Author: Mike Agnos
Date: 23:39:07 09/13/05
I'm still fascinated by CSTal II and have been researching the archives for the past hour and a half. Oh what fun! (Although my wife doesn't understand.) For simple playing pleasure, I prefer CSTal II over my Fritz 7 and CM 9000. And it is *strong.* It's unbeatable my me unless it's severely handicapped. And what an interesting, crazy game! Sometimes I think it maneuvers me into blundering. It has made me a much better player against humans. I have to believe CSTal plays stronger on my 2GHz, 256MB computer than on the computers available when it was introduced. (Has anyone tested it on a modern machine?) But there are minor flaws. In the endgame it's weak, if I can reach an endgame, which ain't too often. And CSTal is too often satisfied with draws by repetition. As for the bugs I read about in the archives, I haven't noticed any. In case you're interested, it may still be available here: http://www.mindscape.co.uk/products/ProductInfo.asp?pid=251 I've also seen it on Ebay UK. It's also available, by download only, from a UK company called AI Factory. No opening book! The Canadian company, GlobalstarSoftware, is no longer selling it. warm regards Mikey
This page took 0.01 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.