Chess and computers facts for kids

Chess and computers have been linked for a long time. Even in the 1800s, Charles Babbage thought about the idea. Later, Alan Turing, a famous mathematician and codebreaker, also explored how computers could play chess. He wasn't a great chess player himself, but he helped create one of the first British computers. He's also known as one of the founders of Computer science.

There are two main types of computer chess programs. One type lets you play against the computer. The other helps you get better at chess. Sometimes, these two types can work together, even though they do different things.

How Computers Play Chess

Chess engines are special computer programs designed to play chess games. Many of these programs have been made over the years. The best ones can play at a very high level, even like a chess master! They think about the game differently than humans do. The strongest engines on fast computers have even beaten world champions like Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik. But don't worry, these programs can also be set to an easier level for beginners.

There are even competitions where different chess engines play against each other. The results are published, and there's a World Computer Chess Championship. The rules of these contests can sometimes decide which software wins. Programs are also judged on how easy they are to use.

Popular Chess Engines

Fritz

Fritz is a chess program from Germany. It was created by Frans Morsch and Mathias Feist and is published by ChessBase. It's currently one of the most popular chess programs. There's also a special version called Deep Fritz that uses multiple computer processors to think even faster. The latest versions for people to buy are Deep Fritz 12 and Fritz 12.

Shredder

Shredder is another top chess engine, also owned by ChessBase. It comes in different versions like Shredder 12, Deep Shredder 12, and Shredder Classic. It's known for being a tough opponent!

Rybka

Rybka was created by Vasik Rajlich and is a big competitor to Shredder. Rybka 4 is its most recent version.

Chess Databases

Chess databases are different from chess engines. They don't play chess games themselves. Instead, they store millions of past chess games played by masters. Think of them as huge libraries of chess history!

These databases have two parts. First, there's the software that lets you search through all the games and organize them. Second, there's the actual collection of games, which can be anywhere from one to four million games!

Players use chess databases for two main reasons. First, they can study specific chess openings to improve their skills. Second, they can look up games played by their upcoming opponents. This helps them prepare and plan their strategy before a match.

Thanks to chess databases, young players today can learn and become masters at an earlier age than ever before.

Top Chess Databases

ChessBase

ChessBase is the largest chess database and is used by many chess masters. While you can use it online, most serious players download the software and all the game data to their laptops. They then take their laptops to tournaments to help them prepare for games. Players can't use computers during a game, but a lot of preparation happens beforehand! ChessBase needs to be bought, and it can be a bit expensive.

New in Chess

This is a magazine from the Netherlands for advanced chess players. It offers a free online database called NicBase as part of its services. NicBase has over a million games.

Chessgames

Chessgames.com also has an online database of games. Some parts are free, but you need to register. To get full access to all its features, you need to pay a small fee. It has over half a million games in its database.

Playing Chess Online

There are websites where you can join (sometimes for a fee) and play chess against other people online. On these sites, you play against other members, not against a computer. Players of all skill levels can be found there. These sites also offer different types of games and tournaments. The two most popular online playing sites are:

• Internet Chess Club
• Playchess

Images for kids

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  A chess computer from the 1990s with a screen.

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  This computer chip has the name of Frans Morsch, a chess program developer.

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  A picture of the Chess game that comes with macOS computers.

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  The Boris Diplomat, a travel chess computer from 1979.

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  The Fidelity Voice Chess Challenger from 1979, the first chess computer that could talk.

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  The Milton Bradley Grandmaster (1983), the first chess computer that could move its own pieces.

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  The Novag Super Constellation (1984), known for playing chess in a way that felt more human.

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  The DGT Centaur (2019), a modern chess computer that uses the strong Stockfish engine.