Author: Albert Silver
Date: 08:59:33 08/30/05
Go up one level in this thread
On August 29, 2005 at 20:00:39, Tsantsa Ogrady wrote:
>My question is if anyone knows of one that has a nicer screen. I am hoping for
>a lighted color lcd screen but one can only get so lucky! I don't want to buy a
>gameboy or a PSP. The one thing I like about this handheld is that it loads up
>the current game in about a grand total of 1 second. If I had a gameboy or PSP
>it takes about a full minute or two to turn on. I know that seems petty, but I
>have the handheld for work. Where I work sometimes I can only get about 5
>minutes to play a move or 2 before a boss comes around, really. It sucks. So
>all that loading time is counter-productive to what I want.
>
>So, any really good handheld chess games out there?
It very much depends on the price you're willing to put in it. I really must
agree with the choice of buying a PDA, though you might consider this too much
for your purposes. For example, if you were willing to pay up to $200, you could
get a top-notch Dell Axim X30, which has gotten excellent reviews, and has a
nice screen plus a 624 MHz processor. You can most likely find a good deal on
ebay, for a new unit mind you. The advantage is that you'd be able to run
software such as CEBoard (http://www.zanchetta.net/CEBoard/), free, therefore no
extra cost. This would allow you to view games, with comments, resolve tactical
and mate positions, and play against engines such as Crafty, Fruit, and Toga.
Games are found in many places, and positions are probably found at the pages of
CCC members since the tactical suties are very commonly used for engine testing.
Not to mention all the other benefits of having a good Pocket PC. There are lots
of other programs too, such as Pocket CT-Art, a top commercial tactical training
program, and others.
Still, shop around.
>Also, besides Searching for Bobby Fischer, what are some movies that chess is
>central to the story line...Or even some good documentaries. I am really
>getting into it, and want to soak up as much as I can from whatever sources are
>available!
One of my favorites is 'Chess Fever' (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015673/), a
funny silent film with a lot of footage of the 1925 International Moscow
tournament, including Capablanca, Alekhine, Marshall, and others. It is only
about a half hour long, and can be bought at Amazon. I highly recommend it if
you enjoy chess and have a taste for the old masters.
>My ultimate goal is to do something I have never done: Beat my father at
>chess!!!!!
Unless you are very close to beating him already, my suggestion is to not just
play games but to study tactical positions. There are many many good tactical
primers out there, not to mention suites of positions that you can download and
resolve with your computer. This would really be the secret to beating your dad.
Good luck,
Albert
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