Hey all,
I help out with a gaming website, GameSquad.com, and did a review of Chessmaster XI. You can read it here:
http://www.gamesquad.com/index.php?option=com_articles&id=8&pform=&aid=182
Now I know why there are so few reviews of chess software packages! Reviewing one of these items is less like doing a game review and more like reviewing an OS!
Anyway, I hope it proves helpful to those undecided out there.
Originally posted by Crusader Scottwow, that review was generous. I bet you didn't have CM 10. if you had, CM 11 would seem like a joke to you. it does seem like that to me, and not a funny one.
Hey all,
I help out with a gaming website, GameSquad.com, and did a review of Chessmaster XI. You can read it here:
http://www.gamesquad.com/index.php?option=com_articles&id=8&pform=&aid=182
Now I know why there are so few reviews of chess software packages! Reviewing one of these items is less like doing a game review and more like reviewing an OS!
Anyway, I hope it proves helpful to those undecided out there.
Originally posted by diskamylI owned CM10. That is why I stated CM11 seems less like a new program and more like an incremental upgrade because that is what it is. CM11 is currently buggy, as I pointed out, but I don't think it is a joke. Once patched, it will be a reasonably solid chess program.
wow, that review was generous. I bet you didn't have CM 10. if you had, CM 11 would seem like a joke to you. it does seem like that to me, and not a funny one.
I downlaoded CM grandmaster edition.....while playing my computer would go black....instant shutdown!!...happened many times...
after that i couldn't access the internet for 3 days....i bought a new laptop on day 3 cause i didn't want to time out in my games.
i took old laptop to "geek squad"...they don't know whats wrong....
I HATE WAITZKIN!!!!
Originally posted by chessisvanityGood god I hope you're joking. It's hard to tell sometimes.
I downlaoded CM grandmaster edition.....while playing my computer would go black....instant shutdown!!...happened many times...
after that i couldn't access the internet for 3 days....i bought a new laptop on day 3 cause i didn't want to time out in my games.
i took old laptop to "geek squad"...they don't know whats wrong....
I HATE WAITZKIN!!!!
On Amazon.com there's a lot of negative reviews attributed mostly, it seems, to some nasty bugs. I own it and haven't had any problems with it but I have hardly used it. I got it mostly for the tutorials since I don't enjoy playing against computers, but so far I haven't been able to get into them.
those nasty bugs cost me a $1000 dollar laptop.
now i'm using a cheap $600 dollar one....it's slower but ok i guess.
i learned a valuable lesson.....i need to focus on otb play and then get an engine when i am 2000 rated....
that will never happen so looks like i won't ever be wasting my money on stupid engines again.
Originally posted by chessisvanityActually you don't really "need" an engine to improve at any level. Both IM G. Shahade and his sister, GM J. Shahade are critical of the emphasis many players today place on engine assisted analysis. Their main argument seems to be that engines don't analyze or evaluate the way people to do, and therefore what use is it to you if Fritz 9 thinks that if you'd played the 6 move sequence that never dawned on you to seriously consider, instead of the moves you did play, that you'd be 0.22 pawns better instead of 0.16 pawns worse.
those nasty bugs cost me a $1000 dollar laptop.
now i'm using a cheap $600 dollar one....it's slower but ok i guess.
i learned a valuable lesson.....i need to focus on otb play and then get an engine when i am 2000 rated....
that will never happen so looks like i won't ever be wasting my money on stupid engines again.
And they claim it makes you lazy, and has ruined promising chess students who would have otherwise had to have done the hard work of analysis themselves, and thereby improved both their positional understanding and calculation ability, but instead let the engine do it for them and they instead get to learn nothing. Except that they'd have been 0.22 pawns better if they'd played that odd looking engine line instead.
I agree with them, to a point. After you've done the hard work yourself of analyzing and annotating a completed game, its worth comparing your analysis to the engines to see what you missed and if any of your evaluation was seriously off the mark. Otherwise they are worthless IMHO. And less than worthless if you let it do the work for you.
Originally posted by chessisvanityHard to believe an old program franchise like CM would put out a slightly improved version that would be damaging to a PC. Maybe you picked up a virus?
I downlaoded CM grandmaster edition.....while playing my computer would go black....instant shutdown!!...happened many times...
after that i couldn't access the internet for 3 days....i bought a new laptop on day 3 cause i didn't want to time out in my games.
i took old laptop to "geek squad"...they don't know whats wrong....
I HATE WAITZKIN!!!!
Originally posted by Sam The ShamI did notice that Chessmaster since the 10th edition constantly keeps the cpu usage up to 100% even when it's doing nothing. It's some sort of bug that can really heat up your processor if you leave it on for too long.
Hard to believe an old program franchise like CM would put out a slightly improved version that would be damaging to a PC. Maybe you picked up a virus?
If you go to the chessmaster forums at the ubisoft site you can read many people complaining how this "bug" is still around since the 10th edition.