Update: Offer Draw and Resign are still there (and easier to find actually), but they are exclusive to rated games. (Unrated games don't affect your profile statistics at all.) I guess that works. :)
t Chess Pro just keeps getting better..
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Yee-ha thanks for the tip Deep Greene!
I got my iTouch for Christmas and I love it. I've been working through ChessQuest problems, playing Shredder over the board and I even beat tChess blindfold on the train this morning (on easy level 3).
I am still getting the hang of things iPhone/iTouch and didn't realise I had an update waiting! I haven't tried it yet but IMHO a database feature must put tChess out in front of other Chess apps at the moment. I had been saving problems to play against the computer by setting them up on the iTouch and saving them, but I am hoping now that I will be able to set them up in a PGN and import them.
Now, I must install a Twitter app so I can keep up on future news ;-)
Absolutely great app with unbelievable support from its creator Tom Kerrigan. I had a small feature request (while setting up positions clicking again on a spot erases the piece - very handy for misplaced pieces!), not only that it's implemented in this release - he also mailed me to inform me and thanked me for the suggestion - wow - i'm stunned. Along with the other great features it is easily my favourite chess engine on the iphone.
Jan 6, 2010
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#5
Yes, for sure. When it comes to 'active development,' not to mention usability and imaginative implementation of features, it's top of the heap. Tom K rocks.
Jan 7, 2010
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#6
DeepGreene wrote:
I like the new ratings and profile-related feature as well.
maybe it's just me but does the rated strength seem a bit off ? seems considerably stronger for given elo relative to HIARCS, Shredder, etc. I'd be interested to see head to head results pairing it against them ...
Jan 7, 2010
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#7
Baznik wrote:
DeepGreene wrote:
I like the new ratings and profile-related feature as well.
maybe it's just me but does the rated strength seem a bit off ? seems considerably stronger for given elo relative to HIARCS, Shredder, etc. I'd be interested to see head to head results pairing it against them ...
I know that the programmer did solicit help (of some kind) from rated players, but I don't know the details. For what it's worth, my rating in Hiarcs is quite a bit lower than in Shredder, but I've only played one rated game against tChess so far, so I can't really say how it compares. Alas, I don't yet have a real-life OTB rating to measure these virtual estimates against. :-\
Yeah, the new version is tchess pro is amazing on so many levels. I think i can safely delete the 7-8 other chess programs and databases on my itouch and not miss them, thanks to tchess :). And yes, Tom K is the most supportive developer i've ever exchanged thoughts with to date. The last thing I'd like to see in tchess pro is a stronger engine and i'll be set (maybe even being able to see different plys).
Jan 14, 2010
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#9
Capablanca fans who use tChess should see this tweet from Kerrigan:
"Thanks for all the amazing reviews! To the customer wishing for Capablanca games, just enter http://www.tchessgame.com/capablanca.pgn :)"
I just downloaded the new version - available now in the App Store. Here's what's new:
- New "Database" feature: download and view PGN files!!
- Replaced the computer's difficulty levels with ratings: play against any Elo rating from 500 to 2500
- Replaced the Statistics feature with new "Profile" feature: play against the computer for rating points, and track your progress with the rating history feature
The new stuff looks fantastic (although I guess I'll never achieve my goal of beating Level 8 now...).
Most vital I guess is the database feature, adding a capability that until now was exclusive to Chess Genius (which hasn't seen an update in some time now). You can upload PGN from an entered Internet address, and the game includes a small Bobby Fischer database file for you to try out. You can view the PGN before loading it into the game screen as well. If you want to look at other games, there are already bookmarks to a "Gary Kasparov collection" and a "World Championship 2008" file (hosted on tchess.com) as well. Nice!
I like the new ratings and profile-related feature as well.
The one drawback I can see so far: the Resign and Offer Draw options (which were formerly very well hidden in the Statistics section of all places) now seem to have disappeared entirely. Maybe they'll make a come-back sometime soon. All in all, this seems like a small price to pay for all the new goodies. :-)