Originally posted by meismeandiChessmaster lets you play rated games against random opponents. The opponents get harder the better you get.
I want a program that i can play against that will gradually get more advanced so i can learn.... in chessbase can i play against fritz?
Originally posted by meismeandiChessBase 9 is the database program (some outlets still are selling the old version, CB 8). It comes with an old version of Fritz for analysis. To play against Fritz, you must buy the stand alone Fritz product (or Junior, Shredder, Hiarcs, etc.)--the playing program. The price of the playing program runs 30-50% of the database program.
I want a program that i can play against that will gradually get more advanced so i can learn.... in chessbase can i play against fritz?
You can still download a free version of the database program with Fritz 4 from ChessBase. Older versions of Fritz (the playing program) can be found for $10-$20 at some discount outlets.
Specifically to answer your question about Fritz, yes, it has a couple of different ways to 'dumb' itself down so you get an interesting game.
The two I like are Friend mode and Sparring.
Friend mode is just a basic handicapping that keeps track of your success/failure/draw record and automatically adjusts itself. So, if it plays friend mode at say 150 and then you lose the next game might be 200. If you win, it might be 100. The more games you play, the closer it is to your playing level as the adjustments get smaller.
Sparring has several levels starting at an ELO of around 1400 and going up from there. In this mode it plays about at the strength you have configured, but it also makes tactical mistakes for you to find and exploit. You can either configure the game to let you know when a good move is available or you can let it play silently and just have the 'killer move' annotated so you can see it when you go back and analyze at the end of the game.
There are some other playing modes, but those are my favorite.