Chessmaster, Rybka or Fritz?

I'm looking to buy a chess engine. Is there a difference between these three? Which one is best and why?

Originally posted by Jakal
I'm looking to buy a chess engine. Is there a difference between these three? Which one is best and why?

Chessmaster is full of very good interactive tutorials and drills. Fritz is more suited for serious game analysis altough it features some training options too, Rybka is the strongest chess engine out there, but do you really need it ??

I would go with Chessmaster if I were you. Fritz is also very good to have (big game database, openings book) but Chessmaster is maybe more adequate for 1500ish players because of openings, tactics, strategy, endgame tutorials.

Buy both 🙂

Rybka is practically unbeatable with a rough elo of 3000+. But I would go with Fritz, because it has an amazing interface, awesome analysis, great opening book and it allows you to create your own database with your own chess trees.

I had Chessmaster 10th edition a while back. Was pretty cool, had lots of interesting features but did lack a large game database like you would get with Fritz. The only thing I didn't much like about Chessmaster is the childish feel it had. A lot of times I felt it was as if the developers were marketing it to 7yr old children.

I learned with chessmaster 6000, helped me out with the basics and some strategy. It's hard to tell if it is good for you since we do not know what exactly you're looking for to improve (openings, tactics, etc). I would recommend chessmaster for beginners since it will give you a pretty good idea of how the game is played.
good luck
🙂

Ask Ironman31

Originally posted by zakkwylder
I had Chessmaster 10th edition a while back. Was pretty cool, had lots of interesting features but did lack a large game database like you would get with Fritz. The only thing I didn't much like about Chessmaster is the childish feel it had. A lot of times I felt it was as if the developers were marketing it to 7yr old children.

Chessmaster does have a large database, just as Fritz. But, it is hard to find and harder to use because gamers, rather than chess professionals, designed the interface.

Chessmaster 2100 was the standard in chess software.

Chessmaster 3000 gave Fritz 4 a run for the money.

Chessmaster 7000 was failing to keep up with the competition.

Chessmaster X (tenth edition) and CM Grandmaster are almost worthless unless you are a complete beginner or a child.

Originally posted by LordofADown
Rybka is practically unbeatable with a rough elo of 3000+. But I would go with Fritz, because it has an amazing interface, awesome analysis, great opening book and it allows you to create your own database with your own chess trees.

Rybka's current interface from chessbase is an updated version of fritz gui, so there's no reason to go for fritz instead if you're not seriously interested in computer chess.

if you want to analyse your games, go with Rybka. If you want to enjoy the best chess tutorials for the sub 1800 player ever, go with Chessmaster. If you can afford, go with both.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
Chessmaster X (tenth edition) and CM Grandmaster are almost worthless unless you are a complete beginner or a child, IMO.

fixed 😛

Fruit is a pretty good free engine

Originally posted by Jakal
I'm looking to buy a chess engine. Is there a difference between these three? Which one is best and why?

For your level (and my level too), there's no functional difference between the engine strengths. So, CM is a little (or a lot) weaker than the others. Big deal. I'm not entering my CM into a tournament against other engines (except the 2009 site championship 🙂 ). CM's engine is much stronger than I am and that's all that matters to me in terms of engine strength.

To me, CM GM is worth the 20 bucks (or whatever it sells for these days) just for the Waitzkin tutorials even if that's all it came with. This is a no brainer to me.

BTW, is there a list of emoticon symbols that work on the forum somewhere?

Originally posted by diskamyl
if you want to analyse your games, go with Rybka. If you want to enjoy the best chess tutorials for the sub 1800 player ever, go with Chessmaster. If you can afford, go with both.

Change your 1800 to 1400 or 1200, and I'll agree. There's no value to me in CM's tutorials, and I am under 1800. I do use Fritz nearly every day for analysis or training against.

Originally posted by sh76
For your level (and my level too), there's no functional difference between the engine strengths. So, CM is a little (or a lot) weaker than the others. Big deal. I'm not entering my CM into a tournament against other engines (except the 2009 site championship 🙂 ). CM's engine is much stronger than I am and that's all that matters to me in terms of engine strength.

Chessmaster's calculation is good enough, but it is less articulate in expressing what it knows in ways that make it of less value for players over 1200. Fritz can explain decoys, interference, clearance sacrifices, ...

Chessmaster does not do this well, although Josh Waitzkin does.

Originally posted by Wulebgr
Change your 1800 to 1400 or 1200, and I'll agree. There's no value to me in CM's tutorials, and I am under 1800. I do use Fritz nearly every day for analysis or training against.

I think it's a matter of what you like in chess. Maybe studying tactics all the way would make get you to 1800 quicker than watching Waitzkin talking about the psychology of the game, but for me, coming across the interpretation of Waitzkin about chess was one of the best things that happened to me in my chess "career". Not that it improved my rating, but it made me love the game as much as I do now.

Originally posted by diskamyl
I think it's a matter of what you like in chess. Maybe studying tactics all the way would make get you to 1800 quicker than watching Waitzkin talking about the psychology of the game, but for me, coming across the interpretation of Waitzkin about chess was one of the best things that happened to me in my chess "career". Not that it improved my rating, but it made me love the game as much as I do now.

I was in love with the game before Josh Waitzkin was born.

I think his videos are great, but Fritz offers better instruction and help for players in the D,C,and B classes