The Chessmaster Series In A Glance
Chessmaster is an online chess program owned by Ubisoft. It is still very popular these days. The software includes various tutorials by International Master Joshua Waitzkin which is available for players of all skill levels.
The series began in 1986 with the launch of The Chessmaster 2000 by Software Toolworks. It runs on computers running on platforms such as Amiga, Atari 8-bit, ZX Spectrum, Apple II, Commodore 64, DOS, and Macintosh.
In 1991, Chessmaster 3000 was launched for users of computers running on Windows 3.x. Four years later, the version for Playstation users was released. The existing edition, Chessmaster XI, was launched October 2007 for PC users and Nintendo DS platform.
Chessmaster 9000 emerged victorious against then U.S. Chess champion International Grandmaster Larry Christiansen in a four game event played in September 2002. The score was 2.5-1.5. Chessmaster was operated by John Merlino, Project Manager of the program during the match. Four varying personalities were used for the match, the initial three used famous human personalities namely Bobby Fischer, Mikhail Botvinnik, and Alexander Alekhine. The last game utilized the default name "Chessmaster." Christiansen emerged victorious in the initial game, was defeated in the next two games, and then salvaged a draw in the last game.
As of the moment, Chessmaster has run on various platforms namely Amiga, Apple IIGS, Atari 8-bit, Apple II, DOS, PC, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and in mobile phones. The latest version for Macintosh is Chessmaster 9000. Already in the works are future versions for Xbox 360 and Playstation Portable.
The latest versions of Chessmaster consist of two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs. Different varieties of boards included themed chess pieces. For Chessmaster Tenth Edition, the interface was modified in such a way that the pieces could walk between squares and included battle simulations when a piece is taken, which resembles that of Battle Chess as well as the Harry Potter chess pieces.
Past versions of Chessmaster also had three dimensional sets but there was no simulated battle. Chessmaster Tenth Edition includes a pair of blue and red glasses to see the set in "enhanced 3D." In Chessmaster XI: Grand Master Edition, you can have an option to play Single or Multi Player modes.
In the Single Player option, there is a training mode where you can compete against pre-defined opponents and evaluate your game. Likewise, there are 50 pre-defined tournaments or you can customize your own. You can even rank yourself by competing against various opponents.
In the Multi-Player mode, you can play against a friend using LAN or Internet connection. You can choose to play several games such as tournaments, ladders, or ranked tournaments.
Aside from that, this online chess program offers twelve new chess variations such as Limited Shuffle, Pocket Knight, Progressive, among others. Finally, you can play correspondence chess.
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