Price seems to be too high
This game is the best chess I have played offline! Only problem is the price of this app. Iwould give it a 2/5 if I could rate the price. I hate how people rate based on price and app. There should be a separate rating scale.
Great
Good engine - good for wide variety of play levels. Offers easy board setup. My one hesitation was the ugly graphics in the screenshots, but there is a more traditional, nice looking skin you can choose. Glad I bought it.
Hard!
I had this app on Windows Mobile. I had forgotten how hard is to play because the engine is so good.
The hint button is well positioned in the main screen, although you won't win by following hints alone.
Glad to have this app now on my iPhone
The hint button is well positioned in the main screen, although you won't win by following hints alone.
Glad to have this app now on my iPhone
Happy user
If you are looking for the strongest chess engine on the iphone, this game for you. The interface is simple but effective. Higly recomended.
Strong play and ease of use. That's what real chess player want.
Strong play and ease of use. That's what real chess player want.
Love this game!
Best chess game I have played. Hints/bad moves/take backs/etc make this a very challenging app.
Very Good
Chess Genius won't teach you to play chess. Doesn't have tutorials a good desktop program like Chessmaster or Fritz does but it is a program that has enough features and depth that it can grow with you as you get better. As of Dec 2008, it's probably the best iPhone chess app.
First of all, if you're looking for internet play, you'll need to look elsewhere. There is none here. Good options are Chess With Friends for turn based and Cyber Chess for FICS and ICC servers.
Before purchasing this game, I was considering between Chess Genius, Caissa Chess and Deep Green.
Deep Green:
People raved about Deep Green's interface and it certainly looks good but it seemed too simple to me. eg. You can't see a move list, doesn't show the name of the opening. It could be fine for a casual player who doesn't want to spend $10 on an app.
Caissa Chess
Completely different from Deep Green, with a ton of features, at least on paper. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of information available online about how some of the extra features work. eg. it says there are puzzles available but some reviews said there weren't any. I was interested in the play by email feature but again, couldn't find any info from their website about how exactly this worked. Caissa's cheaper but there were also quite a number of negative reviews, reports of problems and crashes. The user interface looks less polished than either Deep Green or Chess Genius.
In the end, it seemed worth it to spend a little more on Chess Genius.
Here's what I like about Chess Genius:
- starts very quickly. if you're in the middle of a game when you quit, it'll get you right back in it, no waiting for splash screens or clicking on resume game.
- nice clean interface
- has a move list. landscape mode shows a more complete move list
- tells you the name of the opening
- many difficulty levels. i'm not an absolute beginner but the computer seems quite beatable on the easiest level and of course the hardest levels are grandmaster level.
- optional blunder alert will warn you when you make a bad move
- export your game via email
- import pgn files (only Caissa and Chess Genius have this function)
- next best move feature is really nice when you want the computer to follow a particular line of play.
Possible bug:
- next best move feature is sometimes not available in the menu. eg if you take back some moves, start playing again, you can no longer choose next best move after the computer moves.
Things that could be improved:
- separate the playing level from the time controls. eg. I can't choose to play a 1 min blitz game against an easier computer opponent
- more time control options. eg. play a 30 min game, 45 secs increment. this is useful in a two player game and also to train yourself, even if the computer opponent doesn't need or use that time.
- some kind of optional alert when a player has run out of time. there could be a one-time popup saying "White player has run out of time" but then let the game continue after that like it currently does.
- option to disable auto screen off. this is good when you need time to think and want to still see the board.
- option to show captured pieces. Could be tiny icons in the bottom right corner of the screen or bigger icons when the move list is off. or maybe show captured pieces in landscape mode where there's more space.
- an optional display of the algebraic coordinates of the chess board, maybe along the left and bottom sides of the board like Caissa Chess. this would be helpful for beginners.
- option to turn off the move list for those times when you want a super basic interface like Deep Green.
- when playing in two player mode, an option to auto-flip the board after each move.
- can't access any of the extra controls in landscape mode. it's a pity because you can see the expanded move list but can't make use of it and go backwards and forwards to review a game.
- maybe something that lists all the openings in the opening book and lets you practice them.
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Best chess game for the iPod so far!
I bought the ipod for music storage and chess. This is hands down the strongest and best chess program for the iPod so far.
Great
The recent update solved the only problem I could see with this application, that the pieces looked jagged at the edges. Also piece movement is now more definite.
Great work, I can recommend this game.
Alan
Superb!
I have every chess game so far for iPhone. This one is the best. Love it. Perfect!
Well worth it!
I was reluctant to buy this for £6 and tried out some of the cheaper apps before buying this one. I have no regrets after buying this game though.
I am by no means a chess pro but I am finding myself learning and getting better through playing. You can save games and step back and forth through the moves. The option for the tutor to let you know if it thinks you have made a bad move is very helpful too.
Great work guys. Thanks for a fantastic app. Keep up the good work.
*edit* even better since the update, thanks for the tilt option. Love this app. Great work with the updated version I could not ask for more in a chess app.
I am by no means a chess pro but I am finding myself learning and getting better through playing. You can save games and step back and forth through the moves. The option for the tutor to let you know if it thinks you have made a bad move is very helpful too.
Great work guys. Thanks for a fantastic app. Keep up the good work.
*edit* even better since the update, thanks for the tilt option. Love this app. Great work with the updated version I could not ask for more in a chess app.
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