Ok I am a total beginner in the computer world.  I read about chess engines.  They can even be downloaded here on this site.  Than I hear about accounts being closed due to cheating and the use of chess engines.  So my question is what is a chess engine?  I have no interest in downloading one to find out.  Thank you

To put it simply, it's a computer program that knows how to play chess.

 There's plenty of information on this site about them if you want to learn more. (how they work, what they're used for, etc.)

Thanks can you point me in a direction.

I recall reading a good article here about how chess engines work, but unfortunately I can't find it.

Basically they look at every possible move, every possible response to that move, and every possible response to the response, etc. It has some set of algorithms for evaluating positions which it learned from a human chess player that programmed it. It finds the best line though a process called minimax where it plays the move which leads to a position that has the best evaluation, and the opponent plays the move that leads to a position that has the worst (which from the opponents point of view would be best) evaluation. And it keeps looking at all of the possible variations, checking every single move, until it gets to it's maximum depth. Then it finds the end position with the best evaluation and plays the move that leads to it.

Engines are very useful for analyzing your games after they're over, because nowadays they play better than any grandmaster.

Thank you so much for the insight.  It seems to me the temptation to use before a game is over could overpowering to some.  I think I'll stick to training materials on the site.  A little bit unnerving though that computers are getting so strong and becoming so entwined in our lives.  Thanks for the help

I really agreed to the presentation made in this room can help me to further study the more profound, I think agreed with some software they can use to play chess with his neighbor was spur other players to think it hard to equate this very useful when dealing immediately if the following meetings and other local tournament was in progress a few years I can see so many chess players are very prominent in his game than some of their conclusions are not a lot to learn chess at school but through the Internet either at Chess.com. Chesshere, Chesscube and more information on the Internet chess room that they follow and is very useful.

and blah

Most people use engines in post-game analysis. They are useful because they do not miss tactics. As engines have improved--the top engines now outplay the top Grandmasters--they have implemented positional knowledge in their algorithms.

Stockfish 1.6 is a free engine that you can download from this site, and it appears to be among the top five available engines today, stronger than most commercial engines. Rybka is the strongest commercial engine, but Robbolito, allegedly a Rybka clone, is beating Rybka in many tests. Robbolito is available for free, but most chess sites eschew it because of the allegations.

When you buy a commercial engine, you buy a GUI (graphic user interface) with it. These programs have many functions: database features, instruction, ability to play against the engine at full strength or weakened, capability to create nice diagrams--most of the diagrams on my Chess Skills blog are created with the Fritz GUI--and more. When you download a free engine, such as Stockfish, you need a GUI to use it. Arena is free and has many of the features of the commercial GUIs (some users have reported that the latest Arena is buggy, but I have had minimal problems--I mainly use Arena to run engine tournaments, testing new engines).

If you like chess and are just starting out, spend the 9.99 and get Chessmaster 10 or 11 (11 might still be full price, I forget, but 10 is definitely only 9.99 on amazon.com).  Having a computer to play with whenever you want is handy.  And it can tell you where you went wrong after your games once you learn how to use it.  Plus it comes with some teaching stuff. 

Oh come on guys, it's just a tool. When Kasparov was beaten by Deep Blue, I was kind of sad but... A computer is a tool that was made by humans to help solve our problems. Let us not GIVE IT A PERSONALITY! It doesn't think, it doesn't feel, it doesn't hear, it doesn't see, IT does what we tell it to do, WORK. I just downloaded ChessDB, awesome, because i can understand it. It would be really rude of me to DEMAND a GrandMaster to sit with me for weeks and answer my questions, what would be the best move for white if bla bla bla.  I believe my job is to see the how it is a bad/good move and make an informed decision. I think that is where patterns come in, instead of memorizing variations. Like a fighter who trains with a dummy/bag.  So, I think it's just a training tool. To think anything else of a computer other than the purpose it was made for is delusional and bad for improvement.Just my two cents. I think it's fascinating.

 lol they're just tools mkay? save the trees maan recycle

You think chess engines are just a tool...

I think you are just a tool.

Just Kidding. lol