Has anyone had any experience with chess training software? I'm looking for something that's easy to use and covers some theory etc, a copy of 800 tactical exercises in PGN format (or whatever) doesn't exactly help me much. I'm looking for something that says, ok, this is the theme, this is the theory, now here are the excercises, prove you know it.
Lemme know if you have with something that has helped raise your rating. 😉
i used to have access to a fritz programme which has excellent coaching facilities to help improve your game. i use an imac now which is an excellent computer but i think there's only limited software out there. Still, what you seem to be asking for is well met by 2 books - "how to reassess your chess" and "how to reassess your chess workbook" both by jeremy silman. and for us mere mortals i think it is essential to learn on a REAL fullsize board to get a proper understanding and spatial awareness. i make real howlers of moves when i play purely from a 2-D screen (and then suffer torment for days/weeks after -"did i really do that...?) 😉
I'm a software junkie (of all types - not just chess) so here's a couple quick reviews/suggestions.
Also, I have gone from about 800 to about 1200 over the last 1 1/2 years using these training programs and sparse game play. Lately, I've been playing a *lot* more and it hasn't helped my rating that I can see... I may have plateaued.
Personally, I feel that I get a greater return on time invested by studying tactics with a program than from actually playing... of course, studying is not as much fun!
Chess Mentor (Aficionado - www.chess.com - may have demo product?)
Pros:
* Jeremy Silman (if you like him) is author of many 'problems'
* Good written descriptions of key points in position
* Graduated hints (3 levels - you can request at any time)
* Automatic scoring on problems and re-visiting of failed problems until concept is mastered - very cool feature - they call it "Natural Intelligence Learning Engine"
* Setup different profiles to study different aspects
* Good endgame primer built in
Cons:
* Expensive
* Cannot export positions
* Memory hog - pc hardware requirements??
* Bug installing additional modules on Win2k - I found a workaround
* Cannot play a position if you disagree with analysis
* Only verbal descriptions of move failures - no on-board variations tree - this can sometimes (if variation is long enough) be hard to follow.
Additional modules can be purchased that deal with endgames, strategy, positional understanding etc. I have found them to be less straightforward than the basic course. That may be a limitation of mine or just the nature of the material.
CT-Art 3.0 (Nokta Software)
Pros:
* Many ways to sort problems (theme/difficulty level etc.)
* Can play any position against Crafty (included)
* Can chart progress on bar chart (includes ratings estimate - not accurate in my experience)
* Graduated hints (including visual cues)
* If a move is plausible but fails to a tactical variation you can play through variation tree on board - easy to follow
* Difficulty levels increase quickly - you won't surpass this program for quite a while
Cons:
* Buggy install - needed to download a patch to install correctly.
* Hints are not under user control
* No endgame info
* No re-visiting of failed problems
CT Art is all about combiniative tactics (it's based on a book - can't remember the name). Spend a little time failing to solve one of the tougher problems and then watch as tactics emerge from
seemingly thin air. It certainly has given me a new found respect for the possibilities of *any* position. You just know there has to be a combination in there somewhere!
The other three training programs I have used are TASC, Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess and Advanced Chess School. I was going to write a little about each but the bottom line is that they are all inferior (in my opinion) to the two I've mentioned above. Plus, I'm getting tired of typing!
😕
Okay... I guess I could mention that Advanced Chess School is from Nokta as well and has less advanced tactics than CT Art but does have some sections on basic strategy. I wasn't all that impressed with the strategy section though, it is *basic* with a small number of themes.
If you have any specific questions about anything let me know and I'll try to clarify. Good luck!
Hayz, I posted "The Best Chess Tutorials" before I saw this thread. While my post is about all media, including books, the best I've seen is a program, 'Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess' published by Simon and Shuster, now out of print, but easily pruchased from many 'remainder houses' on the internet. I say in my post that I would happily pay $200 for one particular lesson, and I have only begun. I paid $7 for my remaindered copy. Be forewarned , however, mine took 2 and 1/2 months to arrive.
Originally posted by Chuck SmartChuck, I'm curious... I found Maurice Ashley's CD to be good but a little basic. This is from a guy who's barely holding on to a 1200 rating. 😳
The best I've seen is a program, 'Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess' published by Simon and Shuster, now out of print, but easily pruchased from many 'remainder houses' on the internet. I say in my post that I would happily pay $200 for one particular lesson, and I have only begun.
You are clearly a better player than I... am I missing something here?
I'm going to have to dig out my copy and give it another run through.
Originally posted by jhegenerI specifically thought that the discussion on weak squares was a topic that all of my many books had glossed over. See strategies - weak squares in the Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess CD. I wrote elsewhere that I would gladly pay $200 for those lessons. ... Now that I have gone through all of the weak squares challenges (there are not enough to satisfy me) , it again seems old hat and you may be right that it is too basic, but the use of that approach has seen a big bump in my success here recently. Also, I can go back to Chess Mentor and suddenly I understand a lot of the moves in their long attacking lines. Before seeing the weak moves lessons in MATCH, I would try several moves that seemed good to me, but would often have to ask the Chess Mentor program to show me the move it wanted next. No longer. ... As a Geologist/Engineer, I seek understanding, above all, in all endeavors. Maurice Ashley gave me that by teaching a topic I didn't realize was important.
Chuck, I'm curious... I found Maurice Ashley's CD to be good but a little basic. This is from a guy who's barely holding on to a 1200 rating. 😳
You are clearly a better player than I... am I missing something here?
I'm going to have to dig out my copy and give it another run through.
Originally posted by Chuck SmartI guess all that matters is that you got something of value from MATCH.
Also, I can go back to Chess Mentor and suddenly I understand a lot of the moves in their long attacking lines.
I like Chess Mentor a *lot* - especially the way it keeps recycling challenges until you get them right!