Author: Jorge Pichard
Date: 07:30:23 12/26/01
When purchasing a chess computer or software, it is best to buy something which plays at least 300 points above your rating. If this is the case them any top commercial PC programs would qualify against 95% of the players on the World. A computer may assist in your learning in many ways. One of the best uses is to auto-analyze your own games. Find out where you have erred and what better lines were available. You may also set up positions that are of interest or play out lines against the computer. If you are working on a specific opening, you may play a vairiety of continuations against the computer. Both middle game and endgame practice are also useful. Set up positions that are in the instructional books you are reading. Playing against the computer is excellent practise. Most people recommend setting up a board, rather than just keeping the position on screen. Unless of course you are cramming for the ICS. The level of play now attainable on your personal computer has reached that of being able to win against master level and above players. Even Handheld PDA or Pocket have reached the Master Level, with the convenience to be able to carry them in your own Shirt's Pocket, but, none the less, computer chess has come a long way since David Levy, in 1968, made a bet that a computer could not, within 10 years win a match against him. I don't think any GM nowaday could easily take Fritz 7 Junior 7 or Chess Tiger 14.8 or Rebel Century 4 on a fast computer without losing some games. In several books David Levy and Raymond Keene detail their strategy to win against computer opponents. They suggest avoiding tactics, concentrating instead on positional advantages and using long term strategy to slowly build an advantage. Some of their suggestions include: allowing your computer opponent to castle first, then castle on the opposite wing and launch a pawn storm. Software programs typically use a wide band width brute force search, combined with an in depth search for tactically active lines.
This page took 0 seconds to execute
Last modified: Thu, 15 Apr 21 08:11:13 -0700
Current Computer Chess Club Forums at Talkchess. This site by Sean Mintz.