CSTAL II: Still a Monster of Originality

[fern]

I have been playing CSTAL II, a windows and improved version of the first CSTAL, a DOS program by Whittington already enormously interesting. CSTAL II does not come as the first version -a pity- with the funny face of a kind of Frankenstein creature showing in his grimaces the alternatives of the game, but is better in anything else and incredible entertaining to play.
I am sure that in any rating list made out of engines competitions CSTAL II does not appears very high, but for playing it is lot more fun than anything else.
I have been playing, lastly, lot of game against it at 40 moves/one hour and I have not been disappointed in terms of the uncorking by CSTAL of original, unexpected and many times decisive moves, including sacrifices that leave you amazed and totally surprised.
CSTAL II is not anymore produced by Oxford software, but I think the same engine has been offered by many other software houses under other names. If you do not have it, get it.

Fern

[Henk]

I have been playing CSTAL II, a windows and improved version of the first CSTAL, a DOS program by Whittington already enormously interesting. CSTAL II does not come as the first version -a pity- with the funny face of a kind of Frankenstein creature showing in his grimaces the alternatives of the game, but is better in anything else and incredible entertaining to play.
I am sure that in any rating list made out of engines competitions CSTAL II does not appears very high, but for playing it is lot more fun than anything else.
I have been playing, lastly, lot of game against it at 40 moves/one hour and I have not been disappointed in terms of the uncorking by CSTAL of original, unexpected and many times decisive moves, including sacrifices that leave you amazed and totally surprised.
CSTAL II is not anymore produced by Oxford software, but I think the same engine has been offered by many other software houses under other names. If you do not have it, get it.

Fern

I bought it's predecessor long time ago. It's called Complete Chess System. Before you can play you have to type a word from the manual. It asks type word three from paragraph four on page etc. But sometimes it counts a title as a paragraph too. I always made mistakes with counting paragraphs. I did not use it very much maybe because I could not find the user manual.

[fern]

Yes, I know and have that CCS. It is available in various sites for abandoned software and there the stuff you get does not ask nothing to start running.
Fern

[Henk]

At least the chess board and the images of the complete chess system tried to imitate wooden chessboard and pieces. Currently I'm using Arena but I don't like the chess board at all. Awful unforgiving blue color.
Looks like playing chess on the cold tiles of a kitchen floor.
There is no association with wooden chess pieces.

[fern]

Arena does have other boards, one of them looking as wood. Just search in the options.

Fern

[sicilianquake87]

The default Birch Tauari theme in Arena 3.5 is a wooden set.

[Henk]

Arena does have other boards, one of them looking as wood. Just search in the options.

Fern

Ok I did not know that.
Now I only have to look up the RGB values of light and dark wood.
I consult Yves Klein papers.

[Kyodai]

agree... chess tal II is a gem. i play it sometimes via w7.

as for arena i also use birch which is okey especially combined with some wooden squares of your own choice!

[Henk]

Ok it's options->colour scheme