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Subject: Re: The CM Contraversy: Fascinating!

Author: Dan Kiski

Date: 03:37:31 12/17/98

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On December 17, 1998 at 03:47:49, Mark Young wrote:

>On December 17, 1998 at 03:03:19, Mike Saavedra wrote:
>
>>On December 17, 1998 at 02:31:19, Lawrence S. Tamarkin wrote:
>>
>>>Chessmaster6000 is a better Toy than a lot of the other programs out there.
>>>
>>>True, its opening book editor is a joke, but I don't use it, and I don't know
>>>many people (or chess player's), who use the opening books editor in the
>>>programs they do own anyway. In fact the Fritz5 default book is so excellent I
>>>am plenty happy with it.  Even though I also own the 'power book', & with just a
>>>few mouse clicks, I could import all of the Chess Base Magazine stuff into the
>>>standard one.  I guess I'm not any kind of 'serious chess player' or student by
>>>Komputer Korner's standards!
>>>
>>>Yes, CM6000 could benifit immensly from analysis in watch mode, no doubt.
>>>
>>>Features I like about this excellent toy;
>>>
>>>1. Rate my play.  I still haven't memorized these games completely, my memory is
>>>so bad, but I (still),find this feature very challenging.
>>>
>>>2. Josh Waitzkins voice annotated games.  True, I don't like JW.  He was mean to
>>>me in a face to face blitz game in front of his friends.  But this feature is
>>>intriguing.  I enjoy his lecture's, even though I'm not too crazy about him.
>>>
>>>3. A wide verity of time control posibilities, and the capability to change the
>>>value of pieces & way the program plays agianst you. (So called CM5500 or CM6500
>>>settings?)
>>>
>>>4. 64 chess unique chess personalities or one's you set yourself.  I haven't
>>>really tried this out, but my girlfriend likes this feature so much, (She seems
>>>to like the 'Wendy' personality best!), that it is currently the only program
>>>she will play.  (She used to like Fritz5, because of the handicap features).
>>>
>>>5. Much improved database features, with 400,000+ games in TascBase format.  If
>>>you own Tascbase as well, it is a good combination, since it is so inexpensive.
>>>
>>>6. The King chess engine, in my random test, has solved tactics 'crunch
>>>positons' faster than any other chess program I own.  I don't claim that this is
>>>the objective truth, but it does seem that way to me.
>>>
>>>7. It creates its own topic!  Just say CM6000, and people seem to get very
>>>worked up about it:) I think the only other program that Komputer Korner 'has it
>>>in for', as much right now, is Convetka's, 'Encyclopidia Of Middlegames' Call me
>>>crazy, but I like them both.
>>>
>>>All chess software has its limitations & faults, but if it doesn't crash as soon
>>>as you boot it up, (Power Chess, anyone?), and it performs to some extent as it
>>>is designed, then it has its worth...
>>>
>>>mrslug - the inkompetent chess software addict!
>>
>>I couldn't agree more Larry, all programs have their limitations and their
>>strengths.
>>I am fascinated by the passion in some of the participants in the CM debates. I
>>don't get it. Must I hate CM if I prefer Fritz? Or vice versa? I say no.
>>Different strokes for different folks. Maybe someone could explain it to me.
>
>Lets never kid ourselves, when it comes to chess programs. ELO will always be
>king to 90% of the people that buy chess programs. All other features tend to be
>a secondary consideration. I don’t care if it is 1 elo point or 100. So the best
>answer that rings true to me is, People that spent 100 dollars for a top of the
>line program in the belief that top money buys also the strongest playing
>program, never want to hear that a sub 30 dollar program has a stronger engine.
>So they attack Chessmaster, in the hope that the attack alone will somehow make
>it untrue. Just a thoery :)
>
>>
>>Mike

While I don't believe that 90% is true, I do think that a high number of people
are disapointed when they buy a program for $60 and find that the $30 CM is as
strong. The cm is sold to the mass market you can find it in almost any software
retailor, mindscape do a good job with getting this program into the main
stream. If i want to buy any of the so-called top programs I need to either buy
it over the net from say ICD (Plug) or direct from the manufacturer like
chessbase.

A lot of people therefore buy the CM because of its availability and naturally
its price, I bet there will be a lot more CM's in Johnny's stocking than any
other chess programs combined.






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