Fritz

commendations Fritz computer software

I have Fritz 20, Fritz 16, and Fritz 9. Obviously I think I get some value from it if I keep buying newer versions.

One of the things I like about the more recent versions of Fritz is they do a plausible job of playing in a more human like manner. In other words, they play weaker without just blundering away a piece every once in a while. And like games with humans, you can occasionally pull a win out of a losing position.

They also have different styles so you can play against a more positional player or a player that is good in the endgame or that tries to swindle you.

There are also database functions (but certainly not as advanced as Chessbase 26, which I also have).

Finally, the GUI can be used with other chess engines like Stockfish 17.1, Lc0, Komodo, etc. although those engines will have to be acquired separately.

As for the human like play, you can find that elsewhere on paid sites such as Chessiverse.

I do both (although I use the non-paid version of Chessiverse).

I bought many Fritz over the decades starting with Fritz 2. The best was Fritz 11 and this a long time ago.

The only useful improvement worth mentioning since then was the let's check function/LiveBook. The Live database only works with premium (which is usually 6 months) and only from the browser.

I certainly won't buy Fritz 20 or newer. Playing against artificially weakened programs makes no sense and is not fun either.

All this is a matter of opinion of course. But for me, there have been plenty of worthwhile changes since Fritz 11.

1) The ability to change the style of play of your opponent.

2) Support for more cores (nice for analyzing).

3) Updated GUI

4) Hint features

5) Uses the new Chessbase format for files

and many other changes.

As for whether playing an engine that isn't playing at its strongest, it may not be fun for you, but it apparently it is for many others. Witness the popularity of playing bots on this site and others (such as Lichess or Chessiverse).

The new Chessbase format is only annoying for the user since old CB programs, ChessAssistant and HIARCS can't read it anymore. There are no real benefits.

Support for more cores: I don't know what that means. Fritz 11 supports the UCI format so multicore is supported. It's a matter of the engine used.

Change the style of play is a matter of the engine. Usually there are UCI options for this.

Saying there are no benefits to the new file format is ludicrous. There may be no benefits to you, and even some negatives, but there certainly are benefits to the new format.

As for the style of play, is more than just changing a UCI option. The different personalities both in Fritz and on sites like Chessiverse include things like changing the opening book, which means HAVING an appropriate opening book. It is fun playing against say the Fischer personality while going against an opening book of the things he liked to play.

I'll grant you that if you have Chessbase 26 you can make those opening books. And in fact I have done so for Pia Cramling. I have also created a personality for her that plays with her style.

I'm willing to grant there aren't any benefits that would matter to you, but there IS a reason why some of us have upgraded multiple times (in my case twice now).

This is nothing new. It was already possible with Chessmaster to play against Fischer personality with his openings.

You don't need CB26. I have Fritz 19 and can create database books if I want. They are just databases in the new format.

You HAVE Fritz 19 and you are arguing about this?????? CB 26 just makes things easier. Yes it is possible to make opening books in Fritz if you have the appropriate database. And yes, there are many players who pine for the days of Chessmaster. I owned it too.