Speaking of getting better at chess, someone on Reddit pointed out that Shredder for iPhone/iPod and iPad went on sale at half price ($3.99 [1]) for the world chess championship.
There are stronger chess engines for iOS available for free (Stockfish and Smallfish), and Shredder has some interface annoyances (the move list only shows the last couple of moves, making it annoying if you want to jump around while analyzing a game), but its saving grace is that it seems (both from what I've read and what I've experienced after a few games with it) to be better at playing at a lower level.
Many engines, when asked to dumb it down to give the human a chance, play like a grandmaster and then suddenly make a dumb sacrifice or ignore an attack on a piece--and then they go back to playing like a grandmaster.
That doesn't give the human a good game. It gives the human an ass kicking, then a brief moment of hope, and then teaches the human that even if the engine gives him rook odds or more it will still destroy him.
Shredder's lower levels seem to me to actually play pretty much like humans of that level. It keeps track of how you do against it at various levels, and by default automatically adjusts its level based on your performance.
[1] the sale is still on. I have no idea how long until the price goes back to $7.99. Also note that unfortunately Shredder for iPhone and Shredder for iPad are separate apps.
I wrote a website (http://nextchessmove.com/, GNUChess-backed) and corresponding iPhone app (Stockfish-backed, $0.99, mostly covers website hosting). Both let you drag pieces around "freestyle" and ask the engine for a move.
I've gotten absolutely clobbered with traffic lately, presumably tournament-related. I'd love to hear what you all think about the site's applicability to learning the game.
That's a pretty cool idea. will check it in my free time. Btw Does it just give ONE next move? or a series of moves until a significant accomplishment? because sometimes a move is only epic because of the subsequent moves it allows you to make. A sacrifice on its own doesn't seem like a good move. Its only when you see what opening that gave you, that you truly appreciate it.
Thanks! It does indeed only give one move. I'm really just standing on the shoulders of the chess engines (GNUChess, Stockfish) and they simply tell me what the computer would do given a position. I'd like to get more insight into why the engine prefers one move to another, but my understanding isn't quite there yet.
Umm, i suppose u are using an API for this, well why not use a series of API calls? Is there someway to detect some sort of accomplishment? (like piece captured, or check?)
I remember the days when Shredder was practically unbeatable in computer chess tournaments and ratings but now it's not even on the top 15 in terms of strength (Check CCRL: http://www.computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/4040/). Oh how the mighty have fallen! The strength of chess engines have improved immensely in the last 5 years and none of that has anything to do with processor speed.
I love Shredder for exactly that reason. It makes a huge difference for us lower rated players! Also, there are not 100 knobs to twiddle to get the playing level dialed in. Instead, there are a few "styles" (solid, aggressive, etc) and a rating. There's also a setting for Shredder to automatically adjust its level to give a competitive game.
There are stronger chess engines for iOS available for free (Stockfish and Smallfish), and Shredder has some interface annoyances (the move list only shows the last couple of moves, making it annoying if you want to jump around while analyzing a game), but its saving grace is that it seems (both from what I've read and what I've experienced after a few games with it) to be better at playing at a lower level.
Many engines, when asked to dumb it down to give the human a chance, play like a grandmaster and then suddenly make a dumb sacrifice or ignore an attack on a piece--and then they go back to playing like a grandmaster.
That doesn't give the human a good game. It gives the human an ass kicking, then a brief moment of hope, and then teaches the human that even if the engine gives him rook odds or more it will still destroy him.
Shredder's lower levels seem to me to actually play pretty much like humans of that level. It keeps track of how you do against it at various levels, and by default automatically adjusts its level based on your performance.
[1] the sale is still on. I have no idea how long until the price goes back to $7.99. Also note that unfortunately Shredder for iPhone and Shredder for iPad are separate apps.