Product Description

Learn from champion Josh Waitzkin: Using the principles outlined in his book The Art of Learning, Josh puts players in his shoes during some of the most riveting moments of his career.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #812 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2007-11-02
• Platform: Nintendo DS
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

Customer Reviews

Slick interface, classic chess and great training functions
I've played chess for many years and have ChessMaster and Fritz on the PC, but this version on the Nintendo is the most fun! What I really like about playing it on the DS is that you can play anywhere, e.g. sit back and relax on the sofa while playing.

The interface on CM is polished and the board and pieces are surprisingly easy on the eye for such a small board. You can create multiple profiles if several people are using the same game; Josh keeps track of your results and training progress.

In classic chess you can play against different characters, from weak opponents to ChessMaster himself (the strongest opponent - his chess rating is 1850 Elo, 160 ECF). There is also an option to play against a friend on another DS (the game can be downloaded onto the other DS). In multi-player mode you can play: Classic Chess, Progressive Chess (increasing number of moves each turn), Dark Chess (opponents pieces are invisible until they capture), Extinction Chess, Losing Chess (lose all your pieces first to win), Los Alamos Chess (6x6 board with no bishops).

This version of ChessMaster has something special added - ChessMaster: The Art of Learning. This is a set of mini-games presented by Josh Waitzkin. These mini-games are intended for training purposes but they just happen to be very addictive and lots of fun too. So, if you're licking your wounds after being defeated in a chess game, you can try some of the following training mini-games instead:-

'Shoot the Fruit'
Fork multiple fruits on a chess board with various pieces; get extra bonuses for multiple sets of fruit. This is my favourite, it's a gem.

'Minefield Chess'
Use your chess pieces to locate and defuse all the hidden mines.

'Masterpiece'
Move your chess pieces in the right order to reveal the picture.

'Chain Reaction'
Move a chess piece so that three pieces of the same kind are connected by their movement paths.

'Breaking the Lines'
Move your knight and capture all the pawns. Beware! Your knight may also be captured!

'Pawn Charge'
Advance your pawns to the other side of the board without them being captured.

Highly recommended if you like chess and want some fun on your DS.

Very good game
Coming from someone who has always found it very difficult find the "right" chess game in the past, I was hoping for the best when buying this. The problem for me has always been finding a suitable computer opponent- either they are laughable and easily beatable or grandmaster style impossible winning machines! Luckily this game gives you the option of a huge number of computer players with varying difficulties between the two extreemes, so this game has the potential to engage the best and the worst of you out there.

The game play itself is very simple- no gymicks at all - you can create a profile to make your way "up the ladder", starting low and gradually playing better and better computer opponents - or can ignor all that and just play one off "practice games" to your hearts content. Within these practice games you can undo moves, stop and review the game, and perform numerous other things that i expect most people will not use but some of you may find very useful.

Finally you can also play chess styles "mini games" that use the rules of chess in other settings - these are a throwaway extra if you like, mildly entertaining but nothing more. Another great feature is a decent chess tutorial for those of you who have bought this game but have no idea how to play! This tutorial, i imagine, would be a great way for kids to learn the basics as its laid out in a clear form and easy to follow.

In summary - a cracking game that can cater equally for the very talented and the very new to chess at the same time - great stuff.

Hit and miss
If you want to play chess on the go, then this is a pretty good option. In fact, as far as I know there's only one other chess game on the DS. However if your expecting the all-singing, all-castling Chessmaster then do be aware of significant differences...

This version does NOT have:

1 - Customisable boards/colours - this would have been so simple... The mini games have lovely looking boards and sets!
2 - White-to-move-mate-in-two puzzles... Why on Earth not? This is a significant omission! The other puzzles and games are great though, especially the oddly compulsive 'Fork the Fruit' game.
3 - Library of opening moves or historical games

It DOES have:

1 - Simple tutorials for the beginner, covering the board, pieces, moves, forks, pins etc.
2 - A bunch of puzzles and chess variants. Some are very addictive indeed. Especially the one with the knights and pawns.
3 - The ability to set up a position
4 - Rated games
5 - Multiplayer, including 'normal' chess rules, Progressive chess, Dark Chess (where your opponent's pieces are invisible), Extinction (where you have to capture all the other guy's pieces) and Los Alamos (played on a 6x6 board with ni bishops and six pawns each)

It works beautifully with the stylus, and the DS is almost made for portable chess games in this regard. However the interface is awful!

You are limited to a stark white interface, which simply looks careless, rushed and cheap. The profile screens which contain your scores are simple text on a white background, for example, and not even formatted properly.

The menu screens are cumbersome, with one large icon taking up huge amounts of screen real-estate and shortcuts to the others represented by little dots. Why not just have all the icons a reasonable size and onscreen at the same time?

The inability to change the board colour scheme is just pure laziness, especially as the puzzles contain graphics of fruit etc. Some of the mini games contain rather beatiful boards - why can't we play actual chess on them?

Poor old Josh looks rather hungover as well. His likeable, yet rather unkempt figure dominates the upper screen during tutorials, almost making you feel bad for disturbing him when he'd clearly rather be in bed with some Alka Seltzer.

There are no books of openings, which is simply silly, and the lack of standard 'Mate in Two' puzzles is unforgivable in my book. Being arrays of data they'd've been a better use of limited memory than the large animated Josh.

The game plays fine for the beginner to average player. I can't speak for real chessmasters though, since I'm a fair way from being that advanced!

Apparently Fritz is coming out on the DS at some point, but for the time being this'll do. A shame really, as there are some real missed opportunities here thanks to some awkward design and content decisions. The Chessmaster games on the PC are awesome repositories of chess lore, but this somehow feels a little 'dumbed down' in comparison, and is obviously aimed at a slightly different user base. It plays well though, in its own strange fashion (rated games seem to suddenly improve their playing regardless of the personality you're playing against), and in the absence of any other option it almost becomes a DS 'must have' by default. Almost.

I just wished they'd finished the damned thing prior to release.