Review of Hiarcs Chess Explorer

[tomgdrums]

I am late to the party as I just purchased HCE earlier this week.

However my initial impressions are VERY favorable.

Hiarcs Chess Explorer is very close to being THE one stop database/analysis/playing GUI for me.

Pros:

Ease of Use
Switching Engines! The only GUI that is easier to use than the Shredder GUI with regards to switching engines.
The database and opening books management, filtering and integration is awesome! I mean awesome!
Looks nice!
Engine configuration is also easy.
Entering comments is at least as easy as Fritz or Shredder GUIs
And yes all other engines work really well in the GUI!


Cons: (or features still needed):

The Hiarcs engine seems sluggish to start analyzing (might be my computer!!) Once it starts it is cool. Is not sluggish in other GUIs

Material Search. Material Search. And I might be a lone wolf on this matter but I really use this a lot in CHessbase to find training positions for myself. For me it is even more important than position search. And the Chessbase feature of defining pawn formations within material search is also VERY COOL!

Would like a little more independence in the board sizing...

And finally...(and I might be the only one) a way to see ONLY the engine's evaluation and not the move. I use that when training as well.


I am pretty confident that HCE is going to be my go to GUI (with Chessbase for material search for now...)


(and I also posted this on the Hiarcs forum)

[fern]

The ply number of the search is what i have found missing, but in just a detail...

Fern

[Mithu]

Thanks Tom.
I will be ordering it very soon... I hope we get to see Engine-Vs-Engine matches and DGT support soon. At least a promise from the hiarcs team that we will get it in this version series!

BTW Tom, Did the board sounds appear nice and neat?

Also some nice guy had made good videos too and my mouth was drooling when I saw the effortless way he was moving between the GUI functions in tabbed mode.
Speaking of the tabbed view, I wonder why no one mentioned it as a USP - feature as its the first time I see it in a GUI (in SCID it is only seen in the Database lists' view).

[tomgdrums]

Thanks Tom.
I will be ordering it very soon... I hope we get to see Engine-Vs-Engine matches and DGT support soon. At least a promise from the hiarcs team that we will get it in this version series!

BTW Tom, Did the board sounds appear nice and neat?

Also some nice guy had made good videos too and my mouth was drooling when I saw the effortless way he was moving between the GUI functions in tabbed mode.
Speaking of the tabbed view, I wonder why no one mentioned it as a USP - feature as its the first time I see it in a GUI (in SCID it is only seen in the Database lists' view).

Yeah the database management is super easy and I think it is going to be a useful tool for prep. and analysis.

Regarding sounds: I don't know as I usually have the sound on my computer turned off unless I am watching a movie or listening to music.

[Peter Skinner]

For me, the one thing missing from the GUI is the ability to play online at places like FICS/ICC.

Peter

[tomgdrums]

For me, the one thing missing from the GUI is the ability to play online at places like FICS/ICC.

Peter

I know a lot of people have asked for that as well.

I just Babasfish for that or the Dasher interface for ICC.

I don't mind having my internet play be in a separate GUI.

[hgm]

Switching Engines! The only GUI that is easier to use than the Shredder GUI with regards to switching engines.

Winboard is easier for switching engines than Shredder, right? You just click them from a main menu.