Best 5 free Chess Software

Any good programs for Mac?

Yes I am using Arena 3.5 and have frequently seen the 'not responding' or freeze problem.  Thanks to whoever mentioned that scid needs shift-ctrl-v to paste a FEN. I wonder why the designer came up with that idea. ctrl-v has been a standard paste shortcut for over half a century for virtually every computer application (even before the Atari and the Apple 2+ and the PC were invented).  Now maybe if I can figure out how to 'play against the scid engine' I will begin to like it.

I downloaded and installed scid-vs-pc.  It actually seems to like ctrl-v to paste a fen.  But I have no idea now how to get it to play after I paste a fen with white to move as a start point.  Can someone give me a step-by-step instruction list to allow me to paste a fen and then get the program to play as black and respond each time I move a piece?

Thanks

I'm not really trying to foist Arena on you, but I use Arena a lot, and I'm finding it hard to remember the last time it froze up on me. A small number of engines will crash and give the "not responding" error message, but I think that's a problem with the engines, not the GUI. I just avoid those problem engines. (Do you remember which engines give you problems?)

SCID is da best, no protest !!!

To bachofchess or anyone else who might be able to help jump-start me.

I would like to be able to:

1. Click on a startup icon that loads Scid (I get this far.)

2. Load a FEN file to memory from my website (Can do).

3. Paste the position into Scid (No problem here).

4. Load an engine so that when I move a White piece from the position, the engine will respond by moving Black (I have no idea how to make this happen. Stockfish 4 analyzes, but I do not know how to configure the engine to think for 3 seconds and move).

5. Shut down Scid so that the next time I open it, the engine will already be pre-loaded and properly configured, ready to respond to my position input and first move. (No experience, since I cannot get through step 4).

Can you help me get started by telling me how to get Scid to know I want the program to move in response to my move?

If I can get this far, I might want to pursue using Scid, even though I hate having to use ctrl-shift-v instead of ctrl-v to paste my FEN.

Thanks

In response to #145 I am now able to load Scid vs PC and load Stockfish and then use ctrl-shift-v to paste a FEN and then move and have Stockfish respond properly.

Can I configure the program so that I do not have to go through that engine load step each time I re-open the program? I would prefer to be able to open the program and paste the FEN without having to reload the engine (Scid seems to do this, but Scid vs PC does not).  Then I want Stockfish to respond to my move without hesitation.

Thanks for any help you might be able to provide.

Scid vs PC remembers my board colors when I close and reopen the program, but I have to start Stockfish each time I open the program, and although it indicates that ctrl-v loads a FEN I actually have to use ctrl-shift-v (most of the time. I have occasionally been able to use ctrl-v, which is bewildering.). After I play a game I can then load another FEN, but then I have to reload the engine.  This to me is rather bizarre and rather frustrating behavior. Is this normal, or can I reconfigure something so that the program doesn't turn the engine off after each game? 

one Click paste in Arena 3.5

press F6

It doesn't seem to me that you can get around the few mouse clicks that are required to start up Stockfish every time you want to play a game against the engine with a new FEN. I'm guessing that's because Scid vs. PC is primarily a database program, and game playing is a supplemental feature. (Myself, I don't see those few mouse clicks as a big negative, but that's just my opinion.)

Concerning the ctrl-v issue, if you read in the Help file under Keyboard shortcuts, you'll see that the keyboard shortcuts ARE case sensitive, and that control-v pastes a game from Clipbase, while control-V pastes a FEN. That's why you're forced to use ctrl-shift-v to paste a FEN.

Thank you for both of the above posts (#154 and #155).  

I agree that the few mouse clicks shouldn't be a big deal, but some of these small details can make a lot of difference to pre-teen-agers. Right now I am struggling to get them to remember to sign in, set up a board, set up a clock, fill in their algebraic notation game sheet (including time and date, and circling their name so I know who has written each game record), write the FEN string for their suspended game at 7:45, and put the chesspieces and clocks away in the 15-20 minutes that they can spend in 'chess club' between the time when their bus arrives and when they have to be in their classrooms.

Arena's one-click paste (F6) is a major breakthrough for me, and may make Arena the Mayura contender I have been dreaming of.  It looks like Arena does remember engine and play settings between games and even after the program closes.  And I'm terribly embarrased that I was so close to the trees that I couldn't see that ctrl-shift-v == ctrl-V for Scid vs PC.  It's no wonder that I am such a poor chess player and that I so often give away my queen to eight-year-olds.

I have always been impressed that so many smart people have vountarily been so helpful to me. Please stand by. I will probably be back with more questions after I look a little closer at Arena.

Thank you for this information. I could use a new practice partner. Good day!

Nice Arena.... just could not make engine vs human with engine in white!!

"Game --> Move Now!"

(Enjoy playing as Black!)

If you want human vs. engine, try Lucas Chess.  A new version was just released that has 117 different human personalities specially.  I've been playing against these personalities in long games and they do seem pretty human.  There is still the ocassional wtf move that computers sometimes make when they are "weakened" but they don't happen often and they are often the type that humans will make.  Worth a try if you are looking for that type of thing.

Otherwise, Lucas Chess is criminally overlooked by most people.  It does so many things so well it is stunning to me that more people don't talk about it and recommend it.  Give it a try.  (I'm just a fan, not in any way a part of the lucas chess project)

http://www-lucaschess.rhcloud.com/

Would that be a misdemeanor or a felony? Actually, a number of people in this thread have recommended Lucas Chess.

i like Lucas Chess, specially fics-elo and fide-elo. also played many lucas-elo in version 7 and 8.

just downloaded latest 9th version. but i dont see what i expected most!

in lucas-elo my rating would be 1700+

but the problem is that i need to play 60+ games to achieve that rating!

because lucas-elo starts at 0. each win gives max 29.  29*60 = 1740

already made 1700+ in Lucas8, now for Lucas9 i need playing another 60+ games ? for every succsive versions? 

absurd. can't imagine the developers didn't notice this simple yet important fix still now.

Lucas Chess is greeeeaaaat!

I know...I love lucas chess from playing training games. I usually play 45/45 and select a random player.   I think this best free software for playing online (fics) is babaschess (1) and arena (2).

I cant get lucas chess to do anything.