User Reviews (1 - 11 of 21)

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Toooooooooo gooooooooood !

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 87 / 95
Date: November 23, 1999
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game for my dad a week back. I myself loved it a lot. I have seen the earlier versions of chessmaster also. The interface has been highly improved to make it all the more easy and friendly. I found that I can learn a lot from the way the chessmaster plays. U can make the system play like Anand, Kasparov, Spassky or whomever U want. I found the tutorials very interesting and the puzzle of the day is also a nice idea. Bottomline - a product worth buying for all those chess-fanatics out there.

Great for program no matter how good or bad your are.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 23
Date: December 20, 1999
Author: Amazon User

Really nicely layed out and easy to use. The tutorial section is actually very helpful, and I'm finally beating my Dad more often as a result. I thought about getting him this program, but opted not to for that reason. Many different computer "characters" with different styles you can play against. You'll see a noticeable improvement in your play very quickly!

very helpful

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: January 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm not sure how this compares to other computer chess programs, but it sure beats my old electronic board. I could spend forever in the Game Room playing various openings and using the analysis function.

A few quibbles: it crashed on me a few times (download the patch!); some of the lessons include too many steps, and you can't save in the middle; the 3-D boards are impractical and wear out their welcome fast.

Even better than 6000

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: February 04, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Continuing from the wonderful Chessmaster 6000, this version has some good new features. There's a couple more voice-annotated games from IM Josh Waitzkin, and there's a much better variety of computer personalities on offer.

The teaching facilities have been vastly expanded, with speed drills, puzzles, and extra coaching from Bruce Pandolfini. Children will also have much more fun than with 6000, because of the new "Kids Room" and the colourful layouts.

My only problem with this software is cosmetic...I liked the black background of 6000, but I couldn't see a way to get that back. But I still think it's a worthy successor to 6000.

A great program even for the total beginner

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 36 / 36
Date: March 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Without having a lot of experience with either 'real life' chess or chess programs,I still can say that this is a great choice for anyone interested in getting started and learning the game - even if you've never played chess in your life.

The beginner tutorials walk you through everything you need to know about the basics, and it's worth noting that they have a very good kid's program as part of the package.

Especially helpful is the ability to choose what kind of 'personality' you are playing against. This lets you build up your skills and confidence without getting crushed by a grandmaster every time - the first personality I played against was a beginner too. But it's a good program for the seasoned player as well: my dad, a real pro, was well challenged by the high-rated personalities.

The only drawback are some of the other features like the library, as it's hard to figure out how to view classic games. But for basic learning this program is a winner.

Excellent for players at any level

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 39 / 41
Date: April 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I am somewhat of a chess nut and I have owned the most recent version of Chessmaster since its inception. Chessmaster 7000 is an excellent chess partner/teacher for players of any level. It is versatile and can provide opponents that will challenge but not overwhelm players at skill levels from beginner to master.

The tutorials for beginners and children are particularly good. There are a number of exercises for intermediate players, but the real value is Chessmaster's ability to analyze games and recommend moves. The opening book database is vast and the database of games of Grand Masters is very useful, especially for intermediate and advanced players who want to improve their games.

Chessmaster 7000 is not the strongest chess program available, but it will beat 99.9% of players and it cannot be matched for versatility and teaching.

If you are not an international grand master and you are looking for a good chess partner or teacher, you can't go wrong with Chessmaster.

Excellent Chess Program

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: May 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is by far the best Chessmaster program (by sheer ability if not design). Be advised that the product update from Mindscape is bugged and I've had to reinstall the program WITHOUT the update because when the update was installed it constantly crashed. Either way, if you need a good chess partner that flexible and can even teach you a few things, you can't go wrong with this program.

A Great Bargain For Serious And Casual Players

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 12
Date: May 18, 2000
Author: Amazon User

After reading (and largely agreeing with) the other positive reviews, I wanted only to add two points that were important to me (I am a Class A USCF player): 1) CM7000's continuing inability to seriously analyse a game (for example, that game you played at the club last night)still is a MAJOR drawback. Annotation consists of more than just identifying the opening and repeating the moves! Try Fritz6 if you like strong and easy-to-use analysis features. 2) Although there is really a lot of unnecessary "eye candy," CM7000's chess engine has been rated in the 2500+ category (and you can adjust that strength downward) and will challenge and humble you.

Very User-friendly Menus

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 16
Date: June 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Chess is a very beautiful game and it's my inner 'world-model'.It's ancient origins and how it survives throughout our history is enough to speak that chess is indeed a many splendoured thing.I love this game!

ChessMaster7000 has by far,of all chess software I've seen,it has the most user-friendly and intuitive interface.It has a strong engine too.Though I heard that Fritz6 has a stronger engine.But Fritz6 has very poor User-interface compared to CM7000.I told myself,"okey,I'll beat ChessMaster7000 first then I go to Fritz6 after that happens!".But I doubt if I could ever do that within this year!CM7000 is very strong player.Again,I like the menus and stuff UI.Good to anyone who wants to become NM,IM etc.CM7000 is a well-balanced product which considers the customer's needs and intuitive ease-of-use.Fritz6 on the other hand has this constant 'busy' mouse cursor every move and it greatly disturbes your focus.ANd certain buttons in fritz6 (the clock for example) constantly freezes-up then refresh when Fritz tries to crunch-up some deep level analysis during a game in each move.Much like you're talking to a weird eccentric scientist in front of you...you just can't understand his expression! THough,no doubt and I admit..Fritz6 is a very, very, very strong player.But again, I still have to beat CM7000 first..but I don't think I could ever do that within one year.I highly recommend ChessMaster7000...

An excellent program

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 19 / 19
Date: August 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

All levels of chess players can find something to appreciate about this program. It has a very user-friendly menu system and interface, customizable layouts and boards, tutorials by Josh Waitzkin (in which he analyzes some of his games) and Bruce Pandolfini (more of the lesson type, e.g. rook and pawn endgames, etc.), a special kids section (new to 7000), an increased number of personalities to play against (including many grandmaster personalities), a very large database of games, solve for mate puzzles, a large opening book (including a "practice openings" feature) and a rating system (not USCF). I use this program frequently, and it offers new challenges as I improve. I hesitate to give this program a perfect review, however, because, as stated by a previous reviewer, the annotation is weak, and for all intents and purposes, the difference between this version and the previous one is minimal (an increased number of games in the database, the kids section, more fictional personalities to play against, and the Pandolfini section are the major improvements). So if you already have the 5500 version or higher, you won't gain much by upgrading, unless you like a snappier layout, or you are an omnivorous studier of games. However, if you do not have a chess program yet, buying this one is highly recommended.

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