Hello,

I'm a Mac OS X user. I've played chess as a child, and have recently taken it back up as an adult. I'm probably a "low-medium" player — Chess.com rates me as 1080 more or less.

With that as background, I've recently started trying to formally "study" chess. I've bought some books, and have found it terribly tedious — I have to have a chess board next to me (on the iPad), and it's very time consuming to interpret the notation, setup the positions, and follow the sequences. Obviously it's "possible"; just very time inefficient.

It would seem to me that an digital learning environment, in which you have the text alongside an interactive board, with moves hot-linked to actual moves on the board would be a far more efficient environment for learning.

Does anyone know if such learning tools exist, on either Mac OS X or the iPad/iPhone?

Well, the Chess Mentor feature serves that purpose pretty well.

Ok, first download the chess.com app. A new version will be coming out soon and it looks like some cool new things will be in it.

As far as an app with a book and interactive board in it you really have only two choices. E+chess and Smartchess! are both nice apps. I have them both and like them both, the books for purchase in the app / iTunes are priced comparable in price to the same as the ebook version and slightly cheaper than a "real book".

Other learning apps that you might want to check out are: Chessimo HD, tactics trainer, chess camp ( Easier checkmates), shredder (has puzzles in it also), learn chess ( has alot of puzzles), bc take (it's like chess mazes where you constantly move one of your pieces and have to capture an opponents piece on every move)

Hi Bronco70, thanks a lot. I'll check out all those resources.

Well, it seems like Smartchess! hasn't been updated for the retina display of the iPad 3. E+Chess seems pretty nice. And I'm enjoying Chessimo.

Yeah, Smartchess! just posted on their website that there are issues with the app on ipad3 with an update to fix it coming next month. If you email him and tell him the issues he may give you a book title discounted or free. He has in the past .

Good luck.

If you are on ipad 3 , i highly recommend tchess pro and Hiarcs 13. Also chessbase onlne.

My vote for e+chess as well. Bought smartchess app just to try the system, but I can't get the boar to show fully, must be something to do with new iPad display - in any case, it's intolerable.

bassosoolo wrote:

My vote for e+chess as well. Bought smartchess app just to try the system, but I can't get the boar to show fully, must be something to do with new iPad display - in any case, it's intolerable.

Do you have an ipad3? The smartchess web site says it has issues with ipad3

I do have the newest iPad. I think it's just a developer's shame not to do anything about that bug, the new iPad has been around for quite a time. Knowing that issue for 3 months and not having provided a fix feels just wrong. Nevertheless I feel iPad is a great device, and more and more chess apps are being developed. chess.com app is also quite good with its current version, though there is something yet in the wish list, for example premoves at live chess and the ability to use chess mentor via iPad app.

premoves at live chess and the ability to use chess mentor via iPad app.

Yes, that would be incredable.

Smartchess has been working on ipad display issue since the spring, working on a completely new format. Oh well

@bassosoolo

Mr. Silman responded to an email I sent asking him if he would have any more books on the e+chess app. He said the 4th edition of Reassess Your Chess would hopefully come out in 4-6 months

I received the following reply yesterday concerning the SmartChess app's compatibility with the new iPad. Hopefully we'll see the update soon.

"Hi Michael,
It is fixed. We are about to submit the new version to Apple. You will be pleased with it.

Andres D. Hortillosa
President
Smart Learning, Inc.
5444 Shoreview Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55417"

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to see the updated app.

install windows 7 buy chessbase 11 with mega database. 

This smartchess is quite a joke right now, it has already been already four weeks when user moznmar posted that the developer was about to submit that new version (with new ipad support I suppose). Unfortunately, one month feels like ages in digital era and customers will just choose apps they can trust they will be updated actively. I'm still looking forward to see smartchess developing, but so far it does not look too good. E+chess looks quite nice and already bought Silman's endgame course, although I feel there could be room for further developement, interface-wise.

I received an email from Smartchess! app developer and their app just had an update. It now works for the ipad 3 and it has a more polished look to it with new boards and pieces to choose from (just make sure you select a board or the app will not work once you come to the first diagram).

It seems like a nice update, lets hope they get some more books available