| Chessmaster | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Computer chess |
| Developers | David Kittinger Kathe Spracklen Dan Spracklen Johan de Köning |
| Publishers | The Software Toolworks (1986–1994) Mindscape (1993–1999) Mattel Interactive (2000) Ubisoft (2001–2008) Feral Interactive(OS X)[1] |
| Platform | |
| Original release | 1986–2008 |
Chessmaster (originallyThe Chessmaster) is achessvideo game series, currently owned and developed byUbisoft. It is the best-selling chess video game series, with more than five million units sold as of 2002[update].[2] The same cover art image featuringWill Hare was used fromChessmaster 2000 toChessmaster 9000.[3]
The Chessmasterchess engine is calledThe King, written byJohan de Köning of theNetherlands and introduced in theChessmaster 4000 Turbo. It became the Chessmaster engine until the present, while the last engine versionThe King 3.50 was incorporated in theChessmaster 11.
The first editionChessmaster 2000 featured a chess engine written byDavid Kittinger, who went on to develop the engines forInterplay'sUSCF Chess,WChess for the German company Millennium 2000, andSierra Entertainment'sPower Chess,Majestic Chess andDisney's Aladdin Chess Adventures. The second editionChessmaster 2100 had an engine designed by Kate and Dan Spracklen ofSargon family chess programs.
According to the September 2009Swedish Chess Computer Association (SSDF) rating list,Chessmaster 9000 had an estimatedElo rating of 2718 on anAthlon-1200 PC.[18] If multiple versions of other engines are stripped out of this list,Chessmaster 9000 ranked 14th among all engines tested. As of May 2008[update],Chessmaster 9000 remained the most recent version rated by the SSDF.
The latest version,Chessmaster 11, was released in 2007, and has lagged behind more current chess engines.CCRL placed it 121st on its August 2020 list (15th among engines only available via purchase).[19]
The King engine allows users to create new playing styles, called "personalities", by manipulating several dozen different settings, such as King Safety, Pawn Weakness, Randomness, Mobility and others. Individual piece values can also be adjusted.Chessmaster 9000, for example, features over 150 different personalities ranging from International Grandmaster strength down to Stanley, achimpanzee who, in most situations, plays completely random moves. The Stanley chimpanzee personality inspired the Stanley Random Chess Variant.[20]
TheChessmaster 2000 developers aimed to anthropomorphize the game's chess engine with a mascot character to give players the feeling of a human opponent. The "Chessmaster" character on the game's packaging and title screens was a photo of actorWill Hare costumed to look like "a person, a wizard, a chessmaster!" rather than a "black box"[21] The image became iconic, and the original photo remained part of the series' branding for 17 years.[22]
Chessmaster won the four-game match against Christiansen held in September 2002, by a score of 2½–1½.[23] TheChessmaster program was operated by John Merlino, the Project Manager ofChessmaster at the time of the match. Four different personalities were used in the match, the first three of which were based on famous humanGrandmasters:Alexander Alekhine,Bobby Fischer, andMikhail Botvinnik. The final game of the match used the default "Chessmaster" personality. Christiansen won the first game, lost the second and third games, and the fourth game resulted in adraw.
To date, various versions ofChessmaster have appeared on Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum,MSX, Commodore 64,IBM compatibles, Mac,Nintendo Entertainment System,Super NES,Game Boy,Game Boy Color,Game Boy Advance,Nintendo DS,Genesis (as aSega Channel exclusive),[24][25]Game Gear, PlayStation,PlayStation 2,Xbox, andmobile phones.[26]
Early Mac versionsChessmaster 3000 and4000 were developed by Sebastian Rapport and Troy Heere that leveraged the Kittinger and de Koning engines respectively.[citation needed] Later Mac versions were ported byFeral Interactive, and the latest Mac version available isChessmaster 9000. Ubisoft also offers a downloadable version of the game,Chessmaster Challenge, which differs fromChessmaster 10th Edition in its simplified interface and scaled-down tutorials.[27]
The more recent editions ofChessmaster include both 2D and 3D designs, and a large number of different boards and themed chess piece designs. The interface was revised forChessmaster 10th Edition and features animated 3D sets in which the pieces "walk" between squares and have simulated battles when a piece is taken, reminiscent ofBattle Chess or theWizard's chess set fromHarry Potter.Chessmaster 10th Edition also comes packed with a pair of red and blue glasses to view the set in "enhanced 3D".
AnXbox Live Arcade version withXbox Live multiplayer andXbox Live Vision camera support for theXbox 360 calledChessmaster Live was released on 30 January 2008, but is no longer available.[28]
The combined sales of theChessmaster series had reached 1 million copies by September 1996.[29] The series surpassed 5 million units in sales by 2002, making it the highest-selling computer chess series ever at the time.[30]
In 1989,Computer Gaming World foundChessmaster 2100's features "the clear winners" overSargon 4,[31] in 1992 reported thatChessmaster 3000 had added "a lot" to its predecessors, with new tutorial features and a variety of computer opponents making the game "a truly impressive sequel",[32]and in 1994 approved ofChessmaster 4000 Turbo's new AI "personalities" based on historical chess players.[33]4000 Turbo received a perfect 10 out of 10 score fromElectronic Entertainment.[34]
In Japan,Famitsu magazine scored the 1991 Super Famicom version of the game a 23 out of 40,[35] and the 1994 Game Boy version a 21 out of 40.[36]
Critical reaction to theChessmaster series has been mostly positive.GameSpot commented that "Chessmaster has remained the consummate standard in console chess games since the '80s."[37]IGN said that "the series itself remains the best way to play and learn about chess on the PC."[38]
Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition scored positive reviews, withPC Gamer saying: "this one-stop shop for an entire chess-playing and learning family should last until you're all grandmasters."[39]Chessmaster 10th Edition holds an 84% rating on review aggregator siteGameRankings.[40] IGN gaveChessmaster 10th Edition a score of 8.4/10, calling it "the best chess game in town."[38] GameSpot's review ofChessmaster 10th Edition said, "If you're looking for a good chess program that's packed with a plethora of features and all the bells and whistles, you'll be very happy withChessmaster 10th Edition.[41]
Themobile phone version ofChessmaster received a score of 9/10 from IGN, who called it "an absolutely superlative product that will be enjoyed for week after week by fans of the mental contest."[42] IGN criticized the Nintendo DS version ofChessmaster: The Art of Learning for its lack of multiplayer, but gave it an overall positive review, with a score of 7.8/10.[43] IGN criticized the "boring" presentation of the PlayStation Portable version ofChessmaster: The Art of Learning, but added that "there's no doubt that the information is valuable and can teach you the finer points of the game."[44]
Although theChessmaster engine is generally not as strong as the engines of other commercially available chess programs such asFritz,[45][46] critics have praised theChessmaster series for its comprehensive tutorials aimed at players of amateur and moderate skill levels. In its review ofChessmaster 9000, IGN said that "the series has always distinguished itself with first-rate chess teaching tools", and welcomed the game's "appeal towards inexperienced and mid-level players. With all manner of tutorials, detailed analysis and exercises, the game helps ease newbies into the experience."[47] GameSpot's review ofChessmaster 10th Edition commented positively on the game's "huge bundle of features aimed at everyone from the neophyte who's looking to learn the basics to the advanced wood pusher who may need practice for tournament play."[41]
A common criticism of the series has been the lack of new features in successive installments. IGN's review ofChessmaster 10th Edition commented, "it simply doesn't add enough over any of the last two versions to make it a necessary upgrade."[38]
The editors ofComputer Games Strategy Plus namedChessmaster Online the best online game of 1997.[48]
In 1994,PC Gamer UK namedChessmaster 4000 Turbo the 20th best computer game of all time, calling it the best of the series so far and accessible to all skill levels. The editors wrote, "A chess game? In the Top 50? Well, why not?"[49] In June 1994Chessmaster 4000 was a finalist forComputer Gaming World's Strategy Game of the Year award, losing toMaster of Orion The editors wrote that "Software Toolworks still has the capacity and the will to improve their best-selling chess engine".[50]
In 1997Chessmaster 5000 was a finalist forComputer Gaming World's Classic/Puzzle Game of the Year award,[51] losing toBaku Baku Animal.[52]
With the same powerful 32-bit chess engine as Mindscape's world-famous The Chessmaster 4000 for your PC [...]
Copr. 1990-1999, Mindscape, All Rights Reserved Copr. 1990 IHP Inc. AFB Sound Technology Copr. 1990 The Park Place Production Team, Licensed by Nintendo
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