The Everything Chess Basics Book (55 page)

When purchasing a chess-playing software package or an analysis engine, make sure it is compatible with your computer. All software comes with an indication of system requirements. Make sure you know that these are minimum requirements. It is usually better to have more capabilities than you need.

Also, the computers are not perfect yet. They still evaluate positions where one side has a lot of material as a win for that side unless there is a forced sequence of moves ending in checkmate for the side with the lesser material. And sometimes that sequence of moves is there, but it is too far off in the future for the analysis engine to pick up on it.

Chess Databases

Just like a regular database that provides sorting capabilities, so too a chess database provides a lot of material that is sortable. With this database you can sort information on chess players, their games, and more. If you would like to know about all the games played by a particular grandmaster in a specific period of time, using a specific opening, a chess database will provide that information for you. You can zero in on your special interest and save your sorted information for review over and over.

Serious chess players use these powerful chess databases to keep track of different games so they can drill themselves. Casual chess players and serious chess players alike can enter their own games into these databases and keep track of them.

CDs

Most computer programs these days come resident on a CD that you insert into your computer from which you upload the information. CDs are a big advantage over floppy disks that hold only a certain amount of information. CDs allow the programmer to provide you with all of the source code (which you generally cannot get at) that’s required to operate the software. You must of course, have a computer that accepts CDs and that has enough memory on your hard drive to accept the program, and enough RAM (random access memory) to allow the program to work well.

You can also download, for a fee, software directly from the manufacturer or programmer through the Internet. Some companies will allow you to download a modified version of their software as a demo so you can test it out before you plunk down your hard-earned money. This is an effective way of deciding which program is really right for you. Usually you can test the software for thirty days before it “disappears” or is no longer available for your use.

Handheld computers like the Palm Pilot allow you, with enough resident memory, to play chess in the palm of your hand. You will play chess against the device (the computer) or against another person, using the PDA as your chess set. As an alternative, you can purchase any number and types of chess games that can be loaded onto your desktop computer.

ChessBase

Perhaps the top chess database is ChessBase, which also offers a version for the Macintosh. But ChessBase has something else. It comes with analysis engines, such as Fritz, Junior, and Hiarcs. These are some of the top analysis engines available. There is also
ChessBase
magazine, which is available either from the Internet or via CD. This magazine allows users to be aware of the latest upgrades of the software package, the latest additions of other software, and the latest games being played around the world.

Upgrading capability via CD or the Internet is becoming common in software of all types. Chess players of today thus have a big advantage over their counterparts of yesterday in the tremendous availability of material on the game—that is, if you have the time and money needed to peruse it all.

Online Chess

The Internet has opened up a whole new world of gaming. And if you want to play chess with someone, but can’t or won’t do it by playing in a face-to-face tournament, or you aren’t a fan of correspondence chess, then the Internet offers so many possibilities for engaging in your pastime.

It’s becoming increasingly popular for people to play chess online— many sites spring up each day. There are numerous Web-based sites for different types of OTB (over-the-board) play. If you are at work, or at home working on your computer and you need a short diversion, a quick computer chess game can be just the thing for you.

If you play online chess, it’s considered bad form, and is also against the official rules and regulations, to use a computer to help you win. A game is supposed to be between two players, not two players with helpers. Policing this rule is a real challenge for Internet and correspondence tournament directors, as you might expect.

How Can I Play Online?

Internet chess play is an interactive way of playing OTB chess without having to leave the comfort of your home or office. As long as you have a connection to the Internet, you can play chess. That means that you can play in a car, on a plane, through your laptop, or at your desktop computer.

Different sites offer different things, but generally all sites offer interactive play, ratings, discussions groups, information on chess software, chess databases, and a place for further reading and study. In addition, you can usually get a rating after each game played, and many sites offer lectures with grandmasters and other top players. Visiting several sites to get a feel for the atmosphere and how chess is played will give you an idea of what the various sites have to offer.

Internet Chess Clubs

Chess games can be played in real time, similar to playing games of chess via telephone. Clubs also offer information and discussion about databases, games collections, chess-playing software, and other computer programs of a similar nature, either offered for sale, or in the state of development.

As you start to log on to the various chess servers, you’ll undoubtedly come across something called PGN, which stands for Portable Game Notation. This is a special computer format used for encoding chess games so they can be easily sorted and retrieved. PGN notation can be opened in your favorite (major) word processor, which will show notations as text, or you can download a software program that recognizes PGN and will display it on your computer.

If you don’t know where to look for a chess game, start with one of the search engines such as Google, Alta Vista, Yahoo!, or Lycos. Type “chess games” in the search field, and watch what happens. You’ll be presented with a myriad of sites that will allow you to play chess. Some charge a fee, some are for members only, and some may be free. But generally you can find a game twenty-four hours of the day, seven days a week.

Many sites allow you to play games using any time control you and your opponent agree to, ranging from one minute for the whole game to five or more hours. You can also get ratings, blitz, and slow chess. Each game is rated immediately after it is played, but if you prefer, you can play unrated games too.

A unique feature is that you can watch a variety of other players, use special graphical interfaces that allow you to make your moves using a mouse on your screen (the old drag and drop technique), talk to anyone from around the world, or even participate or watch simultaneous matches.

U.S. Chess Live

The USCF has its own chess Web site where you can connect to its online chess service, called U.S. Chess Live. Start at w
www.uschess.org
and then click on the USCL banner. U.S. Chess Live is a service that allows you to connect with others who want to play chess online. You can also shop for products and equipment, catch up on lectures and the latest moves, participate in events, and, if you have a problem or a chess-related question, you can pose it to the administrator. You can also volunteer your time to work with other players, or participate as a lecturer in the Scout Chess program for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. The USCL online playing site features:

• A built-in database to save and analyze all of your games.

• Direct point-and-click access to join tournaments, lectures, and other events.

• A redesigned game board featuring attractive time clocks, time of move and lag time display, and figurine notation.

• An integrated profile system that organizes member profiles and player information, such as ratings and saved games, into easily accessed folders.

• A message system with a traditional e-mail interface to keep in touch with your chess friends.

• Lecture-on-demand capabilities.

Royal Membership

USCL offers a Royal Membership service that gives access to weekly events including Battle of the Minds, Master Challenges, Chess Simuls, and Guess the Moves contests for prizes. In addition, Royal Members receive access to the exclusive Chess University, featuring top chess professionals and passage to a large database of interactive chess lectures. Free entry to a vast library of past lectures that are playable on demand at your convenience is also available.

Internet Sources

Besides the U.S. Chess Live site and the ChessBase site mentioned previously, there are an unbelievable amount of chess sites out there in cyberspace.

Online Magazines and News Groups

If you like to read your information online, there’s plenty of chess available. The list is so vast that it’s impossible to list them all. Suffice it to say that each of the major chess servers has its own version of online chess news to keep you up-to-date. And if you are playing chess online, you should be able to access news and information through these sources.

Some of the major sources include:

• USCF (
www.uschess.org
)