Good free chess programs

[XabbaRus]

What is recommended. Something that can teach me aswell.
3d would be nice but not essential.

[Skybird]

I know you said free, but maybe you also opt for very low costs?

The world's major contributor of chess engines is Hamburg-based Chessbase, which publishes almost all important chess engine series today. Some of the older versions of these engines are still available or can be picked up second hand (Amazon, Ebay) for far less than 10 euros including shipping (don't mind their playing strength - they are all beyond good and evil and real killers if not being tamed by options)). With chessbase software, you get extremely good programs with many options to tune them to your needs, self-adapting difficulty levels, and helpful tools, and the visually and functionally best interface on the market.

I would recommend Fritz 7, and if you need good 3D board, Fritz 8, or higher (actual - and fullprice! - version is 10). Also, Hiarcs 7 or higher (actual: 11), Junior 7 or higher, Nimzo 7 or higher, and others from chessbase. I just saw Fritz 6 for 3 Euros at German Amazon, for example, and hiarcs 7 for 2 euros at German ebay, 5 minutes before end. I would not recommend to buy Fritz 5, it has an old and bad interface, the new standard was intorudced not before version 6, and version 7 with full 3D support. Fritz is an engine, and also the name of the interface all chessbase engines are running with.

Newer software versions often come with video tutorials of commented classical matches, additional to the thousand options the Fritz interface offers to tune it to your skill level. The interface is totally free to configure in functionality, and panel sizes.

If you are under serious financial pressure, send me your adress, and I send you one of my older versions for free.

You also can find older chessbase software, especially Fritz 6 and 7, sometimes on cover-CDs of PC-magazines.

Their homepage (does not sell older versions):
http://www.chessbase.com/

If you want visual impression of 3D boards, and 2D boards, the old chess tournament of subsim 18 or more months ago has been deleted, but I could fire up three of four pictures, if needed.


Edit:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fritz-7-Chess-Software_W0QQitemZ250132041598QQihZ015QQcategoryZ3 8590QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[kiwi_2005]

I play Kasparov Chessmate, can get the free version here. Might challenge you online one day:)

http://www.download-free-games.com/chess_game_download/kasparov_chessmate.htm

Sry just checked no longer a free version.... 1 hour gameplay limit.:nope:

Can buy their full version

[Letum]

Didn't we used to do PBEM chess on the forum?

[Skybird]

PBEM? Play by electronic media?

[Skybird]

BEST BUY !

http://www.amazon.de/gp/offer-listing/B000A2F1N4/ref=dp_olp_0/028-2185251-4839757?ie=UTF8&condition=all

This is the best stuff for minimum money. I have Fritz 8 in use myself currently, only my Hiarcs 10 is newer.

[XabbaRus]

I'll take a look. I'm just wanting something to get started with. Something I can leave and think about while I make the tea.

[Skybird]

As long as you know the rules, Fritz interface and a decent engine will allow you to tune it to your needs:
- fully adjustable skill level (novice to master)
- automatically adapting playing level (play a humber of matches, and the computer will adjust it's level to your results, it will raise when you win, it will fall when oyu loose, after some time the adjustements are rathger small and you get an opponent that is challenging but not overwhelming to you)
- several tools to explain moves in words, values and graphics, illustrate them via colour codes and arrows on the board, mark threats, combinations, coverings
- vast database with chess martches (usuually 100.000 or more)
- functions that allow to explicitly train opening knowledge, midgame tactics, endgames
- print protocoals and diagrams easily
- auto-comment in words and auto-analyse a played match or a single move with trees
- tuning the engine (some of them) so that it accentuates or ignores tactic motives, and values of playing pieces, that way you can train certain things you want to study
- new software: 1-year abonement access to the chessclub server run by Chessbase, one of the greatest of its kind, using the Fritz interfce, playing online or kibitzing, finding partners and matches of sorted playing skills as you like. theyx also hold video coverings (life!) of tournaments on the real world. with comments by grandmasters and audience, and hold training courses via online classes.

I apologize for the size of the screeenshots, they are original sizes,but it is intentional to illustrate how it looks like on your monitor.

Hiarcs 10 3D board, actually fully usable: on my 19" monitor at 1280x1024, it looks like using a real board of 40x40 cm, it can be zoomed, rotated, repositiooned easily via mouse (click and hold):

http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/6078/snap0042nz4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Fritz interface (example), many mor windows possible, size, position etc can be freely adjusted:

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2161/snap0040kb8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Fritz 8 3D board:

http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/4596/snap0041ro0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Play versus the Chess Turk! 3D-ambient, clock and robot fully functional. Nevertheless, it's worth is cosmetic only.

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2231/snap0043fi9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[SUBMAN1]

Looks nice.

I personally have just been using the Windows Vista Chess Titans lately that comes free with Windows Vista.

-S

[Skybird]

Xabba,I forgot: you could use a popular FREE chess GUI named arena, which you could check out and get here:

http://www.playwitharena.com/

Also check the links on the left side carefully, they may be useful.

I know little about it and can't help you much with it, I once checked it longer time ago, and it seemd to be reasonable, and doing the basics of it's job, and some more. I personally like the Fritz GUI better for visual reasons. BUT ARENA IS FREE.

You then need to load an engine into it. I do not know if wellknown Comet is still available, but Crafty (Bob Hyatt, whoi did the Cray blitz chess program) is another classic that still is for free I think. try here for a start:

http://www.limunltd.com/crafty/

There must be many other free engines around, use Google with "free UCI engines", etc. One place who lists several engines is here, for example:

http://www.superchessengine.com/

You can also check which of the engines in this rating list maybe is available for free:

http://web.telia.com/~u85924109/ssdf/list.htm

If you need a real strong engine, for whatever a reason, try the 1.0 Beta (yes 1.0!) of Rybka, which is free, and a total beast. The (payware) 2.3 is currently leading the engine lists relaitvely undisputed, and probably is the strongest chess program in the world. If you think that means that the Beta of version 1.0 is weak becasue it is old, then you better think twice.

http://www.rybkachess.com/deutsch/index.php?auswahl=Demo+Download

readme: http://www.rybkachess.com/index.php?auswahl=FAQ+for+Beta

Note that different to the demo for 2.3, the Beta of 1.0 will not expire, and is not limited in functionality.

[fatty]

Great posts Skybird, I have gotten back into chess in the last two weeks and have been looking for a good program. Thanks!

[Skybird]

Post it if you find links for free engines, fatty. I know they are there, I just lost my list of links. There must be several dozens of UCI engines alone, then there are winboard engines, and Linux versions.

If anyone is in need for some free UCI engines, I can search my CDs and make them available for download, I think I still have some flying around somewhere.

For the mods: for many of these engines, this is perfectly legal as long as no commercial interests get involved.

[Skybird]

I just had a test setup of the free Arena GUI, and imp0lemented Rybka 1.0 Beta. Setup was a breeze. I struggled with finding out to learn how to corrctly implement the opening book, and used a different. I do not spend time to learn how to handle the functions, since I will stay with Fritz 9 GUI, it was just to illustrate that installiung the Arena GUI and installing engines into it is very easy, even for novices.

Check their forums was support.

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/7022/snap0045av8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[fatty]

Post it if you find links for free engines, fatty. I know they are there, I just lost my list of links. There must be several dozens of UCI engines alone, then there are winboard engines, and Linux versions.

If anyone is in need for some free UCI engines, I can search my CDs and make them available for download, I think I still have some flying around somewhere.

For the mods: for many of these engines, this is perfectly legal as long as no commercial interests get involved.

There is a wiki for free chess engines. Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_engine#Freely_available_chess_engines).

This site (http://wbec-ridderkerk.nl/html/enginesindex.htm) also maintains a list of WinBoard engines.

[Skybird]

Man, that site is gold worth! Many thanks.

I must get a taste of Pro Deo, that Ed Schroeder program! Mephisto M-IV (Schroeder-made) still is my all-time-favourite program, and loaded into a wooden Mephisto Exclusive sensor board it always has been my most favourite chess machine. I have some more precious and rare treasures in my small collection of chess computers, but this one simply always was something special to me.

Too sad that man has retired from active chess programming.

[Iceman]

I had found this one looked very cool to play but never tried it out with anyone...nothing to download just need someone else hitting the site at same time to have a partner...

http://www.totallysmartit.com/examples/chess/chessintro.asp

ack that wasn't the one but cool javescript one anyways.

[kiwi_2005]

Looks nice.

I personally have just been using the Windows Vista Chess Titans lately that comes free with Windows Vista.

-S

Did you DL that for vista of MS or did it come with your version, ive looked for it and only have "Hold em" poker game...