Human vs. Computer

Computer chess software really came into its own in February 1996 when legendary Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov played a six-game match in Philadelphia against IBM Chess software nicknamed "Deep Blue". Although he declared his 4-2 score a "win for mankind", he also admitted that it was the most difficult tournament of his career.

IBM, sporting their next generation of chess software named "Deeper Blue" demands a rematch which in played in May of 1997 in New York. The chess software puts a whuppin on Kasparov and defeats him 3.5-2.5.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending upon your point of view, IBM didn't sell their chess software and the industry kind of went to sleep for a while. Well, it wasn't really sleeping, big things were going on behind the scenes. And that's great news for us chess software geeks!

The availability of chess software has exploded since the days of Deep Blue. Now you can run chess software on all of the popular computer operating systems including Windows, MAC, Linux, Unix, and the Palm. You have choices when it comes to the categories or functions of chess software as well.

Chess Training Software

Chess software in this category is designed to improve visualization and move calculation skills in Chess. These are basic essential skills that need to be honed in order to move from being an amature to a master.

Many chess software training titles also teach strategies for the opening middlegame and endgame so you can learn how to strategise and thwart your opponent's moves while still executing your game plan.

Peer-to-Peer Chess Software

The chess software category is simply amazing. Peer-to-peer chess software enables you to play chess against remote opponents without connecting to a chess server. You simply connect directly to each other over the Internet or via any other network connection including your home Windows LAN.

Most titles give you the opportunity to connect directly to a pre-arranged player or to find an available player through available message boards.

Peer-to-Peer software may likely become the dominant chess software in the future and replace chess servers as the preferred method of playing chess on the computer.

Chess Software Database

Chess software databases are like holding the sub total of the world's chess knowledge on your local PC. Most programs offer thousands of past grandmaster games for you to review either in text or video format. There are endless opening, middlegame, and endgame strategies. You can read annotations and some titles even have photos of the world's grandmasters.

Some chess software databases come with built-in chess software that lets you play out the games that are in the database and even allow the database to analyze your game.

Prices are low and chess software databases make a great learning and analytical tool.

Computer vs. Computer Chess Software

These chess software programs pit computers against computers using an Internet or LAN connection. They are good learning tools in some ways but you shouldn't read too much into their strategies. These chess software programs can't actually "think" like humans do. Theirs is a mathematical world where moves are calculated according to a set of formulas that allow it to determine the "best" move based upon all possible moves at the moment.

In spite of their "non-thinking" processing, chess software has evolved to become a formidable opponent even for the grandmasters.

In my opinion nothing beats a head-to-head game with a living breathing opponent who is seated a few feet away from you on the other side of a real chessboard. However, I realize that today's lifestyle does not always allow us the luxury of pre-planned leisure time and they have to pick up a game whenever and wherever we can. With that it mind, you should pick yourself up some chess software for those times when a human in he same room is not an option.

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How to improve your chess is a question that many chess players ask. There are many ways to do this. The most difficult is to study chess books. This is a very time consuming process and a chess player really has to be very dedicated to read these types of books as it can be compared to reading a math book. Using a chess computer is another way to improve chess playing strength. Taking lessons can be a good way but it can be very costly. Another good way to improve is by recording all games played and analyze them at a later time. However, you must understand chess notation to do this. Many chess players today are turning to the Internet to improve their chess. Getting results, no matter what you do, will take time and commitment.

Most people, today, play chess online in some form. There are really two ways to play online chess. One way is to play live with another opponent who is online at the same time. The other is to play an opponent who is not online at the same time. There are many sites where you can play chess online live.

However, if you really want to improve your chess the best way is to play on hybrid chess sites that offer a unique solution. Hybrid sites allow players to leave a game and come back to it at a later time without losing the game. This type of chess playing site has many benefits for a chess player that has a very active and busy lifestyle. For example, if you have children it is sometimes difficult to play a full game of chess without being interrupted. If you are playing live chess you must resign your game or lose on time. If you play on a hybrid chess site, where your opponent may or may not be online at the same time, a chess player has more control over how they want to play. For example, a player logs on and has 5 active games. The main benefit is the ability to play many chess games at one time. The chess player makes a move in one game and then moves on to the next game. After making all of their moves they notice that one of their opponents is now online. This gives the chess player an option to continue making moves in that game. They can chat and agree to make a certain number of moves before logging off or agree to finish the game that same day.

If a chess player were on a live chess site they would be limited to only playing one game at a time and would have to finish each game in a specified time limit usually between one to two hours. Also, most live sites do not store your past games and are deleted as soon as the game is over.

The hybrid sites like this site allow both live and longer time limit games to be played. On most sites like this a chess player's games are saved and can be downloaded for review at a later time. The chess player also has the option to review their games while online. Which can be great as they can review their past games while making moves in other games. Playing chess on a hybrid chess site also allows a chess player to study a game more in depth and to learn openings as they are not rushed by a clock. Chess combinations can also be improved by playing on a hybrid chess site. If you get into a position where you think there is a forced win you can log off and study the game for as long as you need providing you stay within your game time out setting.

There are many ways to improve in chess. Online chess playing offers an easy way to play, study and improve your chess. Hybrid chess sites, by far, allow a chess player the most flexibility to learn and grow their chess abilities.

Dennis Steele is the site admin for http://www.chessmaniac.com