Chess Reviews

I currently got a (...)greek chess set for my birthday and it is just increadible and has a lifetime warranty so I play a lot but you can't play speesd. I still would prefer it over this though just cause it's special. My teacher though has this exact chess set and he's a ok player (even though I am better than him). THis is something that will last a long time it even has a case wich is great so you can take it with youyou don't even have to adjust to different types of pieces.it's the best for normal use and this is like what pros use and trust me I know. I think the pieces weigh more but that does'nt matter at all. Perfect for begginers and great for the excperienced. The price is great and this is an investment if you want a two dollar thing. One or two of those cheep ones will last a while but only a couple. If you want one like that it's best when tyhere magnetic. But by chess means this set is cheep cause it's not one like mine but it's still a top of the line thing. (...) That was the only one more exspensive then mine.

I have known how to play chess since childhood. Well, I knew how to move the pieces and I knew the basic rules of the game.
I purchased an Excalibur set which is "triple" weighted. I know that this set is weighted but I'm not sure if it is only "single" weighted. Any way, my set is identical to this one if only different by weight.
I also purchased "the complete idiot's guide to chess.
The set is outstanding. The board is durable and lays flat after being stored rolled up. The board is large and has the ranks and files lettered and numbered which is a must have if you are learning. The pieces are a large comfortable size. They are nicely weighted and rugged. I would recommend this set (and book) to anyone who is learning how to play the game.

Before I bought this set and book, chess to me was a 13" black and white tv.
After I read the book and used the set along side, chess to me is 48" hdtv with surround sound.

Chess is a strategic game in which two armies of equal number of soldiers do battle. You must strategically place your men in sectors of the board. In this case, the leader is the king. The object is to make it impossible for the king to flee anywhere so that your army can destroy him. This is called checkmate.

This is my favorite game of all time. You have to think for yourself and know what the other player is going to do next in order to plan ahead for your next move. Therefore, deliciously having to think about more than one thing at a time. Each piece can move certain ways. Pawns move forward and take other paws diagonally forward. Queens have the most fun and kings are always getting cornered.

Now, the only time I always lost at this game was when playing with my ex boyfriend. You cannot play this game while in love, because you can't think and be in love at the same time. Just kidding, but it is a bit distracting to be looking into someone's eyes and trying to think about what your next move is going to be. Needless to say, it was inevitable that suddenly my queen had disappeared off the board! I hated that because that is such a versatile piece.

Well, if you are learning to play chess, this is a great set. You can then move on to bigger sets and perhaps even find a marble collectable set. A chess set looks so nice on a coffee table. That way it is always ready for a spontaneous match. Has anyone seen one made from "cat" images. If you see one let me know.

If you love chess, you might also like the book Alice in Wonderland which has all sorts of references and pictures of animated chess pieces. That is where I first learned about chess.

"Where do you come from? said the Red Queen. "And where are you going?" --page 174, Alice and Wonderland.

That about sums up the game! You are moving pieces and being aware of where you are moving them from. To not do so can be fatal. It can also be fatal if you move a piece and then back again and someone says, "no, you touched the chess piece so now you have to move it!" You might want to decide not to follow that rule when you first start playing and sometimes it is hard to see what will happen to a piece before moving it. In that case, if the person takes their hand off the piece, they just finished their turn.

There is quite a bit to learn. The most important things to start with are how the pieces move on the board, can they move forward only, take diagonally, etc. Once you learn how each piece moves and what the piece can do, you will enjoy the game so much more. The best way to learn this game is to play it and learn as you go. The second best way is to have a computer next to you to look up sites which talk about chess, so you can learn as you go.

This game is awesome because it has the New York Yankees in it. They are the best team in baseball.

I'm not up to snuff when it comes to chess games--or chess for that matter--but I have found this version of Chessmaster more than suitable for my ability. One has the choice of playing a number of Grandmasters, and there are a slew of tutorials to assist the novice chess player, including one devoted to some 1000+ openings. But in the end, this is only a computer simulation, and to truly enjoy and understand the game, one has to play against other people.

I don't like chess programs for the computer. I am old fasioned: I need to actually touch and move the pieces. The Electronic Glass Chess by Excalibur fits the bill. The program is challenging and the look of the unit is absolutely beautiful. A great value.

The most powerful chess program for the best price. It can beat 99.9999 percent of the human race. It will improve you defensive skills.

This is a great product - my chess players DS(9); DD(13); and DH(40) are thrilled with it! We started with a real cheapie set and "graduated" to this one . . . for [this price] you cannot go wrong! Believe me . . . you get waaaaaaay more than you pay for!

Twenty bucks for a wooden folding chess board and chessmen is not a bad deal. However, the old adage "you get what you paid for" holds true here. Craftsman quality is missing in this product. The folding chess board has a magnetic strip to keep it folded. However, the chess board when unfolded for play is a bit lopsided. The wooden chessmen are standard Staunton pieces. However, they're not crafted quality pieces but are adequate enough for play. If you wanted a similar product but of higher quality then be prepared to fork over an additional $30-40 if not more. However, if you wanted a traveling chess set but don't want to pay alot of $$$ for one and don't mind the inferior quality found in this set then this is good buy.

Although I would have loved to have gotten my fiancee a more articulate chess set, this gem really fit my budget. When he opened it on Xmas day, he was blown away. He really enjoyed it, especially the size. The set comes with a fairly large chessboard and the pieces are nicely sized as well.

He has enjoyed many a chess game with me and our best friends. With all the use so far it has remained in excellent condition. The magnetic closure helps to secure the pieces in the inside of the fold up board. Thus, your floor will not be littered with pieces when you pick the board up.

This is a great game, it helps do my customers iq's. And its simpsons chess, not an ordinary chess set.

This is an excellent gift idea for anybody! This chess set is definitely gets an A+ for fun! Even if you're not a Simpson's fan or haven't heard much about them, this set wonderfully symbolizes the intelligence of the family. Homer is crowned with a beer in his hand while Marge stands taller than the king himself with a rose close to her chest. There is Bart as the bishop, Lisa as the rook, Krusty as the knight, and Maggie portrayed as the pawn. I am surprised, however, that Flanders was not the Bishop. Afterall, he is the holiest of people, the most spiritual to spirits, and the most faithful of all God's faithless souls!
I was asked to rank this toy on an educational level and I gave it four stars. I did so because it is a game of chess. Simply, chess is an educational game that increases your sense of logic and reasoning. Although it is the Simpson's that we are talking about, the fact that if a person can play well with these peices without mixing them up with confusion, then I think you've accomplished something. Skill. As with any chess pieces that are represented by other characters or symbols, you obtain a good sense of awareness and strategy.
This toy is a very fun toy and I would reccommend it to anyone, ESPECIALLY if they enjoy watching the Simpson's. It is fun to play, fun to watch, and fun to display. Friends should definitely be impressed with this chess set!

This ia a great chess set because it shows your love for The Simpsons and Chess. It is very derable and fun to with your friends and family. I have alot of fun playing with this chess set.This is a must have for Simpsons fans like me.

Clean graphics, with a wide choice of chessboards. A few are difficult to see under average light, but most are fine, and there is a bright, clear black and white board if all else fails. A GREAT feature is that it auto-saves your game at the exact point you left it at. You don't have to back out and find the save screen. Just shut it off, and come back later. No passwords. I don't know what that reviewer was talking about.

I can't offer an opinion as to how the game play stacks up against a good player. I can tell you that although I learned the moves 35 years ago, I've never put any real time into chess. Any other computer or hand-held chess game completely decimated me within moments. Too frustrating to be any fun. I decided to give this a shot, and I'm glad I did.

In "story" mode, the first few "street" players weren't too bad, I actually got through them to take on the master (the master is killing me though) The up shot is that it is enjoyable for me for the first time ever. Although the players have personalities, and playing styles, their moves aren't "canned," They play differently every time.

If you choose "quick game" mode, you can take moves back, replay them, or have the computer choose your move. You can also set up the board for any scenario you like, and jump back and forth between sides if you want.

There are two ways to play another human. You can pass the game boy back and forth, or use a cable. I have not tested the cable. The instructions claim you DO NOT need a second game cartridge.

I don't know how this stacks up to chess master, or other chess games. I can tell you that I consider it money well spent.

This game is AMAZING! I am a novice chess player who has been trying to improve my chess. Ive been reading some books "Complete Idiots guide to Chess", "Reasses your Chess", "The Amatuers mind". And this game is really helping my game. The story mode is cool with 31 different personalites. And they play like different people as well. Some are cautious and play the game running and countering. Others come out blasting like Yosimate Sam. The guy who said there is passwords is mistaken. There are three save slots and the game is saved after every move which means you can play in the doctors office without worrying that you have to finish every game in one go. I have never been happier with a game and have played 6 hr settings regularly. I love this game!

This is great for kids. I have played tournament chess and used some of the best commercial software. I went through another round of purchases and trials for this time. There is some powerful software available, but I needed something that young kids could learn with. I looked at PDA software as well, but that did not fit the bill either (one with the "legal-moves" is a good fall-back option). The GBA module works very well. It is easy enough for beginners. It shows the moves. It encourages them to compete against opponents with an increasing degree of difficulty. It is compact and inexpensive. A great buy.

We have had this game for less than a week, and like a previous review, my 8 year-old daughter absolutely loves it. The school my daughter is attending this fall requires all of the children to play chess for 30 minutes or so prior to instruction. I was a little nervous of how to possibly teach her, since I have only played sparingly throughout my life. I know the basic moves, and not much more. Not ever touching a chess piece before, she learned all of the basics of the game in less than 2 days. She played for several hours at a time, and it was hard to get her off the computer.

I think the key to games success is that it instructs the player on the pieces, moves and object of the game without seeming like it is teaching. There are multiple mini-games within the actual game that slowly build to a point where the player knows all the moves of an actual game of chess. I will have to update my review after I play through the game myself, because on the first game I played with my daughter, she constantly corrected me.

I have a five year old and my husband is teaching him how to play chess. We bought this game because he LOVES to play on the computer. This game is AWESOME! He played it for hours straight. It is a really fun way to learn the moves and strategies of the game. My husband even learned a few things he didn't know. I think it is one of those games that is definitely worth the money!

Purchased this for an energetic 5-year old known as my son!

To summarize: King White is feeling a little tired and disinterested (a mysterious malaise that can best be described as boredom or maybe even depression - seriously! Maybe something gets lost in translation, as this game is made by Chessbase, a German company, but marketed here by Viva Media. Maybe he is a victim of "ennui?"), so his queen suggests that they go on vacation. They put their son Fritz in charge for the duration of their absence, and as soon as the king and queen are out the door, Fritz is challenged to a chess duel by the nasty looking King Black. PROBLEM: Fritz doesn't know how to play chess!!

Follow Fritz and his cousin Bianca across the kingdom as they play a variety of games in order to learn chess basics. Learn how the pieces move, and learn basic tactics like pins, etc. Piece valuation, how to win, etc. are other topics that are taught.

The cool thing is that my son doesn't realize that he is learning! The games are so fun and arcade-like, that he learns how the pieces move without even knowing it.

Examples of the games:
1. Sumo wrestlers on a circular board to teach about the king and the concept of "opposition."
2. A Pac-man-like game to teach the horizontal and vertical movement of the rook.
3. A Pong-like game of smashing toilets (no joke!) to get across the concept of the bishop's diagonal movement.

After going through all the training sessions, my son was ready to take on King Black. He still gets mostly crushed, but that is because he doesn't spend much time thinking before he makes a move. He has managed wins on the lower setting, but that's because the chess engine plays some of the most horrible moves, like leaving a queen hanging, etc.

Highly recommended for youngsters! My son may leave it alone for 3 or 4 weeks at a time, but he always comes back to play the games and to try his hand vs. King Black. Money well spent to teach kids a wonderful game.

This is an amazing deal. For a wooden chess board with wooden pieces, this is an excellent price. Although the wooden pieces arn't really heavy and don't have felt bottoms - this is an excellent deal for $9. This fits perfectly on my desk and looks great. People are constantly telling me how nice it looks and amazed I would pay so much for it. The board is solid and very heavy - very nice. Enjoy!

My set arrived in wonderful condition, no cracks or other flaws and, although the peices aren't big on detail, they are a good size, light and do have a design to them. Plus they get the job done. The board isn't too small for me either. I wanted a smaller, lighter set for travel, playing at the beach etc... For $9.99 this is a real bargain!

This is a good quality chess set for its price, but there is something about the company Pavilion that really bothers me. A few chess sets I've seen by them has a picture showing the light-coloured square on the left hand side, but it's supposed to be set up on the right hand side. I'm not trying to bash Pavilion or anything, I just don't want begginers and children to be confused about how the chessboard should be set up, as it is a very important factor of the game.