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Chessmaster facts for kids

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For a skilled chess player, see Chess title.
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Chessmaster
Chessmaster logo.png
Genres Computer chess
Developers David Kittinger
Kathe Spracklen
Dan Spracklen
Johan de Köning
Publishers The Software Toolworks (1986–1994)
Mindscape (1993–1999)
Mattel Interactive (2000)
Ubisoft (2001–2008)
Feral Interactive (OS X)
Platforms
List
Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Macintosh, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, NES, SNES, Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Xbox, Xbox 360
Original release 1986–2008

Chessmaster is a super popular chess video game series. It was first called The Chessmaster. Ubisoft owns and develops this game. It's the best-selling chess game series ever. More than five million copies were sold by 2002! The same picture of actor Will Hare was used on the game covers for many years.

Game History: A Timeline

Chessmaster 10th Edition2 edited
Chessmaster 10th Edition
  • 1986: The Chessmaster 2000 was the first game. It came out for many computers like Amiga and Apple II. This game had a special "chess engine" made by David Kittinger. A chess engine is like the computer's brain that plays chess. This first game even won a computer chess championship!
  • 1988-1990: The Fidelity Chessmaster 2100 was released for Apple II and Commodore 64.
  • 1989-1992: The Chessmaster came to game consoles. You could play it on NES, Game Boy, and SNES.
  • 1991: The Chessmaster 3000 was released. For the first time, the game could explain moves using voice!
  • 1993: The Chessmaster 4000 Turbo came out. This version let players compete against each other online or on a local network.
  • 1996: The Chessmaster 3-D was made for the PlayStation.
  • 1996-1999: New versions like Chessmaster 5000, Chessmaster 5500, Chessmaster 6000, and Chessmaster 7000 were released for Windows.
  • 1999: Chessmaster came out for Game Boy Color.
  • 2000: Chessmaster 8000 was released. It was also translated into Russian.
  • 2002: Chessmaster 9000 was a big release. It was the first Chessmaster game published by Ubisoft. It also had a French translation.
  • 2002-2004: Chessmaster became available on more devices. You could play it on Game Boy Advance, Palm OS, PlayStation 2, and even mobile phones!
  • 2004: Chessmaster 10th Edition was released for Windows and Xbox.
  • 2007: Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition (also called Chessmaster XI) came out. It had lots of lessons from real chess experts like Joshua Waitzkin. It also included fun puzzles with Raving Rabbids characters!
  • 2008: Chessmaster Live was released for Xbox 360. This version let you play chess online with others.

The Chess Engine: The King

The "brain" behind the Chessmaster games is called The King. It's a special chess engine created by Johan de Köning. This engine was first used in Chessmaster 4000. Earlier versions used engines made by David Kittinger and by Kate and Dan Spracklen.

The King engine is very strong. It can even let you create new playing styles, called "personalities." You can change settings like how safe the king is or how random the moves are. For example, Chessmaster 9000 has over 150 different personalities! One fun personality is "Stanley," a chimpanzee who makes mostly random moves.

Game Character and Branding

When Chessmaster 2000 was made, the creators wanted the game to feel like you were playing against a real person. So, they created the "Chessmaster" character. This character was a photo of actor Will Hare. He dressed up like a "wizard, a chessmaster!" This picture became very famous. It was used on the game boxes for 17 years!

Cool Games Played by Chessmaster

  • Larry Christiansen vs. Chessmaster 9000 (September 2002):

Chessmaster played a four-game match against a real chess expert, Larry Christiansen. Chessmaster won the match 2½ to 1½! The computer used different "personalities" for each game. These personalities were based on famous human chess champions. Larry Christiansen won the first game, but Chessmaster won the next two. The last game was a draw.

Where You Can Play Chessmaster

Chessmaster Nintendo DS
A Chessmaster: The Art of Learning cartridge for Nintendo DS

Over the years, Chessmaster has been available on many different game systems and computers. These include:

Newer Chessmaster games have both 2D (flat) and 3D (realistic) graphics. They also have many different chess boards and cool chess piece designs. In Chessmaster 10th Edition, the 3D pieces even "walk" between squares! They can also have animated battles when one piece captures another. It's a bit like the Wizard's Chess from Harry Potter! This version even came with special red and blue glasses for an "enhanced 3D" view.

An online version called Chessmaster Live was released for Xbox 360. You could play against other people using Xbox Live.

See also

  • Computer chess
  • List of chess software
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Chessmaster Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.