I am a big fan of the Shredder engine and GUI! And it is really great for post game analysis as well. And I do like the wat it plays at lower levels. When I beat Shredder at a lower level (which is still hard to do) I never really feel like it gave the game away as you described with Chessmaster. (which is still a good program!)
Chessmaster 11 to Shredder
Sort:
I found the same problems with Chessmaster 10. If only the author of Shredder would make a Mac version that is comparable with the Windows version, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. :( Until then, my unregistered copy of Sigma Chess will do (since the author of that program disabled registration). The HIARCS engine is also pretty good at making realistic moves, which is nice.
I will say that if you can get a copy of Chessmaster for $20 or so (which should be possible, especially for CM10), it's worth it for the tutorials and annotated games, even if the rest of the program is pretty mediocre.
Biarien wrote:
I found the same problems with Chessmaster 10. If only the author of Shredder would make a Mac version that is comparable with the Windows version, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. :( Until then, my unregistered copy of Sigma Chess will do (since the author of that program disabled registration). The HIARCS engine is also pretty good at making realistic moves, which is nice.
I will say that if you can get a copy of Chessmaster for $20 or so (which should be possible, especially for CM10), it's worth it for the tutorials and annotated games, even if the rest of the program is pretty mediocre.
They have a Mac version on their website.
http://www.shredderchess.com/chess-software/macintosh.html
I have used Chessmaster since it first came out. I can't recall how long ago that was, but it seems like 15...20 years ago. Anyway, I currently have Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition. When I first started playing it, sometime around last August, I noticed the exact same thing that you said...it would make some really stupid blunders.
Now, I was very, very rusty and was playing around the 1200 level. Some of my games were even lower...I was so rusty that I sometimes overlooked the obvious.
Since then, I am playing around 1500-1600...improving further, every day. At this level, Chessmaster doesn't "throw me a bone". The game play gets tougher and tougher as I progress.
Seems to me that Chessmaster simply "waters down" its game play for the novice levels. Nothing wrong with that, in "my book". Novices need encouragement...and if one plays at, say 800...they are going to make blunders and it would be expected that at 800 level Chessmaster should make blunders, too.
Hell, I've played at the top level...2,950 as I recall. I "hold my own" for awhile but then, surely take a "whomping".
I suggest you give it another try. Just crank up the level of play. Believe me, you won't need to complain that it is too easy. Sometimes, at the level I'm playing, I wish it would do something stupid...like not see it's queen is under direct attack by my bishop...you know...the way real people do in real life.
ChessStrategist wrote:
I have used Chessmaster since it first came out. I can't recall how long ago that was, but it seems like 15...20 years ago. Anyway, I currently have Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition. When I first started playing it, sometime around last August, I noticed the exact same thing that you said...it would make some really stupid blunders.
Now, I was very, very rusty and was playing around the 1200 level. Some of my games were even lower...I was so rusty that I sometimes overlooked the obvious.
Since then, I am playing around 1500-1600...improving further, every day. At this level, Chessmaster doesn't "throw me a bone". The game play gets tougher and tougher as I progress.
Seems to me that Chessmaster simply "waters down" its game play for the novice levels. Nothing wrong with that, in "my book". Novices need encouragement...and if one plays at, say 800...they are going to make blunders and it would be expected that at 800 level Chessmaster should make blunders, too.
Hell, I've played at the top level...2,950 as I recall. I "hold my own" for awhile but then, surely take a "whomping".
I suggest you give it another try. Just crank up the level of play. Believe me, you won't need to complain that it is too easy. Sometimes, at the level I'm playing, I wish it would do something stupid...like not see it's queen is under direct attack by my bishop...you know...the way real people do in real life.
you're right but even at aroun 1500 it sometimes makes no-purpose moves or lose a pawn for nothink
I have been getting back into Chess using Chessmaster 11 which I got this past December. I have been learning alot from the program and getting better all the time, but I found one thing that bothered me. When playing the program, it would make some good moves and then once or twice a game it would throw in a "bomb move", like dropping it's Queen in front of a pawn or something nearly as bad. I found this to be unrealistic and while expecting players to make mistakes and blunders, these seemed to be to extreme. I downloaded a demo version of Shredder Classic 4 this morning and have been playing with it all day. While it doesn't have some of the fancy 3D sets and backgrounds that Chessmaster has, I like the way the engine plays, and I feel more like I am playing a real player. I was so impressed I decided to register my copy this afternoon and the $35 price is pretty reasonable too.