Ridiculous
The idea behind the app is exceptional. But the bot is far too high rated. I’m not going to learn anything when I’m too busy fighting for my life as the bot slowly and methodically destroys me. Absolutely unplayable unless you enjoy suffering repeated embarrassing losses
Lacking
It’s a good idea but the chess ai has no difficulty settings and will likely destroy you everytime if you’re even at the level where you need to train your visualization and blindfolded skills
Use for practice
This app is not ‘training’ where you are trained or ‘shown’ how to play chess blindfolded. It’s an app that allows you ‘practice’ playing chess blindfolded.
There’s a difference…
When you know how to do something you can improve your skill through practice.
Amateurs practice until they get it right and professionals practice until they never get it wrong.
If you have no idea how to go about learning how to play blindfolded then this is not the best way to learn; it’s ok to practice if you already have an idea about chess notation and visualisation and memory techniques but on its own I think ‘beginners’ will struggle.
There’s a difference…
When you know how to do something you can improve your skill through practice.
Amateurs practice until they get it right and professionals practice until they never get it wrong.
If you have no idea how to go about learning how to play blindfolded then this is not the best way to learn; it’s ok to practice if you already have an idea about chess notation and visualisation and memory techniques but on its own I think ‘beginners’ will struggle.
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No easy setting
Computer is too hard
Good but no player difficulty levels
Good how it forces you to play empty board eventually, it's really hard. I only wish I could tweak difficulty of the computer to be easier as well to reach more positions, now it's mostly him over me esp with my blindness which isnt very rewarding ;).
No variety - no settings
If you are an accomplished chess player, which you probably are or else you wouldn’t even consider playing blindfold chess, this is NOT the program for you. The chess engine plays the same opening EVERY time with ZERO variation. For example, as Black, it will always play Petroff’s Defense (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nf6). As White, it will begin EVERY game with Nf3. Every game! The only setting seems to be the option to turn the sound on or off. The internal chess engine seems to play a decent game of chess but I didn’t test it out much as I got bored playing the same opening moves, over and over again. There is no option to control the level at which the engine plays. The lack of variety makes this completely acceptable, in my opinion. Good idea but poorly implemented. I will probably delete it.
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Good idea but...
Good idea and could be great with a few tweaks.
Needs updating to prevent the 'this will make your iPad run slow' message.
It could also benefit from a text only display of the game score.
Needs updating to prevent the 'this will make your iPad run slow' message.
It could also benefit from a text only display of the game score.
Not possible to play black with this app
This app works fine if you are happy playing the computer as white. If you choose black, it turns the board around, but you continue to be white. Otherwise a good app
Good app
Interface easy to use - should help to learn blindfold play
Improve chess visualisation
Found this app through a web blog.
Simple interface, has several difficulty levels which begin with removing colours before removing piece identity and finally the pieces themselves.
I'm currently attempting to learn blindfold Chess and I don't see any reason why this app can't help me to achieve that aim.
Simple interface, has several difficulty levels which begin with removing colours before removing piece identity and finally the pieces themselves.
I'm currently attempting to learn blindfold Chess and I don't see any reason why this app can't help me to achieve that aim.
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Seems ideal
I bought this a week ago or so, and during that time I certainly cannot have become adept at blind chess. However, the app works as described with no flaws, and it seems ideally suited to acquiring the ability to visualize the game without helps. Learning to see the pieces in the mind's eye without helps is probably key to learning the game as a whole. ...... I think that in the long run, the real 'blind chess' one should play isn't just sans pieces but sans board. Now that would be one interesting app to program! But it could be done easily enough. Just list moves, with no board. Present. A-H and 1-8 would be needed as input buttons, and a board flash button. Also, please consider making it possible to set up a position.
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Great app but needs some work - PLEASE!
This is a wonderful little app, we love it. However, a few features of ChessWise should be adapted: 1) variable engine strength 2) save/load PGN 3) email game (maybe even auto-email so I could get my daughter's games automatically, like on ICC :-))
Can you work on it a little bit more please?
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Update 2/9/13:
Now the engine strength can be set, which is great and it deserves five stars.
Can I suggest two more features (on top of email/save pgn) that would be easy to program: Count the number of flashes and the number of illegal moves. These would provide good feedback on one's progress.
Can you work on it a little bit more please?
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Update 2/9/13:
Now the engine strength can be set, which is great and it deserves five stars.
Can I suggest two more features (on top of email/save pgn) that would be easy to program: Count the number of flashes and the number of illegal moves. These would provide good feedback on one's progress.
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Review
Very good app for blind chess with board. Could there be option to play without board please, entering moves by algebraic notation? It is a good exercise to try to visualize game without seeing the board.
Blind Chess Pro
Fantastic update!
Really helps your confidence you can change levels!
App works flawlessly, and is really helping me to get better at both blind chess and normal chess.
Keep up the great work!
Really helps your confidence you can change levels!
App works flawlessly, and is really helping me to get better at both blind chess and normal chess.
Keep up the great work!
Great start!
It does what it says it does, and that is to get you into the blind mode of playing chess. That said, I would like to also echo the ability to vary levels (but this is second to) email via pgn format. I don't care about the flashing although I just discovered that if you turn the iPhone or iTouch horizontally, you will see the board. I didn't understand immediately why the pieces were the same color, but after the 6th move, I realized it. Then the other training sessions just made me laugh, I am not playing checkers! and finally, blind chess! is just a killer! Great job and I would love to see more improvements. However, I wouldn't let these cries for upgrades to stop anyone from buying as it really will help you concentrate harder, and that's the point right?
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Good trainer
This is a good way to coax yourself into blindfold chess. I like the step by step approach. My only wish is that you could somehow query the board when you get lost. Maybe a 'show piece' or even entire board to get you going again. Otherwise I love it. Just needs a tiny tweak in an update please.
Great entry application but needs some extra features
Great aps. I like the different levels you can do for blind chess training. However it needs extra features. E.g. After a game you should be able to email the game moves for further analysis. Maybe in PGN notation.
Also it needs to balance the computer playing strengths the way shredder does so you get challenge every time by winning a few and loosing a few.
Also it needs to balance the computer playing strengths the way shredder does so you get challenge every time by winning a few and loosing a few.
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Limited
No option to "flash" the pieces or get a correction for errors made in the game! How does the developer expect the user to improve without ongoing support? Also no info or help section. This app needs some work!!!!
