HIARCS Chess-$10 U Avin A Laff

[THE STUD]

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=327708154&mt=8

[Rozzie]

*cough* RIPOFF!!!

Rozzie

[estyst]

ripoff? why? it seems to be tweaked Glaurung GUI with HIARCS features and engine...

[badmanj]

Agree - how can this be a ripoff? Look at the engine's pedigree. If you're a good chess player this is a superb engine to play against. $10 is pretty good for something like this I think...

Me, I'm waiting for Sesame Street Chess - I fancy my chances there but nowhere else!

Jamie.

[Camzy]

This looks a good program. I've been really happy with Chess Genius so far, so I see no real need for this. I've even cheated playing online chess a few times with my ipod touch in hand inputting moves and letting the computer suggest my next move.

[jase23]

This is big-time. Hiarcs is the strongest mobile chess engine there is. If you go to the chessbase web site and click on "shop," you can see pocket fritz 3 for the pocket pc platform. pocket fritz 3 uses the Hiarcs engine. That is what a state of the art, full featured chess program looks like. If the Hiarcs for iPhone is at the level of pocket fritz 3 in terms of features, then this will be an awesome development for people who are interested in a high-level chess program for the iPhone.

There is already a fritz chess app for the iPhone, but it looks to me like it was developed in a hurry and is not at the same level in any way as a true chessbase program such as pocket fritz 3.

[badmanj]

RE the second screenshot - 'Coach thinks your last move was a mistake and recommends you take back your move'...

IF the app could try to explain to you WHY your move was a mistake then I would buy this in a heartbeat...

Anyone know if it does?!

Jamie.

[jase23]

Originally Posted by badmanj

RE the second screenshot - 'Coach thinks your last move was a mistake and recommends you take back your move'...

IF the app could try to explain to you WHY your move was a mistake then I would buy this in a heartbeat...

Anyone know if it does?!

Jamie.

It probably can't explain why, it can only prompt you with the warning when you make a bad move. However, you could just play the bad move and see what happens, and then take back all of the moves to get back to where you were before. The other thing that you may be able to do is to turn the real-time infinite analysis on, so you can watch the computer think and see what it is calculating for the next few moves ahead in terms of what are the best and most likely series of moves ahead.

Programs like this are very good at keeping track of multiple game variations, so you can play 20 moves or whatever, and then go back to move 13, for example, and start a new variation by making a different move. The various branches with different game variations can usually all be saved and viewed and changed. I can't say for sure with Hiarcs, but I will try to play it soon and confirm what you can and cannot do.

I would say that if you have any interest in playing chess on your idevice, get this game. $10 is not that much, I paid like $50 for Pocket Fritz 2 a few years ago for pocket PC, and this program looks like it may be significantly better.

[mlkaufman]

Originally Posted by jase23

It probably can't explain why, it can only prompt you with the warning when you make a bad move.

I don't know if it does, but there is no reason why it couldn't say something like:

This is a bad move because it will lead to a positional weakness.

or

This is a bad move because it will lead to a loss of your knight.

or

This move is a bad move because it allows a mate in three.


or something along that line.


Michael

[GaiaIllusion]

You mean the fact that his rook is hanging on H1? Yeah.