Chessmaster Grandmaster version

[Graham Banks]

- as I do not want to start each game manually I decided to play with TheKing engine only inside other GUIs like Arena or Shredder. I find the usage of the CM GUI very horrable....
So I forgot already most things how to use it.

regards

Many of us can relate to that!

[fern]

I concur with you. In fact CM11 is the one program I use the most with CB, BUT if it is still a great product, nevertheless is going down. It cannot be acceptable THAT IT IS less EFFICIENT and pretty than cm9000, 8000, etc.
Yes, it has a stronger engine.....

My best
Fernando

[Graham Banks]

I concur with you. In fact CM11 is the one program I use the most with CB, BUT if it is still a great product, nevertheless is going down. It cannot be acceptable THAT IT IS less EFFICIENT and pretty than cm9000, 8000, etc.
Yes, it has a stronger engine.....

My best
Fernando

I agree with you.
However most of the mass market purchasers would be fully unaware of this, so I doubt it'll hurt the commercial success of the product.
It's not really aimed at the true computer chess afficianados.

Regards, Graham.

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

I concur with you. In fact CM11 is the one program I use the most with CB, BUT if it is still a great product, nevertheless is going down. It cannot be acceptable THAT IT IS less EFFICIENT and pretty than cm9000, 8000, etc.
Yes, it has a stronger engine.....

My best
Fernando

I agree with you.
However most of the mass market purchasers would be fully unaware of this, so I doubt it'll hurt the commercial success of the product.
It's not really aimed at the true computer chess afficianados.
Regards, Graham.

You probably mean freaks

[Graham Banks]

I concur with you. In fact CM11 is the one program I use the most with CB, BUT if it is still a great product, nevertheless is going down. It cannot be acceptable THAT IT IS less EFFICIENT and pretty than cm9000, 8000, etc.
Yes, it has a stronger engine.....

My best
Fernando

I agree with you.
However most of the mass market purchasers would be fully unaware of this, so I doubt it'll hurt the commercial success of the product.
It's not really aimed at the true computer chess afficianados.
Regards, Graham.

You probably mean freaks

Yes fellow freak. That's another way of putting it.

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

I concur with you. In fact CM11 is the one program I use the most with CB, BUT if it is still a great product, nevertheless is going down. It cannot be acceptable THAT IT IS less EFFICIENT and pretty than cm9000, 8000, etc.
Yes, it has a stronger engine.....

My best
Fernando

I agree with you.
However most of the mass market purchasers would be fully unaware of this, so I doubt it'll hurt the commercial success of the product.
It's not really aimed at the true computer chess afficianados.
Regards, Graham.

You probably mean freaks

Yes fellow freak. That's another way of putting it.

Thanks,that's more like it

[JVMerlino]

Actually, I am pretty horrified, in that the worst problems (IMO) from CM10th are still present in CM11 (if not worse!).

1) The Mentor Lines window regularly drawing poorly (with one-half a line below the bottom of the window) and getting stuck if you take back a move when analyzing a game. The drawing problem is also present in the Thinking Lines window.

2) How long you have to wait when launching the program before you can actually start playing a simple game of chess. I have a fast machine, and it takes three mouse clicks (once the app starts up) and 45-60 seconds before you can make a move. Chessmaster 9000 (my favorite version, of course ) takes less than 10 seconds.

3) The new tutorials are very badly scripted. There are many cases in which Josh Waitzkin asks you "what would you play here", and then the program won't let you make a move, but instead goes straight on to Josh's explanation of the best move. There are many other very bad errors that are easily caught. True, there were many MINOR tutorial errors in CM9000, but none that were this obviously bad such that they actually reduce the quality and usefulness of the content.

4) I appreciate the ability for the new engine to use multiple CPUs or cores, but if I enable that setting (thankfully, it's off by default) there are many times in which the program (and my entire computer) will completely hang for 10-30 seconds before becoming responsive again.

The new content from IM Josh Waitzkin and GM Larry Christiansen is excellent, and is probably worth the price of admission by itself. But if I want to analyze a game or just play chess, I use CM9000. Once I'm done with the new content, I'll never launch CM GM again (just like I did with CM 10th Edition).

jm

[fern]

Chessmaster 9000 was the very best in every sense. Better -lot better- graphics, in fact an gorgeous one, things worked as it was supposed they should, etc.
I just installed again cm9000 in my Vista propelled computer, leaving cm11 for the other one, XP moved.
In Vista the graphics of cm9000n are even better.

The fact that the engine in 11 is somewhat better than the one of 9 cannot worry me less. Cm9000 engine is anyway lot better than me.
We miss you, guys...
Fernando

[JVMerlino]

I'll take the opportunity to give credit to the entire development team:

(first and foremost!) Johan de Koning -- Author of The King engine
Ben Ceschi -- 3D Programmer
Jeff Griffeath -- Art Director
Jan Sleeper -- 3D Artist
Terry Coleman -- Producer
Yours Truly -- Lead Programmer

On behalf of the entire team, we had a great time making the game, and we're glad that you enjoy it!

jm

[fern]

Those were the times... Now these greedy guys of Ubi only want to diminish costs and so they hire 15 years old chinese or hungarians kids to program a poor graphic environment plenty of bugs.
Chessmaster 9 became a classic of quality and surely many fans like me are returning to it and leaving CM11 just as the paltry vehicle of a somewhat stronger engine.
But chess, even computer chess, is about not only playing chess, but enjoying the full experience. In that respect, CM9000 is FAR superior in the same sense that, to date, Fritz is far superior to Rybka, no matter what...

BTW...
Does your wife still produce those gorgeous works of art?
Fern.