Junior 10 - World Champion Chess Software with ChessCentral Bonus! Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)ABOUT THE ENGINE
First this engine was in 2006, Computer World Champion.

In 2006, Junior and Fritz had a Macth, Junior won, but were the deep version. (Deep fritz and Deep junior). So i can infere that the single version, Junior 10 should be stronger than Fritz 10.

ABOUT THE BOOK.
Fritz 10's book is bigger, but not to ahead, there are some lines that even Fritz did not considered.

Style playing.
Junior has its own special search techniques and evaluation funtions, which it different to any other chess programs.

Junior dares to find a dinamics manoeuvres, to archieve tactical hints and even sacrifices material for a direct king atack, if you like to surprice your foes, this engine could help a lot. Even Kasparov was shock by this software.

The only bad thing about this product.
The engine is great, but the interface is bad, buying this product you have junior 10 with fritz 9 console, so what means, there are some aplications will not run, like new chessbase DVD's.
First, the weakness of junior is bliz, a macth in my computer agains Fritz, alway lose, but games with more time, Junior done better results, WHY? Because Junior's algorithm, required more time, because, Junior try to find, a iniciative lines, with tactical drawback.

In the computer world Junior has a style a human player like as Alekhine, Tal and Shirov style.

[...]My recomedation, if you like to make a chess opening lab, Junior is for u, but if you have or will have Chessbase DVD, just for the interface, buy Fritz. Junior requires time to consolidates his lines.

I hope my review was helpful

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Product Description:
With Junior 10 you get the new stronger engine, the most recent, further developed version. But it is not just the engine that is fully up-to-date. With Junior 10 you get the latest Fritz user interface which has delighted fans all over the world. You get the latest training functions for the opening, middle and endgame; new photo-realistic 3D boards in custom-designed silver and surreal hot-air balloons. It includes twelve months of free access to Playchess.com, the world fastest-growing chess server. And you get the latest Junior tournament book, developed by GM Boris Alterman, as well as a database of 500,000 high-quality games. You're going to love Junior and its tremendous attacking style. Junior 10 reaches a new level of computer chess. It has a deep understanding of initiative and attacking chances and likes to sacrifice material more than any other existing chess program. Many of the world's strongest players already use Junior as their analytical partner, and is considered one of the most reliable tactical programs around.

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Better Chess Now! - Chess on DVD Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Very good product. It serves to learn chess either at a begginer or an advanced player. I am a begginer at chess, but a friend of mine who has been in the game for more than 20 years found the program excellent. It is also very useful to have a good time playing chess against the computer which has been the only way I have used it. I would rate it 5 stars.

F. Acevedo

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Product Description:
20/20 Calculation - It's a common problem. You plunge into a maze of variations, lose your way, see your time disappearing, then choose the first move that comes into your head - a recipe for disaster! There's got to be a better way - and Danny King is here to let you into the secrets of 20:20 calculation, helping you to cut through the fog and home in on what's crucial. Attack with Confidence - We all enjoy an attack against the enemy king. However, at this moment a dangerous feeling of invincibility creeps over us. Here, Danny King helps you to build up an attack from a sound basis and spotlight the vital weaknesses around your opponent's king.Positional Inspiration - Does you mind go foggy when there is no clear method of attack? Do your games too often consist of a beginning, a muddle and an end? Then this is the video for you. A better understanding of positional chess will immediately improve your game, and bring you greater creative satisfaction. Endings - The Essentials - If there is one phase of the game which separates the professional from the amateur, it is the endgame. For the vast majority of players going into an ending is just casino chess - now you can load the odds in your favor! These are the essential endings you will actually reach in your own games, where Danny King's tips will make all the difference

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Fritz 10 Chess (DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)The best part of this program is the "Visualize Search" option.During Infinite Analysis (ALT-F2) it uses graphics to display not only tactical manoeuvres, but also possible plans for both sides.

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Product Description:
Fritz 10 Chess Software for PC, the program that for many years now has fascinated the chess world. Whether it was the match against World Champion Vladimir Kramnik in Bahrain in 2002, or against Garry Kasparov in New York in 2003, or the revenge match against World Champion Kramnik in the National Art Gallery in Bonn, Germany, in 2006, the pitting of wits of the strongest players on the planet against the world's finest chess playing program has generated unprecedented media attention and fired the imagination of people from all walks of life. Man vs Machine has become one of the great themes of our time.Don't be afraid! Fritz has a different side to its personality. The program will help you along during the game, with numerous sophisticated coaching functions, adjusting its playing strength to exactly match that of any opponent. It graphically displays threats and plans, and provides full opening statistics. For beginners Fritz will explains moves and positions, or warn you of dangers and of errors you are committing. It has instructive training modules and amusing handicap levels. For club and tournament players Fritz has long become a trusted friend and indispensable advisor, helping them to study their games and find new opening ideas for their next tournaments. A database with more than a million games provides the basis for state-of-the-art analysis. Even Garry Kasparov has used Fritz on a regular basis.

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Garry Kasparov Teaches Chess 1: Opening Strategies, The Queen's Gambit (DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)I enjoyed watching Kasparov discuss the Queen's Gambit with such brilliance, and I agree with other reviewers who say that he comes across as down-to-earh. There is no question about his passion for the game, and any chess player will enjoy the commentary of this legendary grandmaster. I give it four stars because a better production was actually possible. In fact, with a bit of focus and organization, this DVD could have been a valuable instructional tool. The problem is that Kasparov goes on many tangents, and while this is occasionally unavoidable when discussing variations, it can become tedious. It's not a matter of his English, either--he expresses himself well. Overall, I couldn't help but get the impression that this was filmed haphazardly--that is, he probably just sat down and began discussing the opening any which way. What was needed was the careful selection of themes within the framework of the lecture; the DVD could have been divided into crucial minilessons that retained focus instead of random observations with loose-fitting titles. If the aim was to teach, then the approach needs modification. I'm a decent player with club and some tournament experience. I followed him as best as I could, but I can see a beginner being easily overwhelmed and quickly losing interest. As a fan, it's a pleasure to watch him discuss the game; as a life-long student of chess, I expect more.

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Product Description:
Powered by FRITZ, the world's number 1 ranked computer chess software This all-new and absolutely unique interactive video features the greatest chess player of all time, Garry Kasparov and the world's most sophisticated chess program, FRITZ. For the first time, Garry Kasparov explains to chess enthusiasts why the Queen's Gambit is one of the most important openings in chess, and what the ideas behind this opening are. He does this using the Fritz Chess Media System, which displays all his actions fully synchronized on the chessboard, including colored arrows, highlighted squares and alternate continuations. The full range of concepts covered in this interactive instructional video, from main ideas to detailed specifics of the opening, makes this an ideal tool for all players, from beginners to the pros.Follow Garry Kasparov explaining the history of the Queen's Gambit from the beginnings through it's current use by Grandmasters.Included is the famous Fritz deep analysis engine, a large game database and a comprehensive opening book.Comprehensive Opening Book with statistics on every continuation100,000 games database includes all relevant Queen's Gambit gamesFully adjustable appearance of chessboard, video, analysis table and other features No additional software requiredFully compatible and executable in Fritz 8 or higher

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Chessmaster 9000 Review

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(More customer reviews)I've played Chessmaster since the 3000 version, which was DOS based and actually my favorite before Chessmaster 9000. I've also played the latest Chessmaster 10 but didn't like it. I prefer to play computer chess in 2D, and I didn't see a selection of boards to choose from the way I can in Chessmaster 9000. Also, I consider 9000's interface to be superior to Chessmaster 10, and featurewise you've got everything you need in 9000, including tutorials and a readily accessible openning book library to reference as you play. There's also a database of thousands of games you can easily query if you enjoy studying the games of the great masters. You can also create custom opponents, but you really shouldn't need to because there are dozens of pre-made ones to choose from, from total patzers to the mighty Chessmaster, himself. Also, the game isn't a hog that requires a powerhouse computer to play on. I play it ona Pentium 3, 700MHZ, with 256MB RAM no problem. Last but not least, there's the price. You can't go wrong at 10 bucks for this great game that's the best of it's series.

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Product Description:
Chessmaster 9000 places you where you must master one of history's great challenges -- the age-old game of chess! Avoid common mistakes with Blunder AlertSpeed up the action in Speed Chess modeYou are invited to test your brain by mastering history's greatest game!

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Big Bang Board Games (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)When the Deluxe Board Games was the best there could be, the Big Bang Board Games! It uses the iChat application to play 7 (I think) fantastic games. With the click of a button you can send your "game key" to anyone on your buddy list. Even if your friend dosen't have it, you can send the whole game to him/her with the click of another button. The games are great and the interface is amazing. The backround music is very pretty. Overall, this game is completely worth it.

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Product Description:
Finally, a suite of board games made just for the Mac! Checkers, Reversi, Mancalla, Backgammon, 4-In-A-Row, Tic-Tac-Toe and the Apple Design Award Winning Big Bang Chess are all included in this collection. Play solo against the computer, with a friend via iChat or email, or make new friends on the GameSmith game matching service. These OS X-only games integrate seamlessly with your iTunes, Address Book, iChat Buddy Lists and other Apple technologies. Fun and beautiful board games, made for the Mac, and made for you!

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Chessmaster Review

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(More customer reviews)Chessmaster for the GBA is a better choice for real enthusiasts
than Virtual Kasparov.It was released several months later, and its obvious than Kasparov and its obvious that this game fixed some of the shortcomings.
Some very important features this game includes:
A true save feature instead of Kasparov's antiquated password system.
Ability to undo moves.Helpful for when you want to experiment strategies or simply make a silly mistake.
150 classic matches from real masters.its takes a few seconds to load, but gives a fantastic lesson in strategy as a game actually unfolds.
Ability to choose different pieces.A bunch of them are useless (like dog theme pieces) but several are excellent to play with and give nice options.
Tutorials on moves, strategies and notation.I find the notation tutorial to be especailly helpful for players who want to learn more detailed strategies from books and other sources.Great job including this!
I do agree with some of the other comments ofr this game..the difficulty is a bit high for novice players or children who aren't the next Bobby Fischer, but for enthusiasts who want a chess challenge at thier fingertips this is great.There isalso a comment that selecting pieces takes several clicks to register.I never encountered this problem, the game plays just fine.

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Product Description:
Chessmaster is a good introduction to the rules of chess, as wellas a useful tool for experienced players looking to improve their games. Asplayers continue, they'll learn more advanced strategies and tactics while theirskill levels increase. The game also features a tutorial mode to acclimate newchess players to the basics of the game; 150 famous recorded games; sixopponents; 10 chess sets; scalable gameplay for chess players of all skilllevels; and a two-player mode via the Game Boy Advance link cable.

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Clubhouse Games Review

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(More customer reviews)Clubhouse games rock!

Many of the games are available at the start, others you have to "unlock" for later.

Three modes of gameplay are available:
"Free play": Play any game you have unlocked/play available games.
"Stamp mode": Clear all the games in order (yes, each game, but you get stamps when you lose, so you're not stuck on darts or whatever forever!) one stamp for third place or lower, two for second, three for first; three stamps and you can move on to the next game..a great way to familierize yourself with all the games, plus it's the only way to unlock certain games
and finally,
"Mission mode": Clear specific challenges to move on: Make X number of strikes in bowling, for example.

Some games are great, others stink, ditto to the music, but that's not we are here..

There are only a few games available at the start as I previously mentioned:
*Basic Card Games*
old maid
spit (speed or war)
I doubt it (Cheat!)
Sevens
Memory (yes, memory!)
Pig

*Intermediate Card Games
Blackjack
hearts
president
rummy
seven bridge
last card
last card plus

*Advanced Card Games*
five card draw
texas hold'em
nap
spades
contract bridge

*Basic board games*
chinese checkers
checkers
dots and boxes
hasami shogi
turncoat
connect five
grid attack

*Advanced card games*
Backgammon chess
*three others to be unlocked:
shogi
field tactics
ludo

*Soda shake
dominoes
Koi-koi
*unlockable game
word balloon

*Action games*
bowling
darts
billiards
balence("Jenga")
takeover

*Single-player games*
Solitaire(Klondike/draw three, go thru deck once; standard/draw 3,6,or infinate, go thru deck infinate)
Escape
Majongg Solitaire(lots of different ways to play)

Whenever there is unlockables, simply touch the grayed-out icon to find out what you have to do to unlock it! There are even unlockables in the choose able icons and picto-chat features!

I love the instructions for most of the games! Anytime during a game, you can pull up a help window which will teach you the intricacies of a given game.

Now, this package isn't without stinkers:
In Texas Hold'Em you can't go "all in" or even "raise a bet"
in billiards and darts there is no actual ball physics, etc
however, there is a robust mode of solitaire(both "Klondike" (draw three) and "draw one". Most solitaire games don't have this, and I HATE "draw three!") and majongg which are two of my favorite single-player games and I wasted hours late last night trying them out. The instructions to refresh my memory of majongg were flawless, complete with icons to help!

The computer AI is great, especially in chess and checkers! How many of us have played online or with an electronic hand held game, where you'd play a game against the computer and end up in a "cat" game? (Where no one wins or loses, and no one can move on)? or in chess, where the AI is stupid, and cheats? This one didn't! It "thought out" moves, it made jumps or moves when I wasn't looking, it even won sometimes, though so did I!

While the package isn't without it's duds it does have perks like redesigned/renamed versions of Battleship, Stratego, Trouble, etc(most you have to unlock), and Hanafuda, the card game that Nintendo was famous for before they got into video games in the 1800's!

You can download all games(that you have unlocked) to another ds to let someone try them out, and many games can be played online through Nintendo's wifi service, or a robust single-card and multi-card download play!

This is a great package overall, but some of the games could have been tweaked a bit more. I have Telegame's versions of "Ultimatecard games" and "ultimate pocket games" for the gba which has better renditions of poker and other games then this game, and I'll be picking up their ds versions; but for everyone who has ever played solitaire on their calculator or hearts and poker on the computer, this game is a must-buy, especially if you have friends online. You can "picto-chat"chat with your friends or use generic phrases like "good job" and "one more game?" with random match-ups.

I'm glad I spent the money for this game, and while not all forty-plus games are available at the start, it's fun to try to unlock them all.
This game deserves a solid 8 or 9 out of 10!
Go buy it, and I'll see you online!

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Product Description:
Clubhouse Games DS

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