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| From: Ubisoft
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $12.99
You Save: $7.00 (35%)
New (25) Used (2) from $12.99
Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 994
Platform: Windows
Genre: Chess Games
ESRB: Rating Pending
Media: DVD
Edition: Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 68366
Model: 68366
UPC: 008888683667
EAN: 0008888683667
ASIN: B000SL4ANE
Release Date: October 30, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Very poor software August 28, 2008
I bought this program with my eyes open and had read many of the reviews about bugs and computer problems. I have not hit any bugs so far, but the main problem is that this program places huge computing demands on a computer. I have 1 gig of memory and a 4 ghz processor. This is thin by today's standards but this computer can run a dozen large applications at once without batting an eye. Chessmaster hangs up the computer and uses up all available memory and computing power. The result is that the computer moves at a painfully slow pace. The only way to play is to hit "force move" which is not even available in rated play mode. Even with imaginary players rated at 1500, the computer pretty much makes random moves unless you give it 30 minutes to think about each move.
You should not need a brand new computer in order to run something as basic as a chess program unless you're Gary Kasparov or something. I have a much better program on my cellphone, which obviously does not compare in terms of memory and processing power.
Other problems are that despite the huge number of available boards, none of them look good and the layout is difficult to read and a strain to the eye. The game analysis function is not very helpful--it will tell you that the worst move you made is when you stepped into an unavoidable mate. Obviously, games are not lost at that point.
This program does have a lot of bells and whistles and if you have at least 2 gigs of memory and a very powerful processor, you might want to coinsider this program as a beginner.
Lemon. Don't buy this game August 28, 2008
This game has a very annoying bug, confirmed by several different people. If you play a rated game, the game won't rate you properly (you can lose points even if you win the rated game), which makes it useless to play rated games. Rated games are, in my opinion, the most fun part of playing chess on the computer, thus making this game useless. I downloaded all patches available but no luck. I contacted Ubisoft support and it is really pathetic and disrespectful. In the end they took my 20 dollars and I have a lemon in my hands. I think I will complain to a consumer advocate group. Don't buy this game, it has a defect and the company refuses even to discuss it.
 Excellent Chess Education for Beginners August 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I bought this game, I already knew how to place chess as far as the rules were concerned but had no clue when it came to strategy and therfore wasn't very good. This game has taught me a lot about chess and has helped me to enjoy the game a lot more. It has lessons to teach you everything from how the pieces move to basic chess strategy, opening tips, an endgame course, and more. It also has a lot of computer opponets to play against that all have different ratings (some are easy and some are hard).
I rushed through the chess lessons and improved my game a lot. Now I'm going to practice my newfound knowledge, and then I plan to go through the lessons much slower so that I can master each principle. Most importantly, understanding some basic chess strategy has enabled me to love this game more. Playing chess isn't a total mystery like it used to be.
There is also a lot of recorded famous chess games, which you can watch and study. Some of them even give comments explaining why certain moves were made. After I go through the lessons again I plan to watch these famous games and learn more from them. Really no matter how little or how much you know about chess, I think you can always learn more with this program by watching the games of master chess players. Another cool feature is that it contains a database filled with thousands of known openings. If I don't do well in an opening, then I got to this database and study what I should have done differently.
Another educational tool it has is that you can set the board up with any position and then play from that position. I use this tool by putting a position which I previously didn't know what to do in. Then I play against the Chessmaster (the expert computer chess player) putting the Chessmaster in my shoes to see how he responds in it. This has helped me a lot.
You can also play against other people online or using a LAN.
As far as chess education is concerned, I can't think of any way that they could improve on it. The only way I can see room for improvement is in the chess sets, boards, and wallpapers available. There are several beautiful chess sets available (mostly from the House of Staunton Chess Sets), but there are also a lot of chess sets that are not visually appealing at all. Some of these chess sets are colored similar to the chessboard and it makes it difficult (for me anyway) to quickly see exactly what pieces are where because it all kinda blends together. Although there are different chess boards available, they all match a paticular chess set. I wish there was a way to mix and match different chess sets with different chess boards. There might be a way to do it that I just haven't found yet. I would also like to see a way for you to modify chess sets. For example, take a chess set you like and keep the style but change the color to Red or Blue or Yellow. I think that would be really cool. They do have both 2D and 3D chess sets, as well as a few animated chess sets.
I hope this review helps you make an informed decision when you decide if you want to purchase this product, I know I'm glad I did.
Can You Improve On A 10 July 30, 2008
Not. After uninstalling Chessmaster 10 and installing Chessmaster-Grandmaster on a computer with a quad core chip, 2 gigs of ram with a 3D video acclerated 512 meg video card what a disapointment. This new version is harder to navigate, has less features and does not produce like CM 10 did. A bust conceived to make money. The new and improved. What a croc of sh.... There is nothing new and it is certainly not improved. I uninstalled Grandmaster and reinstalled Chessmaster 10. It is the best computer chess game for learning since Chessmaster 5 which I wish was still available.
The Saint
 Superb for its intended use July 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A lot of people criticize Chessmaster for what it isn't. It isn't the strongest chess engine. Correct. That honor currently belongs to Rybka. It's database functions aren't industrial strength. Correct again. ChessBase and Chess Assistant beat it easily in this category. Chessmaster, however claims to have a very strong engine (absolutely true), perhaps the most convenient and capable way out there of playing against the engine at less than full strength (rated personalities), and excellent instructional material. It delivers on all of these and more at a very reasonable price.
Also, some say that there isn't much change from upgrade to upgrade. I don't have version 10, but I had used 9000 for quite awhile. It didn't work well on a newer computer, so I purchased the Grandmaster edition. Not only have I had no problems with the program, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the (IMHO) much cleaner interface and excellent chess sets. From 9000, at least, I found it a real step up.
I have the big database programs, and they are great for what they are. But for what Chessmaster is (at a fraction of the cost) it's pretty hard to beat.
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