Chessmaster 9000 Download
Bethany Pensis
Chessmaster 9000 is a 2002 chess video game developed and published by Ubi Soft for the Windows. It is part of the Chessmaster series. The game was announced on July 12, 2002.[8] Grandmaster Larry Christiansen played four matches against the game in September 2002.[9] He won the first match, lost the next two, and match four was a draw.[10]
Chessmaster 9000 received generally positive reviews from critics. GameSpot said that "no other product delivers the ease of use and instructional value of Chessmaster 9000."[12] IGN concluded: "In short, if you've got 8000 and can do without the in-game multiplayer modes, then you can just as easily do without 9000. If you don't own 8000 and have a love for chess, there's no reason not to own the latest version of the greatest series."[13] GameSpy said that "[...] Chessmaster 9000 is the perfect product for new players and veterans alike."[15] Computer Gaming World called the game "[a] powerful learning tool for sure, but the AI's lack of subtlety is geared more toward the already-accomplished player."[4] Macworld called it "the best chess game you can buy for the Mac".[6]
According to the September 2009 Swedish Chess Computer Association (SSDF) rating list, Chessmaster 9000 had an estimated Elo rating of 2718 on an Athlon-1200 PC.[17] If multiple versions of other engines are stripped out of this list, Chessmaster 9000 ranked 14th among all engines tested. As of May 2008[update], Chessmaster 9000 remained the most recent version rated by the SSDF.
The King engine allows users to create new playing styles, called "personalities", by manipulating several dozen different settings, such as King Safety, Pawn Weakness, Randomness, Mobility and others. Individual piece values can also be adjusted. Chessmaster 9000, for example, features over 150 different personalities ranging from International Grandmaster strength down to Stanley, a chimpanzee who, in most situations, plays completely random moves. The Stanley chimpanzee personality inspired the Stanley Random Chess Variant.[19]
The Chessmaster 2000 developers aimed to anthropomorphize the game's chess engine with a mascot character to give players the feeling of a human opponent. The "Chessmaster" character on the game's packaging and title screens was a photo of actor Will Hare costumed to look like "a person, a wizard, a chessmaster!" rather than a "black box"[20] The image became iconic, and the original photo remained part of the series' branding for 17 years.[21]
Early Macintosh versions Chessmaster 3000 and 4000 were developed by Sebastian Rapport and Troy Heere that leveraged the Kittinger and de Koning engines respectively.[citation needed] Later Macintosh versions were ported by Feral Interactive, and the latest Macintosh version available is Chessmaster 9000. Ubisoft also offers a downloadable version of the game, Chessmaster Challenge, which differs from Chessmaster 10th Edition in its simplified interface and scaled-down tutorials.[24]
Although the Chessmaster engine is generally not as strong as the engines of other commercially available chess programs such as Fritz,[42][43] critics have praised the Chessmaster series for its comprehensive tutorials aimed at players of amateur and moderate skill levels. In its review of Chessmaster 9000, IGN said that "the series has always distinguished itself with first-rate chess teaching tools", and welcomed the game's "appeal towards inexperienced and mid-level players. With all manner of tutorials, detailed analysis and exercises, the game helps ease newbies into the experience."[44] GameSpot's review of Chessmaster 10th Edition commented positively on the game's "huge bundle of features aimed at everyone from the neophyte who's looking to learn the basics to the advanced wood pusher who may need practice for tournament play."[38]
The world's best-selling chess brand invites you to master history's greatest game. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player, Chessmaster 9000 promises to improve your skills and elevate your level of play.
How to run the game on 64-bit systems: set the game to compatibility mode with Windows XP or Windows 200, then launch the game. If nothing happens - open Task Manager and look for processes chessmaster.exe and rundll32.exe. Close Chessmaster 9000 process but don't touch rundll32.exe, then try to run the game again, it must work (don't forget to close rundll32.exe process after you finish playing).
They might--if they have the right operating system to run the game. Chessmaster 9000 supports Windows 98, ME, and XP, but not Windows 95, 2000, or NT. Omitting Windows 95 support is somewhat understandable. Leaving Windows 2000 owners in the lurch, on the other hand, seems a bit miserly. That's not to say the game absolutely won't run under Windows 2000--apparently, several users have reported that the game runs fine on their Win2K systems--but the lack of official support for a fairly widespread OS is somewhat disquieting.
Chessmaster's biggest strength has always been its suite of chess lessons, tutorials, and drills aimed at novice and intermediate players. In fact, it's difficult to think of ways that aspect of the program could even be improved. For Chessmaster 9000, the most notable addition is "The Psychology of Competition," an eight-part course consisting of nearly 20 annotated games assembled by international chess champion Josh Waitzkin. Though many of the tactical and positional aspects explored in these games are dealt with elsewhere in the program, Waitzkin's engaging narration is both exciting and educational.
So what else does Chessmaster 9000 have that would make it worth buying for those who already own Chessmaster 8000? Some of Chessmaster 9000's additions seem rather trivial. For example, "true" 3D boards and pieces that can be rotated and zoomed in on have been added, but their value depends entirely on how you enjoy playing chess on a PC. For many, a simple 2D board is easier to analyze than an attractive 3D board that sometimes makes selecting the right piece a bit difficult. You can now assign yourself a rating when you create a player profile (rather than earning one by playing a set number of games against computer opponents) and then see it rise or fall with each qualifying game. A quick start mode sends you immediately into a game against a random opponent in a five-minute game using Fischer clocks, but why anyone would use it except for an occasional quick diversion is unclear.
More important for dedicated players is the improved Chessmaster chess engine and the availability of a downloadable endgame database generator. Though the game has been out for only a short while, early reports from users who've pitted it against other commercially available chess programs indicate that it's more than holding its own. But the most noteworthy test will come at the end of September 2002, when current US Chess Champion Larry Christiansen takes on Chessmaster 9000 in a four-game match. Even if Christiansen wins, it's clear that the only chess players who won't be severely challenged by Chessmaster 9000 are the ones who didn't need to improve their game in the first place.
Though there are other minor improvements, the last big change that Chessmaster 9000 makes to the series is actually a step backward: built-in multiplayer support via Chessmaster Live, which was last seen in Chessmaster 5500. This may be a case of too little, too late. There are now dozens (or perhaps hundreds) of ways to play chess for free online, and barring any future announcement of online tournaments or ladders, it's unclear how active Chessmaster Live will become--it was certainly dead during the two weeks following the game's US release. But things should hopefully pick up once the game ships in Europe, and if it becomes half as popular as the original Chessmaster Live, there should be plenty of competition to square off against soon enough.
If you're looking to pick up your first chess simulation, the decision is simple--no other product delivers the ease of use and instructional value of Chessmaster 9000. And if you own Chessmaster 8000, you might want to get Chessmaster 9000 to take your game to the next level with the new game's endgame database generator and seamless multiplayer interface.
You may get an error message "A fatal error occurred when loading the Mentor Opening Book. The application will shut down.". As found in Windows 7, this may happen when running an account other than the one in which the program was installed. So the administrator account may not show this error when running the program, but when running from a different account such as a limited user account, the error may show since a copy of the Chessmaster 9000 folder is not created in that users profile when running (only the administrator account has a copy).
Continuing the definitive series that began in 1986 with the first Software Toolworks, Inc. Chessmaster release for MS-DOS and Atari ST, Ubi Soft Entertainment takes over the development reigns with Chessmaster 9000. With more than a decade and a half of enhancements and improvements to build on, the designers have added over 60 new chess sets and boards, introduced a "blindfold chess" mode, and a new random opponent feature. International Master Josh Waitzkin, whose rise in the chess world was documented in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer, offers a new "Psychology of Competition" chess course as well.
The official Chessmaster web site offers a free downloadable "Chessmaster 9000 Endgame Database Generator" to use in conjunction with the existing Database Room features. Competition via the Internet or a LAN is available through the Chessmaster Live Room, with rated play available at the developer's website. Additional features include a new Endgame Quiz by GM Larry Evans, as well as tutorials by legendary instructor Bruce Pandolfini, GM Yasser Seirawan, Becca Martinson, and Evans.
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