Does anyone know what Elo levels the various levels of play for Fritz 16 correspond to? They are just characterized by descriptive names, such as 'Club Player,' 'Hobby Player,' etc., but it would be more useful to have some sort of numerical indication. Fritz assigns players an Elo rating throughout the game, but this is absurdly inflated so it is not much help.
Generally, I find that Fritz's verbal patter during the game is not very interesting and downright irritating at times, especially when he keeps rating his position as better than it really is. He smarmy snarkiness when he's winning is also something I can do without, so I just disable the volume or turn off his side of the screen entirely.
Seriously? A trash-talking computer? Oh my goodness.
@SeniorPatzer - Fritz 16 is great for any level player. Fritz 16 is not just a chess engine, you are talking about a Software interface that will allow you to use many engines, including Stockfish. Any Chess engines analysis will be excellent for helping you find tactical errors.
Funny that someone mentioned Rybka as being better, since Fritz 16 was written by the same person that wrote Rybka and without argument Fritz 16 is newer and better.
Here is test data to prove it:
http://www.computerchess.org.uk/ccrl/4040/
Any modern computer engine is very strong. And will prove usefully for helping you analyze your games. Just remember a chess engine is a tool and not a chess coach.
An Amazon reviewer said that the learning curve for Fritz 16 is rather steep for a newbie. That's what I was concerned about. Do you think that's true?
I can't agree with that assessment. I can't say the learning curve is easier than 15, but there's definitely more user friendly options for people who want to just jump in an play and not use all the analytical features. I'd say anyone with competent reading and comprehension skills can figure it out or read the manual if they get stuck. I personally found the program easy to migrate to from Fritz 13.