Using a computer to improve your chess
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What us the best way to use a computer to improve your chess playing? Ive about had it with playing those goofy characters on Chessmaster. They do not play like real people play!
With my iPad I have Shredder, tchess pro, an iPhone version of Hiarcs, and a watered down version of Fritz for iPhone. Should I play the ai at full strenghth, or should I weaken it so I am not totally mauled?
What do you do?
Stwils
Play against people.
Then use the computer to learn, and to analyze your games.
Think of the computer as the super tactics explainer. You can use the "mentor lines" window in chessmaster to point out why something you don't understand works, or doesn't work --
Yes, those chessmaster opponents are quite annoying, particularly below 1800 -- the lower the rating the less well the computer does at playing like a human of that strength. You will notice I think three personalities that play at full engine strength with very strictly limited look-ahead horizons -- Vlad, (three moves) Max (I think it's max) (two moves) and a one move that I don't recall. I think both Vlad and Max are good training partners even though they don't play human chess. They will never miss a simple opportunity to win material. They will never hang a piece or make an absurd sac. They will fall for traps that go over their move horizon and they will definitely make exploitable mistakes with the way they play their pawns.
But playing against humans of similar strength to your own or slightly better and then using the computer to point out missed opportunities is the ideal way to use an engine.
The chess engines, at full strength, are just relentless at pointing out every tactical pitfall in your play. This makes them excellent training partners in that they will show the attacking (or smothering/dominating/trip over your own feet-atrating) possibilities in positions where you had seen nothing. You will pick up valuable patterns from those maulings... but of course limit the exposure because there's only so much mauling one can take before becoming quite discouraged.
On another note -- hey Stwils... I couldn't help noticing -- You're making progess!
Oct 24, 2010
0
#4
rooperi wrote:
Play against people.
Then use the computer to learn, and to analyze your games.
Generally I agree with this but recently I've been playing lots of games against Fritz (in rated game mode so I can't take back moves, look at the openings book etc). I do this to try and weed stupid tactical mistakes out of my game. As others have pointed out, the computer will punish you for these 100% of the time, whereas a human may miss them.
Oct 24, 2010
0
#5
I haven't used Chessmaster but I've used Fritz12, Aquarium, Winboard and another free one whose name temporarily eludes me. Fritz12 is by far the best of these IMO. The Fritz engine also does a reasonable job when you emasculate it down to 1500 - 1600 level. I play it almost exclusively in its rated game mode, set to 1500ish and it reasonably approximates a rather unimaginative but tactically strong human opponent. I find the Aquarium GUI confusing and annoying