard can also be used to run an automated computer player on the ICS, but this feature is for advanced users only and is subject to some caveats.
- Helper Application - You can set up arbitrary positions and then finish the game. You can use WinBoard as a helper application to view games and browse games off the net, or review games you've saved.
WinBoard also allows you to save your game as a PGN (portable game notation) file. This notation is equivilent to the standardized algebraic notation used to dictate moves in chess. WinBoard has the best features of any chess program I know of, but it the interface could be better.
|
|
|
|
ThinkerBoard
|
Author(s): Lance Perkins (chessthinker@hotmail.com), with graphics by Russel Newman
Company: none
Website: http://www.geocities.com/thechessthinker
This is a very strong engine (about 2300 FIDE rating). If you're uninterested with the quality of the interface and are only concerned about the strength of the engine itself, this program is for you. It lacks many features that are essential to a chess program - such as a "flip board" view.
|
|
|
|
Rival Chess
|
Author(s): Chris Moreton (chris@chrismo.com), with graphics by Russel Newman
Company: Red Hot Pawn
Website: http://www.redhotpawn.com/rival/
This chess engine is very strong, with a strength of about 1900 or so. Of all the chess engines presented here, however, this one is the weakest, yet it still will play very challenging game. Any grandmaster or expert should have no problem defeating this engine, so if you're looking for a challenging chess engine that is actually beatable, then this program is for you.
As far the features go, this program lacks essential qualities commonly seen in other programs. However, the interface is quite exquisite, with many options regarding how the interface will appear, such as the piece set.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chess
|
Choose from these Chess topics:
|
|
|
|
|
Archives
|
Select a platform that you would like to download software for:
|
|
|
|
|
Programming
|
Learn how to optimize your programs, maintain efficiency, and even learn about some of the most sophisticated concepts in the world of programming.
|
|
|
|
|
