The dollar is sucking!

[The Munster]

A Digimemo is still too expensive to buy in the States and have shipped over here though
If anyone knows where I can get one at a good price ..

[Sailor Steve]

When I was a kid one Pound was equal to about five Dollars.

[Skybird]

Didn't know you were in chess that seriously, Brad! What is your precise need?

The exchange rate was worse in March. Since the 5th of March the rate of exchange has been closing in relation to the GBP. In fact today was the best day since 05 MAR.


The graph:
http://www.x-rates.com/d/GBP/USD/graph120.html

[Heibges]

I was wrong again. I guess this is the reason.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...wKA&refer=news

[bradclark1]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Didn't know you were in chess that seriously, Brad! What is your precise need?

I just started teaching myself and am getting into it pretty much. I have MC10 and Fritz Deluxe is coming. If I'd have gotten the database it would have been an impulse buy because I suffer from "If I'm into it I must have everything that goes with it" whole hog disease. Drives my wife nuts. But $100 for a database put me into price shock.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by bradclark1

I just started teaching myself and am getting into it pretty much. I have MC10 and Fritz Deluxe is coming. If I'd have gotten the database it would have been an impulse buy because I suffer from "If I'm into it I must have everything that goes with it" whole hog disease. Drives my wife nuts. But $100 for a database put me into price shock.

The chessprogram Fritz and others from Chessbase) include databases of usually 1- 1.5 million played matches. It should fit your needs, but at less then one third of the price for the chessbase database starter kit version 9. The interface (as I just have written in another chess-ralated thread) is superb.

Price for new Fritz 10 in Germany is 40-50 euro. You could as well buy some older version of it or another chessbase-engine, and eventually buy it for a price in the one-digit range (in Germany at last, availability of these softwares in the Us seems to be a bit limited, what surprises me).

http://cgi.ebay.com/FRITZ-10-CHESS-S...QQcmdZViewItem


http://www.amazon.com/ChessCentral-H...3445128&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Junior-10-Cham...3445128&sr=8-5


If I could be of help, let me know.

[bradclark1]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Price for new Fritz 10 in Germany is 40-50 euro. You could as well buy some older version of it or another chessbase-engine, and eventually buy it for a price in the one-digit range (in Germany at last, availability of these softwares in the Us seems to be a bit limited, what surprises me).

http://cgi.ebay.com/FRITZ-10-CHESS-S...QQcmdZViewItem


http://www.amazon.com/ChessCentral-H...3445128&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Junior-10-Cham...3445128&sr=8-5


If I could be of help, let me know.

I got the Fritz 10. Thanks for the link. Don't really know why, but it was a good deal. I'd like to get Junior 10 at some time.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by bradclark1

I'd like to get Junior 10 at some time.

Why?

If you wish to collect the top titles, I would recommend Rybka (download), and Hiarcs 11 (since version 11 also only downloadable).

If you want to do engine matches, get Hiarcs. Fritz and hiarcs are nicely contrasting in playing styels.

If you think about playing strength, forget it, you do not need more than one of these top engines to suit your needs in personally playing the CPU. They all will kill oyu if you let them loose without artifical brakes or handicaps in your favour.

Look here:

Ah, it's currently down, but remember this link:
http://web.telia.com/~u85924109/ssdf/list.htm

It's the Swedish SSDF computer engine ranking list. They have a DOS list as well on that site, listing all board computers and programs since the mid-80s.

Hiarcs homepage:
http://www.hiarcs.com/

Rybka:
http://www.rybkachess.com/index.php

I personally use Hiarcs 10 engine with Fritz 9 GUI and stopped collecting engines.

You said you are currently learning chess. You probably already found the link yourself, but to be safe:
http://chessbaseusa.sectorlink.org/DesktopDefault.aspx

Check their training software.