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Chessmaster 10th Edition JC | 
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| From: Encore
Category: Video Games
List Price: $9.99
Buy New: $7.16
You Save: $2.83 (28%)
New (19) from $7.16
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 1089
Format: Cd-rom
Platform: Windows Xp
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Edition: Jewel Case
Operating System: Windows XP
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.7 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: 15540
Model: 15540
UPC: 705381155409
EAN: 0705381155409
ASIN: B0011UEPB8
Release Date: January 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days
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| Features:
| • | New Chessmaster Academy - At the Academy, International Master Josh Waitzkin walks players through the basics of chess, plus introduce a variety of simple strategies for dominating your opponent. The Academy also features the best attacking moves as taught by noted chess champion, Larry Christiansen | | • | Completely revised interface - clean, clear, and easy to navigate, this all-new interface represents the biggest upgrade to the look and feel of Chessmaster in over seven years. | | • | Full-featured online chess module - more than just a place to play chess live with other players, Chessmaster online allows players to establish rankings, create tournaments, utilize teaching tools, and join a thriving chess community | | • | More fun for the whole family - Features such as animated chess sets, a variety of whimsical 3D sets, and simple and efficient learning tools, makes chess more fun than ever. Younger players and chess beginners will appreciate the specialized section just for them. As players improve, the game suggests an appropriate AI opponent | | • | Comprehensive chess engine - wise enough to teach an absolute beginner and powerful enough to defeat a grandmaster, experience the all-new edition of the King engine--the brains behind the best-selling brand in chess |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Want to play a game of chess? Don't know how? Chessmaster 10th Edition delivers on its promise to make you a better chess player. The program will improve your game regardless of your level of experience. This landmark edition provides the largest upgrade ever to the features and graphics of the franchise. Whether you are new to chess or a tournament-level player, Chessmaster 10th Edition allows you to master history's greatest game. Whether you're a novice or a master, this is your route to saying 'Yes' whenever someone wants a game of chess. Intermediate and advanced player options - seasoned chess players can test their skills against ranked AI opponents, set up tournaments and simultaneous exhibitions, and survey their performances using the new statistics system
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| Customer Reviews:
 great chess game September 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the classic Chess tutorial and adversary - and this edition does not disappoint. Intuitive interface is easy to navigate, tutorials bring a player of any level up to speed, the sophisticated adjustable skill rating for the computer opponent is great, the advanced attacking tutorials are useful, the puzzles are good breaks for work/studying. Overall an amazing value for just ten dollars. Buy if you want to improve your chessgame or if you want a new challenge.
Game is great, packaging is misleading. August 3, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
First, this is not a review of the game, just the packaging and contents. This "JC", or jewel case version, shows on the cover that it contains a DVD Rom and requires only 120MB of hard drive space. The package actually contained 3 CDs, the install routine copied about 1.6 GB worth of files onto the hard drive it and requires the CD to be inserted to play. This wouldn't have been a showstopper if it had been stated in the product description, but you may wish to look for a package with the DVD.
Not completely compatible with Vista July 31, 2008
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
The real question for most chess players looking for some chess software is whether to buy Chessmaster or Fritz (or Fritz's Shredder). I have used both for many years. I actually go back to the days of Chessmaster 2100, which had the playing strength of perhaps a subclass F player, if such a player existed.
For the average player the conventional wisdom has always been that Chessmaster is better because it has more training features and is more user friendly, both in terms of "fun" kinds of chess activities and in terms of how intuitive the software is to navigate. Fritz clearly has been the choice of professionals, partly because it will run without the disc in the drive (although earlier versions of Chessmaster did run without the disc in the drive), partly because Fritz's architecture is considered more elegant, partly because Fritz has a much bigger database of games, and finally because Fritz's chess engine is stronger.
Chessmaster's "personalities" (with ratings) that you can play against have always been one of its most popular features. Chessmaster 10 has the same personalities, from grandmaster-like virtuals to everyday kind of people (complete with mug shots) playing at easy to beat levels, that it has had in previous editions. The problem with these personalities--or maybe this is their main virtue--is they are not as strong as the ratings that Chessmaster gives them. A 2100 Chessmaster personality actually plays like a low B player, while on Fritz it is the other way around, with their 1800 players playing like experts or in some positions like masters. Psychologically speaking, I think Chessmaster has the right approach. For someone preparing for their first tournament against rated players, however, just playing against Chessmaster's personalities can be like living in lollypop land. Still, these personalities have some real value as training devices. Some of them (with ratings between say, 1900 and 2150) function like this: they give away material, even as much as a piece for two pawns and then play a very strong game that can test the user's ability to "win a won game." Stronger personalities will lose a tempo or make an antipositional move or two that can, with careful play, be exploited.
One of the personalities is "Josh age 12, Attacker, loves endgame, weaker positionally." This would be IM Josh Waitzkin as a preteen, complete with actual photo of him then. I played against this personality a few times and "he" can make some strange moves and still manage to have a good game, and you need to watch out for traps. "He" can also stir up an attack out of seemingly nowhere. But his endgame is not very good. The real Josh Waitzkin at age 12 would have no trouble beating this personality in a match.
Chessmaster 10 does not automatically save your game, as Fritz does, and I must repeat, you have to have the DVD in the drive to play the game. Both of these "unfeatures" are annoying. Additionally, Chessmaster 10, despite offering three patches at its Web Site, is still in not completely compatible with Windows Vista--at least not on my computer. The line at the bottom of the page that gives the opening is so narrow so that the words and numbers don't quite fit. The same problem exists with the text in some of the windows. The program crashes on occasion for no apparent reason. And there are a number of little bugs, such as once I set up the 2D chess set, I couldn't get back to a screen that will allow me to change to a 3D set.
Still, the program is very much worthwhile, especially for those of you who remember Zarkov and Chessmaster 3000, etc. Today's Chessmaster engine is easily strong enough for all but the very best players in the world. Chessmaster 10 will analyze your games to any degree you like (and alas find all the errors you made that you didn't think you made), and unlike Fritz it makes it easy to either load your game or to record the game using the human vs. human playing set up. (Go to "Game set up" and click on both human avatars.)
Like Fritz, Chessmaster has an Internet play feature that I haven't used.
So--which is better, Chessmaster or Fritz? You know the answer--it depends! Personally I like them both for different reasons. But if I had to choose just one, I would choose Fritz because (1) the huge database, and (2) to say it for the third time: you don't have to have the DVD in the drive to play. For the less than master level player Chessmaster may be the better choice because the software is easier to navigate and more intuitive. Chessmaster 10 is also cheaper than Fritz Chess (which is the same as Fritz 10).
But should you upgrade if you already own a previous version of Chessmaster? Alas, probably yes, since earlier versions (or at least the Chessmaster 8 that I have) are not compatible with Vista at all. Even so, I am disappointed that Chessmaster 10 is virtually the same program as far as features go as Chessmaster 8. It feels like a dying program that has been abandoned by its creators. Too bad. At one time it was the best.
ChessMaster 10 Edition May 22, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Although the power of this software is some what obsure (you have to dig for it). I ia a very good learning tool especially the tutorials, Worth the price ten time over.
Cool, but needs a polishing February 14, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Great program that sharpens up your game & schools you on the finer points. There are a few minor bugs, but nothing that affects the gameplay. Having worked as a game tester, these bits jump out at me. Bottom line: I trample my opponent much more often since getting this program.
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