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Great!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have to say, this is an awesome chess game. What really caught my attention was the vast amount of tutorials. They are voice narrated and very detailed. You will learn a lot from playing this game, and enjoy it while doing so. Also, there are over 800 recorded games dating back to the 1600's that you can watch being played out with commentary! This game is a must have for any chess enthusiast or anyone looking to better their game.

Improvements to be made...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: April 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

- The ability to play your own xbox hard drive music over the games
- Improved graphics, in a stop-motion animated sequence of photos of real pieces moving over a top-view board
- Less words cluttering the playing screen
- Live-action pre and post-game cinematics and animated attack moves by genuine animators. Let's say a short opening scene depicting Chess pieces moving into Italy from the Italian Alps!
- A sense of the global cultures and the exotic playing areas
- A focus on 'star players' like Kasparov and even Deep Blue as characters! Not so many average people.
- Different voices to proclaim 'Check', 'Checkmate' or whatever in various instances.
- Sound effects, like a horse braying when it takes an opposing piece, a proud King saying 'You'll never take me alive' or an icey Queen - the voice accent of these pieces would change by selecting which country your side is from. For instance, if you chose France, the pieces would have a French accent. Like the 'Worms' games.
- Stylized culture-based gamepieces for major countries, Russia, Germany, France, America, Africa, Britain, Canada... etc.
- For God's sake, support for two players on separate controllers

All in all, this is a good game with inventive elements, detailing 500 years worth of games with narration, and it demonstrates in a very immediate way, how to improve your game. However, it could have animated and enlivened the game of Chess in a modern, but deeply cultural and historical way, and it hasn't done that. The best chess game out there, but hopefully not for long!

Not for XBox live subscribers

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: December 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game in itself is pretty good. The best part of the game is the tutorials. If you really want to learn how to play chess like a pro get this game. However if you are looking for a game that you can use on Xbox live DONT WASTE YOUR TIME. I went on Xbox live to play this game and no one else was playing. The Xbox population has not caught on to this game enough to spend money on it.

Don't waste your time

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: June 26, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you want to play chess, go grab a real chess board.

1. The two player mode isn't really two players. You have to share the same controller. Yes, you literally have to pass the controller back and forth for every move.

2. No one plays this game on Xbox Live.

3. The AI cheats after a set number of victories.

1 controller for 2 players gets OLD real fast!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: February 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

*CHESS MASTER - XBOX*
Let me start by saying my family and I love chess. I've been patiently waiting for a chess game on the XBOX since the consoles release. Surely, Chess"Master" will be great, I mean you can't go wrong with chess right? WRONG! I suppose this game is fun if you're really into playing chess online or by yourself at home. However, I don't have an online account and if you want to play with a friend, at home on the same console, you'll be passing the controller back and forth. So much so, you'll wonder what the designers were thinking. Trust me, that gets old very quickly.
I specifically purchased this game to sit down and play chess with my wife and kids. Can you imagine how upset we all were when we found out we had to pass the controller back and forth to each other for each move? Why not a 2 player/2 controller system? To me it just ruins the game! I don't have online play and playing the computer gets old...fast.
IN FINAL: I'd like to say I love this game, I mean the graphics are good, the different chess sets are neat, the sound if fine, it's just no fun to have to reach over after every move and hand the controller to my opponent! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Excellent game for aspiring players

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 15, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First, it's important to outline a context for my positive review of this game. I run a chess club in an elementary school and have been doing so for nearly five years. I have taught students how to play and given them basic strategy. However, I am only an average player myself.

This title was tremendously suited to my purpose. For one, it has allowed me to sharpen my game. The academy and tutorials are not only helpful, but provide me with information that I can bring back to my chess club. It also has enhanced my understanding of tournament play. Given the Live feature, students who wish to play each other who have this can do so as well (parents likely will not object given its low cost and nonviolent gameplay.)

Most of the criticism stems from the two play and having to pass the controller back and forth. Indeed I have also found this frustrating. I have also found frustrating that the computer takes no time off their clock or that the computer will take forever (when playing on an advanced mode.) Clearly those who excel at chess might not find this best suited to their needs. However, the graphics, loyalty to tournament style, and tutorials (including blunder alerts) make this an excellent game for those whose rankings might not be as high.

The biographies of the characters you play with is an added bonus. You feel as though you're playing a real person. This is a highly recommended game if your purpose in any way mirrors the context as I have outlined.

good game, good price...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: June 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I've owned this game for a couple of months now, and I enjoy it very much. Tutorials are great, there are tons of games in the library, you can participate in rated games and tournaments and you have a wide selection of 3D and 2D boards. Handicap games are easy to create by simply entering the setup mode, you can even play masters such as Capablanca, Fischer and Judith Polgar with whatever odds you desire. But I think I should say the only downfalls about this game, which may be piffling to some. For all those complaining about having to pass the controller back and forth for a multiplayer game with a friend, wow, why not just announce your move to whoever has the controller? Doesn't take a genuis to figure that out. Some of the other things: the fact that some of the weaker opponents are not exactly what they claim to be ranked. For example, if you were to play someone rated about 1000, put him or her in a position where they would have a forced mate in 6 or 7, they would find it. Even the supposed beginners in this game are masters at finding any and all mating attacks, and that includes preventing any in which you may throw at them. When I first started playing the 800's, I was dumbfounded at how they were able to see some of the mate in 5 or 6 attacks which I had planned. Currently, I am rated about 1500 on the program and all of the opponents around my level are not what you would expect them to be. Many of the games which I will play will be easily won by me because out of nowhere they will hang a piece or lose an exchange (Bishop for a pawn). This is usually enough for me to win the game. It doesn't feel the same as if you were to play someone else at the same level; blunders by your opponent do not come so easy. But, the opponents do become exceptional at the 1700's, and regardless of what others think, playing computers will give you a big advantage when you play with humans. Other than that, this is a great and very instructional game for players of all levels, another friend of mine has this and he has risen from a strong beginner to the master levels. Anyone who enjoys the game will surely want to have this in their collection.

CHESSMASTER-PIECE

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I haven't played chess in years. That is until I purchased "Chessmaster" on XBOX. I was a lil' rusty at first, but like riding a bike I picked it back up. Even my roommate whom has never played chess in his life has learned how to play. The game teaches you how to play. If you are not familiar with the piece movements, just move a piece. If you make a mistake the announcer will quickly tell you what is not allowed. For example: if you try moving a bishop in a straight line, the announcer will say "Bishop's are not allowed to move along ranks and files, only in diagonals." I'm hooked, I've played something like 30-50 games in a role. If you have XBOX LIVE sorry I can't comment, I'm not fortunate enough to have online play. If you're a chessmaster or a beginner.. CHESSMASTER is right up your alley. If you're considering picking this title up, consider no more. Besides, you're on this page for a reason.. take the next step and buy it. You will get your moneys worth and more.

Finally my XBox pulls its own weight.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

XBox is the undoubtably the best system there is, however, I'm not really the kind of guy to play games very much once I've completed them. Occassionally I'll play a game if it's really good; swinging around the city in Spiderman 2 for example.
For the longest time I've been waiting for a good Chess program to come out for XBox and my hopes were more than answered. Sadly I don't know anyone who likes to play serious chess and so haven't been able to play in years, so if you're like me and want to get back into practice then this game is the answer.
But there's more, if you don't know how to play chess the game has a very comprehensive tutorial to teach you how to play and as if that weren't enough, it goes into more advanced layers and shows us, in non-pretentious terms, how to kick chess but. All the while never talking down to to us.
My only complaint is the game really spoiled me and when I finished all the tutorials I wanted more. For the price this game really is worth having in your XBox collection and, if you're like me, makes XBox worth having. Sure, you can play Chessmaster on your computer but wouldn't you much rather sit on your comfy couch and play on your big TV screen rather than sit by your uncomfortable desk and play on your little computer screen?

Incredible depth for developing players

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: July 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The problem I see with people debating the merits of this game generally revolve around motivation. If your sole motive is to use this game just to play chess, you will only get a fraction of the value out of it and might even be disappointed with it. The multiplayer function, offline, requires two people to pass the controller back and forth. While this is not a problem with me, some tend to consider it a hindrance. There are not many people that play online, so the "live" feature lacks attractiveness. This leaves you basically with just a chess game that you are able to play on the xbox, but not much else. If you play the game in this fashion, you are really only getting a superficial taste of what this game really has to offer.

If you, on the other hand, are a player that would like to develop his/her game significantly, then you will marvel at the extensive, nay, nearly overwhelming, tutorial features Chessmaster has to offer. This tutorial section, I believe, is the heart of the Chessmaster game. There is an "academy" taught by Josh Waitzkin himself. It is broken into sections covering the basics of movement, strategy, tactics, psychology, and endgame strategy. To show examples of each section, he annotates an incredible amount of games he played that reinforce the principles he is teaching. I have had this game for a week going through the academy and have not gotten through half of it. This academy is only a fraction of the tutorial section though. There are also the tutorials from previous Chessmaster installments, drills, and an infinite number(literally) of one move puzzles.

There is so much depth to this Chessmaster game that I feel I have not really done it justice in the review. The Josh Waitzkin academy is worth the $20 dollars alone. If you are striving to become a better chess player and looking for some direction, I couldn't give this game a higher recommendation.

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