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Save Your Money For Chessmaster 8000; Chess Neophytes....

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: October 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This software is excellant for chess neophytes on the contrary don't acquire this item if you have a previous version, i.e. Chessmaster 4000.

For a game that's released in 1999 with that price tag, I expect the graphics to be superb. There are a few number of the same chess set styles from the Chessmaster 4000 game! Sure, it has the QuickTime 4.0 video and the Chessmaster Live, but solely judging this software on the basis of overall quality, please save your money for the Chessmaster 8000.

For a neophyte whom doesn't have prior chess softwares other than the prevous Chessmaster series, get this title. For you guys, it has the interactive teaching and a "Kid's Room" with a commencing introduction by the international chapion Josh [can't recall surname].

Very Unsatisfied

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: April 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have never experienced so many defects in a computer program. Absolutely WORTHLESS!!! And no, I do not have a bootleg copy. This product is a joke.

Good program, lousy compatibility

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: August 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The program itself is quite good for an intermediate player like myself. However, it does not run on my Win2K machine at all. I loaded it on my Windows XP machine, but this isn't much better. The game runs, but has a habit of locking up the PC unexpectedly and randomly in the middle of games. I plan to ask for my money back.

Not compatible with Windows 2000

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 21 / 26
Date: November 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Yes, CM7000 is pretty great. But, it works only poorly under Win2K. Lots of other programs that work on 98 and NT work just fine under Win2K, but not Chessmaster 7000. It pisses me off, because Chessmaster 8000 isn't supported on Windows 2000 either -- although the website says that it should work, it's just not supported. Also, beware the 1.0.6 update, available on the website; it took my installation of CM7000 from working poorly to not working at all. On the other hand, the games analyzed and *narrated* by Josh Waitzkin are fantastic.

Beginners Only

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: August 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

It is annoying that the hype says this is the "number one" chess computer game. It clearly is not, and the serious player should consider games such as those produced by Rebel (....) I find there is something amaturish about this game, and why does it STILL not run on windows 2000?

Very good for a first-time chessmaster user, but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been using Chessmaster6000 since 1998 and I always liked it a lot. The program not only looks very nice (which can't be said of all major chess programs) but also is very "playable", whether you want to just play chess, improve your game, analyse, study theory or whatever. This being said I have to admit that I'm not really impressed with Chessmaster7000. The division in "rooms" is very nice (if you want to analyse you go to one room, if you want to work with databases you go to another and so on) and works very well. With these rooms you easily get where you want. If you have children in the "chess learning age": there's a childrens room where kids can learn and/to play in a way that looks good to me. But again, apart from these rooms Chessmaster7000 doesn't add much to the functionality of Chessmaster6000. So I'd say : try to define what you expect from Chessmaster7000 and then decide if you want to buy.

PS: if you use Chessmaster6000 to play via MPlayer.com, you have no choice but to buy 7000 (almost anybody else does and aparently you can't use 6000 to play against someone who's using 7000.....:-(

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.

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.

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.

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.

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