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Software
A selection of our most popular
software is presented below.
How to Play Chess
Learn to Play
Chess with Fritz & Chesster 1 & 2
Fritz 11
Chessmaster:
Grandmaster Edition
Searching for
Bobby Fischer |
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How to Play Chess
DVD by Derek Jeffries - $30
This is ideal for
beginners, young and old. It takes you through all the basics,
including notation, value of the pieces, etc. Supported by a good
instructional booklet. |
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Learn to Play
Chess with Fritz & Chesster
parts 1 and 2, $75 and $80 respectively |
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Fritz and Chesster
- Part 1
This programme does not teach chess
in the usual way. It does not set up a board and explain how each of
the pieces move. Instead it targets children who have never played
chess before in their lives and teaches them the basic rules in a
Sesame Street like environment. There are cartoons and stories for
the children to follow, and then there are tasks for them to solve
interactively.
Fritz and Chesster - Part 2
Jump into chess action, move by move, to rescue Chesster from deep
within King Black’s castle. Join Fritz and Bianca in a thrilling
chess adventure as they enter rooms of the castle, where each
challenge will help you sharpen skills and prepare for the ultimate
showdown.
* Powered by Fritz, the world’s leading chess software
* Learn about tactics and strategy, the opening and endgame
* Developed together with experienced children’s chess coaches
For ages 8 and up System requirements: Multimedia PC: Pentium II 233
processor, 32 mb ram (16 mb free momory), 16 bit soundblaster
compatible sound card, 16x speed CD-Rom Drive, Graphics card 800 x
600 (16 bit color), Win 98/ME/XP |
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Fritz 11 - $99 |
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New,
dramatically improved chess engine (about 80 Elo points
stronger)
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Upgraded database with over one
million games, from 1625 to 2007
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Improved openings book
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New training function to
practice the calculation of variations
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New section on the chess server
with tactical puzzle solving competitions; "the magic eye" which
scans the 3D board, making the search visible for the user.
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Listen to Garry Kasparov, Vladimir
Kramnik, Viktor Korchnoi, Alexei Shirov
or (former world champion) Rustam Kasimdzhanov while they
explain important openings
and ideas that lead to success. A host of famous chess
teachers provide instruction in more
mundane(!) subjects,
like opening traps, middlegame strategy, or endgame skills. Video
running time: more than 13 hours!
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Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition - $70 |
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Josh Waitzkin,
International Master
and eight-time
National Chess
Champion, coaches
players to grasp the
basic fundamentals
of chess and to
master the game
through exciting
courses and
tutorials taken
directly from his
groundbreaking book,
The Art of Learning
(Free Press).
Players can then
practice their newly
learned skills in
single-player mode
or challenge their
friends to a
fun-spirited
competition in
multiplayer mode via
LAN or Internet.
Key features:
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Learn from
champion Josh
Waitzkin: Using
the principles
outlined in his
book The Art of
Learning, Josh
puts players in
his shoes during
some of the most
riveting moments
of his career.
He then walks
players through
the classics,
introducing
beginners to the
fundamentals of
the game and
providing
revealing
commentary about
the road to
mastery.
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Multiplayer
wireless: Two
players can
battle each
other using the
wireless option
on the DS. A
variety of
exciting
multiplayer
games are
available,
including: Dark
Chess, in which
the opponent's
pieces are
invisible;
Extinction
Chess, where the
winner is the
first player to
capture all of
the opponent's
pieces; and
Losing Chess, a
game that
rewards the
first player to
lose all of
his/her pieces!
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Six original
mini-games: Each
mini-game is
packed with its
own music, sound
effects, a
high-score
record and 20
levels of
gameplay.
Players can look
forward to:
Minefield, in
which chess
pieces are used
to locate mines
hidden in the
board; Breaking
the Lines, where
the knight is
moved to capture
all of the
pawns; and Fork
My Fruit, a game
that uses chess
pieces to fork
fruit of the
same kind, among
others.
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Famous games:
Players have
access to 900 of
the most
important chess
games, which are
analyzed to
provide key
tactics
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Checkmate: With
an arsenal of
600,000 games,
players will
never run out of
fun!
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Searching for Bobby Fischer - $39 |
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Searching for
Bobby Fischer is an acclaimed 1993 film
based on the life of prodigy chess player Joshua
Waitzkin, played by Max Pomeranc. Adapted from the
book of the same name by Joshua's father Fred, the
film was written and directed by Steven Zaillian. In
the United Kingdom the film was released under the
title Innocent Moves.
In this film, Josh
Waitzkin's family discovers that he possesses a gift
for chess and they seek to nurture it. They hire a
strict instructor, Bruce Pandolfini (played by Ben
Kingsley) who aims to teach the boy to be as
aggressive as Bobby Fischer. The title of the film
is a metaphor about the character's quest to adopt
the ideal of Fischer and his determination to win at
any price. The main conflict in the film arises when
Josh refuses to adopt Fischer's misanthropic frame
of reference. Josh then goes on to win on his own
terms with the kind of gracious sportsmanship that
Fischer rejects.
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