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Chessmaster 9000 is a highly advanced chess simulator, initially released in 2002.Featuring one of the best chess engines to date, called The King, it remains among the greatest chess games out there. With different difficulty settings and customizable opponent 'personalities' it's suitable for both new and advanced players.
For years, the Chessmaster series has rolled along unchallenged as the chess simulation of choice for a huge range of players, thanks to its combination of strong artificial intelligence, excellent teaching tools, and crisp graphics. In fact, the Chessmaster series has become so dominant in the mainstream chess game market that it's practically its own worst enemy. Will owners of the previous games in the series see enough new features in the latest game to make a purchase worthwhile? Chessmaster 9000 offers the same impressive number of options as its predecessor.They might-if they have the right operating system to run the game. Chessmaster 9000 supports Windows 98, ME, and XP, but not Windows 95, 2000, or NT. Omitting Windows 95 support is somewhat understandable.
Chessmaster 9000 Review If you're looking to pick up your first chess simulation, the decision is simple: no other product delivers the ease of use and instructional value of Chessmaster 9000. Installing Chessmaster 9000 in Windows 10. Installing Chessmaster 9000 in Windows 10. And how download directX 9. I use to play ChessMaster 10 edition on download DirectX 9 from the CD. I uninstalled, a clean install. Not sure what and reinstalled. My computer won't let me to do next.
Leaving Windows 2000 owners in the lurch, on the other hand, seems a bit miserly. That's not to say the game absolutely won't run under Windows 2000-apparently, several users have reported that the game runs fine on their Win2K systems-but the lack of official support for a fairly widespread OS is somewhat disquieting.Chessmaster's biggest strength has always been its suite of chess lessons, tutorials, and drills aimed at novice and intermediate players. In fact, it's difficult to think of ways that aspect of the program could even be improved.
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For Chessmaster 9000, the most notable addition is 'The Psychology of Competition,' an eight-part course consisting of nearly 20 annotated games assembled by international chess champion Josh Waitzkin. Though many of the tactical and positional aspects explored in these games are dealt with elsewhere in the program, Waitzkin's engaging narration is both exciting and educational.It's sometimes difficult to keep track of the new drills introduced with each successive Chessmaster upgrade, but the two new drills are both great learning tools. In 'follow the game' you must listen to (and read) a series of moves and then re-create the exact ending position (including which side is next to move), while 'memorize the position' forces you to do just that-with up to 24 pieces on the board in the advanced drills. These are relatively simple, but they should dramatically assist players preparing for competitive play. Rounding out the tutorial enhancements are an endgame quiz authored by International Grandmaster Larry Evans (50 multiple-choice questions) and a 'blunder alert' that tips you off when you're about to make a foolish move (only available in unrated practice games).So what else does Chessmaster 9000 have that would make it worth buying for those who already own Chessmaster 8000?
Some of Chessmaster 9000's additions seem rather trivial. For example, 'true' 3D boards and pieces that can be rotated and zoomed in on have been added, but their value depends entirely on how you enjoy playing chess on a PC. For many, a simple 2D board is easier to analyze than an attractive 3D board that sometimes makes selecting the right piece a bit difficult. You can now assign yourself a rating when you create a player profile (rather than earning one by playing a set number of games against computer opponents) and then see it rise or fall with each qualifying game. A quick start mode sends you immediately into a game against a random opponent in a five-minute game using Fischer clocks, but why anyone would use it except for an occasional quick diversion is unclear.More important for dedicated players is the improved Chessmaster chess engine and the availability of a downloadable endgame database generator.
Though the game has been out for only a short while, early reports from users who've pitted it against other commercially available chess programs indicate that it's more than holding its own. But the most noteworthy test will come at the end of September 2002, when current US Chess Champion Larry Christiansen takes on Chessmaster 9000 in a four-game match.
Even if Christiansen wins, it's clear that the only chess players who won't be severely challenged by Chessmaster 9000 are the ones who didn't need to improve their game in the first place.And the endgame database generator creates a database containing perfect knowledge of all possible outcomes for all positions with very few pieces on the board. Ubi Soft, the publisher of the game, says its proprietary database format, called FEG (final endgame generator), is superior to more commonly used formats already in existence-though the inclusion of a proprietary format means users won't be able to take advantage of other endgame databases already available online. Chessmaster 9000 re-introduces online multiplayer to the series.Though there are other minor improvements, the last big change that Chessmaster 9000 makes to the series is actually a step backward: built-in multiplayer support via Chessmaster Live, which was last seen in Chessmaster 5500. This may be a case of too little, too late. There are now dozens (or perhaps hundreds) of ways to play chess for free online, and barring any future announcement of online tournaments or ladders, it's unclear how active Chessmaster Live will become-it was certainly dead during the two weeks following the game's US release. But things should hopefully pick up once the game ships in Europe, and if it becomes half as popular as the original Chessmaster Live, there should be plenty of competition to square off against soon enough.If you're looking to pick up your first chess simulation, the decision is simple-no other product delivers the ease of use and instructional value of Chessmaster 9000. And if you own Chessmaster 8000, you might want to get Chessmaster 9000 to take your game to the next level with the new game's endgame database generator and seamless multiplayer interface.
Continuing the definitive series that began in 1986 with the first Software Toolworks, Inc. Chessmaster release for MS-DOS and Atari ST, Ubi Soft Entertainment takes over the development reigns with Chessmaster 9000. With more than a decade and a half of enhancements and improvements to build on, the designers have added over 60 new chess sets and boards, introduced a 'blindfold chess' mode, and a new random opponent feature. International Master Josh Waitzkin, whose rise in the chess world was documented in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, offers a new 'Psychology of Competition' chess course as well.Players can benefit from new features like a Mentor Lines window (depth of advice), a Blunder Alert option, hidden opponents, and competition against other chess engines.
In addition to the long-standing setup options of the series, The Kid's Room allows children or novices to work on drills, play practice games, learn to play, and monitor progress. Players have multiple options to set their 'room environment' with personal preferences, enter a Game Room to analyze or play matches, specify levels of instruction desired in The Classroom, play rated games in The Tournament Room, or visit The Library to study more than 800 classic games.The official Chessmaster web site offers a free downloadable 'Chessmaster 9000 Endgame Database Generator' to use in conjunction with the existing Database Room features. Competition via the Internet or a LAN is available through the Chessmaster Live Room, with rated play available at the developer's website. Additional features include a new Endgame Quiz by GM Larry Evans, as well as tutorials by legendary instructor Bruce Pandolfini, GM Yasser Seirawan, Becca Martinson, and Evans.Much as wargamers look forward to the next great hexagonal challenge to conquer Europe, so do many chess players look forward to the next release of Chessmaster. There's essentially no competition for this game, but thankfully, the developers march on, adding new features and doing their best to make the game appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Chessmaster 9000 is an excellent product that has something for both chess newbies and grandmasters alike.While most people have probably played a few games of chess in their lifetime, it's a much smaller group that understands the true strategic complexities of the game. Chessmaster understands this, and the game ships with several dozen tutorials and drills.
These cover simple things like how to set the board up, how each piece moves along with strengths and weaknesses, etc. As you progress, more and more complex issues are brought to the table, culminating with studies of some of the greatest chess matches ever played, even explaining the strategies used.For the most part, the training is done well, but there are a few minor problems. First, each piece tutorial is about the same, save for the piece being described.
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There's a very obvious pattern being followed and if you pick up on it, you can make 'correct' moves without knowing why. While the order in which pieces are introduced is just about perfect (Rook through King, with the Pawn last), some of the 'correct' moves are not in fact correct.
For example, in the King tutorial, you have to move your King out of check. The correct answer involves moving your King into a checkmate position with a Pawn, clearly an illegal move. However, since you have not gone through the Pawn tutorial move yet, you're given the idea that it was a safe move. If you pay attention, you'll catch this, but if you're brand new to the game, it can be confusing.Finally, many of the tutorials involve clicking on all the possible squares that a particular piece can move to. Once you click on the squares, you're supposed to hit the 'Done' button.
Right beneath this button, though, there's a 'Next' button, similar to a browser. Since all the tutorials involve clicking 'Next' to go to the next step, you may accidentally hit this instead of 'Done,' just out of habit. Instead of correcting you, the tutorial just moves on and you don't know if you answered properly or not.
There's a 'Back' button for this scenario, but then you have to repeat the answer again and make sure to click 'Done' to find out if your move was correct. It seems like a simple oversight.Regardless of these niggling problems, the game introduces much more than basic piece movement and proper board layout. Once the basics are done, you're taught Castling, En Passant, Pins, Forks, defense, opening moves, specific piece strategies, and so on.
Much of the information is provided by Josh Waitzkin, Bruce Pandolfini, and other chess notables. This is invaluable information, even for those that consider themselves decent players.
The wealth of training and explanation contained within is unmatched, and the presentation is well done. The entire thing is narrated by a docile voice that encourages you along the way. It's not the most cheerful voice, but it's not a droning monotone, either.Once you feel you're ready for a real game, there are multiple options to use. The most obvious is 'Quickstart,' which pits you against a computer opponent at your skill level. This game has over 1,600 (!) skill levels, so anyone from the complete newbie to the state champion will find a comfortable setting. While playing, there are perhaps too many windows opened by default.
While anything can be moved, closed, resized, etc. (much like the many windows playing golf in Links), the initial layout can be overwhelming, especially if you opted to bypass the tutorials. You're shown captured pieces, the computer thinking, two versions of the board (a small top-down and the chess set you selected), a game history in algebraic notation (which can be changed), a mentor window, shortcuts, and more.
It's a lot to look at.Once you're comfortable with 'Quickstart,' the game's options really open up. You can place yourself in various scenarios: those you set up yourself, or famous (and not-so-famous) scenarios from the annals of chess history. Things like 'Checkmate in 5 moves' and 'Pinning to Win Material' are definite challenges, and without knowing it, you'll probably learn a thing or two about chess strategy. Additionally, there's a scalable Mentor system, which can offer you varying degrees of hints for your next move. If that weren't enough, a 'Blunder Alert' can be turned on to keep you from making a really stupid move. Usually, the game will tell you why it's a bad move as well, explaining that such a move places your King in check, puts you in a Pin, will force lost material (pieces), and so on. It's a wonderful learning tool.To make the game more appealing, the graphics are about as interesting as they can get for a chess game.
There are tons of boards to choose from, complete with different piece sets and true 3D rendering with shadows. It's a bit overkill, but the pretty graphics give it a broader appeal.
There are also sets specifically made for kids, where pieces look like various animals and the boards look more like Candyland or Chutes 'N Ladders. It's still a game of chess, but it's a nice way to introduce a younger player to the concepts behind this age-old game. This is also the only chess game I can remember that has an FMV opening of people playing chess through various time periods.In the end, it's still chess. You like it or you don't. But while there are a few small issues with the game, you're not going to find a better chess player - or tutor - on the market. Add to that all the options you're given, and Chessmaster 9000 is the perfect product for new players and veterans alike.