What's the best chess software for learning and practicing?
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You are going to hear this over and over, but it is very true...TACTICS! Anything to do with tactics. You definitely want CT ART 3.0 check out a demo in the download page. Fritz is the popular choice for analyzing games, however, you should seriously look into the latest ChessMaster series by Ubisoft. They have a great teaching program bundled with the software and is very much worth a look.
Aug 13, 2007
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#3
i'm totally biased here, but i really like Chess Mentor (www.chessmentor.com). true, i own part of the company [insert disclaimer here :) ], but everyone who buys it LOVES it. i have not had one return in 2 years time! :)
there is no other program that give you the kind of REAL feedback you need for every move in every position. a chess engine (like fritz) only tells you the BEST move, not why you made a mistake in your thinking.
erik wrote:
i'm totally biased here, but i really like Chess Mentor (www.chessmentor.com). true, i own part of the company [insert disclaimer here :) ], but everyone who buys it LOVES it. i have not had one return in 2 years time! :)
there is no other program that give you the kind of REAL feedback you need for every move in every position. a chess engine (like fritz) only tells you the BEST move, not why you made a mistake in your thinking.
how much does it cost erik ?
Aug 13, 2007
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#5
there are 4 different versions from $15 (which i don't recommend - it's for kids only really) up to $200 (which as 10,000+ hours of grandmaster-created lessons and content on it).
I would also recommend you CT-ART 3.0, it will help you to improve your tactic skills, and this is essential for beginners! I love Fritz's full analysis feature, it helps me to find better chances/moves when I analyze my own games. I don't know the other programs that have been mentioned here, so I cannot give you my feedback 
Thanks for the advice. Reading the Fritz literature, I was under the impression it offered a lot of coaching. Erik, your comment that Fritz can tell you what the best move is, but not why, was helpful.
I'll check out CT-Art 3.0 as that has been mentioned a couple of times.
I went to the Chess mentor web site. Looks good, I'll check it out. But the auto playing video was a bit annoying. That aside, it looks pretty interesting.
I can't argue with those pushing tactics trainers. At lower-level class play tactics are supreme.
However, since you didn't mention price as a constraint, I will pitch for ChessBase. It's pricey but it will do most things at most levels with plenty of room to grow.
For freeware Scid vs PC is amazing, though the interface is rough and annoying. But free!
There might be something helpful in a 2013 Silman article, Dinos to the Slav.
http://www.uschess.org/content/view/12291/719/
i like nintendo
If you could recommend one program for a 1000-1400 rated player to buy in order to build a repetoire, analyze their game, practice, and dramatically improve their play, what would it be?
I've looked at Deep Fritz 10, but there are so many out there. Any words of wisdom? Also, any tips on how to best use the software would be helpful.