Chessmaster Xi Grandmaster Edition
Feb 03, 2018 Hello Everyone, I have Chessmaster 10th edition installed on my laptop for between class fun. I have considered paying the $20.00 to.
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- Chessmaster®: Grandmaster Edition expands the scope of chess to include broader principles of learning. Josh Waitzkin's much-anticipated book The Art of Learning.
All versions of ChessMaster offer excellent value for learning chess. ChessMaster GrandMaster Edition is the best version for one's chess education.
With the addition of Josh Waitzkin's Chess Academy and other training exercises, this version contains the best tutorials and exercises for chess learning that I've ever encountered. You could easily spend over $100 on other chess educational materials and not get as good a chess education as you'll get from this product. I also like the fact that this is the first version of ChessMaster that is not copy-protected.
You can install the full product on a system and need not reference the original discs again. (Unless of course, you need to do a re-install of the program at a later time.) However, all is not perfect with the GrandMaster Edition. The user interface is needlessly complicated compared to earlier versions. I also had problems with the 'drop down menus' from appearing at all when I first installed the product. Eventually I was able to resolve my drop down menu visibility issue but have since discovered another problem. The GrandMaster edition of ChessMaster cannot analyze a single chess position for more than about 10 to 15 minutes before crashing. I've verified this problem on multiple computers with both XP and Windows 7.
This 'deep analyses crash' will not be encountered by most users of this product as it only seems to occur when doing a very deep analysis of a single chess position. Fortunately I also own ChessMaster 9000 which I can use for analyzing a position for hours on end with no problems. I highly recommended ChessMaster GrandMaster Edition for learning chess and for general computer chess play. However, those wishing to run extensive (very deep) computer analyses of chess positions should instead consider ChessMsster 9000 and other programs.
When I bought this software I was very excited and I thought it was going to be really cool. But my experience got more and more displeasing and now I don't really play it much at all. I think the worst part of it all is the internet gaming.
The box came with a key that never worked, I complained, and all that the customer support personnel could do was tell me that I was entering the code wrong. Believe me, I entered the code 10,000 different times, I couldn't have it wrong. Then I joined a forum and I noticed that many other people had the same problem and they didn't get it solved either. Some of the boards are kind of cool, but I always felt the software to be a little hard, not very friendly at all.
I liked the training part, though. The advises are very cool and I did learn some strategy and stuff. Overall, it's not terrible, but I am sure there are many better softwares around. All versions of ChessMaster offer excellent value for learning chess. ChessMaster GrandMaster Edition is the best version for one's chess education. With the addition of Josh Waitzkin's Chess Academy and other training exercises, this version contains the best tutorials and exercises for chess learning that I've ever encountered.
You could easily spend over $100 on other chess educational materials and not get as good a chess education as you'll get from this product. I also like the fact that this is the first version of ChessMaster that is not copy-protected. You can install the full product on a system and need not reference the original discs again. (Unless of course, you need to do a re-install of the program at a later time.) However, all is not perfect with the GrandMaster Edition. The user interface is needlessly complicated compared to earlier versions. I also had problems with the 'drop down menus' from appearing at all when I first installed the product. Eventually I was able to resolve my drop down menu visibility issue but have since discovered another problem.
The GrandMaster edition of ChessMaster cannot analyze a single chess position for more than about 10 to 15 minutes before crashing. I've verified this problem on multiple computers with both XP and Windows 7. This 'deep analyses crash' will not be encountered by most users of this product as it only seems to occur when doing a very deep analysis of a single chess position. Fortunately I also own ChessMaster 9000 which I can use for analyzing a position for hours on end with no problems. I highly recommended ChessMaster GrandMaster Edition for learning chess and for general computer chess play.
However, those wishing to run extensive (very deep) computer analyses of chess positions should instead consider ChessMsster 9000 and other programs. If you just want to play casual chess with a computer, this is a great game. And if you are at any level of chess, from debutante to advanced, this is also a great game, in my humble opinion.
The tutorials by Joshua Waitzkin are engaging, enlightening, and entertaining. This is a truly effective, entertaining, and involving way to learn chess. I bought this game because I am a very low-level player (beginner) and wanted to tighten up my fundamentals. The lessons and exercises by Waitzkin are worth a hundred times the cost of this game. The rest is just icing on the cake, really.
A winner by Ubisoft. I wish I had had this program 65 years ago (sic). For less than $20 (download), you get 1) to play many opponents at different levels of skill. These avatars are given ratings (lowest up to c. 2900), names and images and their tendencies are mentioned. Don't know how well the numbers correspond with actual rankings as far as level of skill goes. You can even play avatars like Alekhine, Tal, etc.
2) an analysis of your game afterwards. A deep voice intoned one one of my games: 'Black is asleep at the switch. He doesn't see mate in 8.' The analysis (continuation moves) is sometimes off; the program is not C3P0. 3) Josh W's Academy with many lessons I should have learned all those years ago, but didn't.
Starts with the basics and includes an End Game course - somehow that end game course was never in any of the chess books I had or was given. 4) Many 'famous games' 5) Another academy/course or two 6) Umpteen chess sets to choose from, 2D/3d views 7) charts of how you're doing with each color, what openings were played, etc. 8) A fun mode with lively graphics which I hope will finally interest my granddaughters in chess!
Chessmaster Xi Grandmaster Edition Iso
The program doesn't crash during a game. However, in trying to save a game occasionally it freezes up. I hear there are 'better' programs - maybe, if you want to go straight to train with a goal of tournament play. Otherwise, this is more than fine. I started with a rating of 1100, now up to 1584.
And I'm still trying to beat 'Josh' at 8 years old (1600 rating)! The best thing about this software is that it has a superb interface that makes it's options very easy to implement. You can choose to play against the computer in a laid back comfortable way, or against it for rating, or set it up for learning very easily.
If you choose to learn the openings, you can add variations to the openings that are found in books very easily. You can also play online against human opponents very easily. The user interface is superbly designed, and this is most important for any software. Those who complain that this software doesn't give enough challenge have it wrong. It gives just the right amount of challenge, and I'm no newbie to Chess. It provides a relaxing, challenging game that at times will make you sweat, if you care to care about your chess playing that much.
I expect a human player to make blunders, and this software makes blunders also, just like a human does. If you want to play online, a simple set up gets you to a portal where others are looking for opponents, but it should be obvious to anyone that playing against a human opponent is much more fun when playing face to face. Nevertheless, finding an online opponent with this software is a snap. This is a great learning tool for new comers to chess. It teaches the basic principles than can be applied to even the most modern of computer strategy games. Chess is the granddaddy of all strategy games, and Chessmaster is the most widely used Chess playing software. Look no further.
This software is first rate. It offers everything a serious player wants, and getting there is easy with it's superbly designed interface. I have bought several copies of this software for different people as gifts.
This software provides great chess lessons that will provide all the chess theory necessary for a beginner to become a respectable chess player. It's great for beginners and children because it provides a chess opponent whose strength can be changed to match someone just learning to move the pieces all the way up to Master level play. Most of the other chess engines are too strong even on their weakest levels for the casual player, yet this chess engine is also stronger than some of the other club level software.
Besides:1.) chess lessons,2.) the ability to play an adjustable computer opponent,3.) a database of many famous chess games ( I think they might have a game by Napoleon in there not to mention going over top level games will improve your own game), it also provides 4.) online access so you can play other people who have a similar strength to you. Playing human players is invaluable, and playing the computer is only a tool to sharpen your skills for a human opponent.(At least that's the way I see it). This program is jam packed with features. Excellent software overall. That has been said enough here already, but I'll try to add a couple negatives that might not have been spoken about: - in Windows, you need a language locale that's, well, European. Otherwise the chess symbols (queen, king, pawn, etc) don't show up right.
I had mine in an Asian locale so I had to set it back to US English and restart to get them to work. Kind of annoying. again, in Windows, if you go to 'Make it easier to read what's on your screen' in ControlPanel/Display, and not pick 100%, the font size is too big for some boxes. In fact you can't even see the words on the pulldown menu at the top. They're there, you can see the options once you click on it, but you have to guess around a bit. Not sure if it's their fault or Window's. A big plus for buying the Amazon digital copy, even though when I got it the CD version was half the price.
Now I no longer need to worry about losing CDs. It's also cheaper on Steam, but I elected Amazon because a) I'll have to install Steam and b) apparently I can't uninstall Steam without deactivating games I downloaded using Steam (or so I read). Amazon does require you to install the download manager or something, but you can uninstall that and the game still works. So it's easy installing on any machine. And now the next time I get a new machine or travel to a new destination, I don't need the CD. These benefits are most definitely worth the extra (like $8) I paid.
This is probably the single best deal involving chess. You can use this to learn the rules of chess, and learn all the way up to Expert-level chess player and beyond.
You can have multiple profiles. It has a gigantic openings database, and powerful engine. It has separate courses you can take, and the lesson are given in logical sequence, checking off what you already learned. The lessons are interactive, requireing user input after each subject (to ensure you are grasping the material).
If you get an answer wrong, there is a nice explanation. It contains HOURS of instruction from Waitzkin and Pandolfini.
When I bought this software I was very excited and I thought it was going to be really cool. But my experience got more and more displeasing and now I don't really play it much at all. I think the worst part of it all is the internet gaming. The box came with a key that never worked, I complained, and all that the customer support personnel could do was tell me that I was entering the code wrong. Believe me, I entered the code 10,000 different times, I couldn't have it wrong. Then I joined a forum and I noticed that many other people had the same problem and they didn't get it solved either.
Some of the boards are kind of cool, but I always felt the software to be a little hard, not very friendly at all. I liked the training part, though. The advises are very cool and I did learn some strategy and stuff. Overall, it's not terrible, but I am sure there are many better softwares around. Having owned previous versions of both this product and Fritz, I purchased this one when I started playing chess again and my older software would not work with my new Windows version.
I have really enjoyed the teaching tools in Chessmaster, which will help a beginner improve and am looking forward to tackling the higher level courses. The beginners courses provide a solid grounding and there is a fun module to entertain younger children while they become familiar with the quirky moves of the pieces. Unfortunately, some of the tactical drills in the beginners module don't work right. The good news is that there are several free online sites that allow a beginner to improve tactically.
It is probably wise to limit beginners exposure to the overwhelming amount of opening theory and give a tool which lets one improve by playing and solving problems over the board. Plenty of opponents are provided who hang just as many pieces as I do, fail to see mates, and blunder away winning positions. Using the courses and playing frequently, my rating has increased by 300 points in a couple of months. Since I am in my 60s and seeing the effects of cognitive impairment, I am sure that a kid could improve rapidly using Chessmaster. The value is tremendous for the price.
When it comes to games, chess is one of the classics. Computer-based chess games have also been a natural fit, especially as graphics and processor power has improved steadily. As far as computer-based chess goes, the Chessmaster series has a distinguished pedigree, and the most recent incarnation (now the XI/Grandmaster Edition) continues in that long-standing Chessmaster tradition. Of course, chess has been done before, and players who own Chessmaster 10 may not find much value in this latest version. Still, it does a good job on its own merits, and it’s ideal as a first chess program for players looking to improve their skills. How much do you demand of the graphics in a chess game? After all, there are many ways to display a chess board, ranging from the traditional 2-D symbolic visualizations to fully-animated 3-D chess sets.
Chessmaster XI/GME has them all. The 2-D sets include some very nice “tournament-style” versions, as well as a few cute ones like the “newspaper-style” set. There are also some novelty sets, with minor color variations and art styles, like the chalkboard or neon-colored variants. There is also a good selection of 3-D sets, ranging from very nice “House of Staunton” wood sets to some more unusual ones, like the ones made out of mechanical parts or Egyptian figurines.
Some of the variants are unlockables, requiring that you play a certain number of rated matches, but most are available right away. Regardless of what style pieces you like, there’s a good chance that you’ll find something that suits your tastes. A handful of 3-D animated sets are also included, ranging from a more traditional high-fantasy set, to a wacky version based on the Raving Rabbids franchise. Sadly, the animated sets don’t have much variety in the animations, with maybe one or two capture, movement, and idle animations per piece. Maybe younger kids would find them entertaining, but otherwise the animated sets are novelties rather than sets you would want to use for regular play. The overblown animated sets might detract from a game with less variety, but since there are so many excellent 3-D sets to choose from, the animated sets are just another extra bonus feature that you can enjoy or ignore as you prefer. In addition to the pieces and boards themselves, the game really excels when it comes to using visual aids during the instructional portions of the game.
Highlighted squares and arrows make it easy to visualize what’s going on. In fact, this is probably the best graphical feature of the game, more important than just the way the pieces are rendered. In this case, interface is everything. For the full effect, the game also includes a “stereoscopic” vision mode, so if you have a pair of those red and blue 3-D glasses around, you can add a sense of depth. My only real quibble with the graphics is the lack of anti-aliasing (which was removed from the game), so the 3-D pieces have a bit of a rough edge.
Really though, that’s a small complaint about the otherwise excellent graphics. Well, it’s a chess game, so there isn’t a whole lot to be said for the sound and music. Background music is sort of unnecessary, although because of the way the game engine works, you can’t play MP3 files in the background (the game uses MP3 audio). Otherwise, the sounds are limited to minimal interface effects and voice tutorials. The voice tutorials are actually quite well done, with a complete set of high-quality voiceovers from the well-known chess player Josh Waitzkin to guide new players through the tutorial exercises. There’s not a whole lot to be said about controls in a chess game, and in this case, that’s definitely a good thing. The interface has been refined over time, which makes sense now that the series is in its 11th incarnation.
The only interface trickiness is with the 3-D animated sets, which incorporate non-standard cursors and piece models. Otherwise, the controls are completely intuitive; simply pick up a piece with the mouse and move it to a new location on the board.
The interface is uncluttered, and players are free to think about the intricacies of chess rather than the interface. The chess engine is a refinement of the “King” engine, and no doubt it plays a good game of chess. I’m not nearly good enough to gauge how well or poorly the AI plays, especially at the upper end of the spectrum, but it certainly seems like a competent opponent for mid-level players (like me).
Chessmaster XI/GME makes multi-player fairly straightforward, with the ability to play on a LAN, via Ubisoft’s online service, or via correspondence. However, the emphasis is very clearly on solo-play and training, and here’s where the engine excels. The AI can offer hints and guidance in the training mode, with easy to understand instructions and tactical advice. This can help to de-mystify the game and help players refine their skills.
The game also includes some cute little mini-games like “Fork My Fruit” in addition to the core game and training section. These extra games are a fun way to practice various tactical skills and provide extra variety. They’re also good for casual play, when you want to practice a little bit without committing to a full game. They also help to round out the complete package, and when you’re dealing with a game like chess, the extras are what set the title apart from other chess offerings out there.
PC Game Features
If there’s one area where this title falls short, it’s probably in the value. This is clearly the best Chessmaster game on the market, but there’s not actually a lot of room for improvement over previous versions. There are some mini-games to help mix things up, and the tutorials are excellent, but it all comes down the core game itself. Maybe more a powerful processor and graphics hardware would allow for photorealistic graphics and AI that can make small-talk during a match, but otherwise they’ve pretty much topped out with what they can do with chess. One last quirk is that the game may not work on all DVD drives—I had to try it on two machines before the game would install properly.
Chessmaster Xi: Grandmaster Edition Torrent
If there’s one area where Chessmaster XI/GME is a step backwards, it’s the copy-protection. Let the buyer beware! Chessmaster XI/GME is a really great chess game. The presentation values are excellent, and it has a wonderful training mode which includes fully-voiced tutorials from Josh Waitzkin. If you want a title that will help you improve your game, this is a fine choice. Its only shortcoming is that it’s pretty much an incremental improvement over Chessmaster 10, so it may not be a great value for owners of the previous version. For everyone else, this makes for a great (re-)introduction to the Chessmaster series, especially for new and mid-level players hoping to refine their skills.