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 - 5 for a good timeI gave it five because for the platform you use it on it's great and I'm having fun. I don't think for the price you can go wrong. Not exactly a lot of different chess games out there for handhelds to compare it to. Not perfect but fun. Rating:  - Buggy Chess EngineI've been looking forward to chess game for the DS and I thought the Chessmaster game would be perfect. I started a profile and have played up through 'Kenji'. I believe the Kenji profile and beyond plays a somewhat realistic chess match, though it still has some problems. A couple key issues I've found: - The computer appears to play the same opening, no variance. Once you play a game that beats an opponent, then the same game can be played with the same results. They should have put in a simple opening book with some variance. This would make playing the same opponent last a bit longer. Using different time settings will alter AI play. - Always set a game time in rated play, there are instances where the AI will just hang and there is no way to force moves in a rated game. Here is a game I played against Kenji that caused the AI to hang: [White "Drew F."] [Black "Chessmaster (Kenji)"] [Result "1-0"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 e6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nd7 5. dxe6 fxe6 6. Nc3 c6 7. Nf3 e5 8. d3 Bd6 9. O-O Qe7 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bd2 e4 12. dxe4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 Qxe4 14. Bc3 Qe7 15. Re1 Rg8 16. e4 Nb6 17. Qb3 Qxe4?? 18. Rxe4 This was a 20 minute rated game, at this point, Kenji still had 11 minutes on his clock and he ran out of time. Something fried when Kenji blundered on move 17 and I had to wait for the time to run out, this would have been more annoying if I didn't set a time control. - There isn't a way to replay a set up position, so you are forced to set up the position again. Rating: - chessmasterChessmaster is the ideal programme for Nintendo. Comprehensive and versatile. The portability and screen clarity make it ideal for use anywhere without the need of a PC. I would recomend it to any chess player. Rating:  - Nice chess title for the Nintendo DSI actually bought my Nintendo DS Lite for this game and the Brain Age products. I have been a USCF tournament player for 20 years and at one time had a rating over 1600. My rating has declined in recent years as my available time to devote to the game has dwindled. Chessmaster on the DS is aimed mainly at beginners and casual players. While there is no choice in the board or pieces both are nice looking and easy to see. The tutorials are basic but complete. I haven't spent a lot of time on the exercises but they are fun and would undoubtedly be useful to a beginning player. I jumped right in to rated games against the highest rated opponents. One thing I noticed is the claimed ELO ratings of the players appears to be 100-200 points higher than they actually play. Also each player uses the same opening for every game. They use different ones among the players but each player has his own favorite opening. The response time of the highest rated opponents can be several minutes in untimed games. I have beaten all but the last two opponents and expect them to fall when I have more time to play with it. As other's note, the claimed 900 games are nowhere to be found. That's no real biggie as I have over a million games avaible in the Big Database for Fritz 9. I would have liked a stronger engine and faster response time. The Chessmaster personality has beaten me a couple of times but I know he's going to fall. I blame my losses partly on unfamliarity with the board and distractions while playing. Despite my criticisms I like the game. I looked at some of the dedicated handheld chess machines but this seemed like a better option. If you're not over 1500 USCF and are looking for a nice chess title for your Nintendo DS this would be a very nice addition to your game library. Rating: - Limited Features But Easy to LikeWhen I want to play a quick game of Chess, I grab my DS rather than my Dell PDA that has chess software (with many more features available). Why? The interface is easy to use, the display is bright and clear, and if I am interrupted just closing the lid QUICKLY pauses the game. As a member of the US Chess Federation, its chess ability is a limiting factor but the built-in rating system is FUN as you play pseudo-humans complete with their photos. The mini-games are helpful exercises in recognizing patterns (a big key to improving your chess). Recognizing forks, pins, and simple checkmates are the basis for a sound understanding of chess. Not so good - no separate time settings to handicap players, the game startup sequence is poorly impremented, there is no way to save a completed game to analyze later (better save it just before the checkmate!), and its of no use if you want to play another human without their having a DS with ChessMaster. But I certainly have fun with it!!
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