''Chessmaster 10th Edition'' is a 2004 chess video game developed and published by

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

for the

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

. It is part of the ''

Chessmaster ''Chessmaster'' (originally ''The Chessmaster'') is a chess video game series, currently owned and developed by Ubisoft. It is the best-selling chess video game series, with more than five million units sold . The same cover art image featuring ...

'' series. The Xbox version is titled simply ''Chessmaster''. The PC version was announced on June 22, 2004 and the Xbox version on August 2, 2004.

Gameplay

The game has a new version of the King

chess engine In computer chess, a chess engine is a computer program that analyzes chess or List of chess variants, chess variant positions, and generates a move or list of moves that it regards as strongest. A chess software engine, engine is usually a Front ...

. The number of AI "personalities" has been increased to 200 and the game database has been increased by 50,000 matches. The AI doesn't support resigning.

Josh Waitzkin Joshua Waitzkin (born December 4, 1976) is an American former chess player, martial arts world champion, and author. As a child, he was recognized as a prodigy, and won the U.S. Junior Chess championship in 1993 and 1994. The film ''Searching ...

and

Larry Christiansen Larry Mark Christiansen (born June 27, 1956) is an American chess player of Danish ancestry. He was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 1977. Christiansen was the U.S. champion in 1980, 1983, and 2002. He competed in the FIDE World Champ ...

provide tutorial and game commentary. The PC version supports

stereoscopic 3D Stereoscopy, also called stereoscopics or stereo imaging, is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...

and the game box includes

3D glasses Stereoscopy, also called stereoscopics or stereo imaging, is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...

. 35 chess sets are included. Some of the sets have to be unlocked by winning a certain number of ranked games. Other new features include an online ranking system, a create-a-tournament mode, and a tutorial mode called Chessmaster Academy. Network multiplayer options are either the internet or

LAN Lan or LAN may refer to: Science and technology * Local asymptotic normality, a fundamental property of regular models in statistics * Longitude of the ascending node, one of the orbital elements used to specify the orbit of an object in space * ...

. The internet play, Chessmaster Live, is through ubi.com on the Windows and

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

on the Xbox.

Reception

Windows

''Chessmaster 10th Edition'' received generally positive reviews from critics. ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' said " ..considering that you can still get

Chessmaster 9000 ''Chessmaster 9000'' is a 2002 chess video game developed and published by Ubi Soft for the Windows. It is part of the ''Chessmaster'' series. The game was announced on July 12, 2002. Grandmaster Larry Christiansen played four matches against t ...

for twenty bucks, I don't see much reason to go with this newest 10th edition if you're not a serious student of the game. ''Chessmaster 10th Edition'' was ''IGN''s runner-up for game of the month in August 2004. ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' concluded: "The latest Chessmaster isn't the perfect program for hardcore chess aficionados. However, if you're looking for a good chess program that's packed with a plethora of features and all the bells and whistles, you'll be very happy with Chessmaster 10th Edition." '' Jeuxvideo.com'' said the biggest improvement from ''9000'' is the interface. ''

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...

'' summarized: "As complete a chess package as you could want, although it's missing a few friendly touches." ''

Level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (optical instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights * Spirit level or bubble level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *C ...

'' called ''Chessmaster 10th Edition'' a well-designed game that appeals to both veteran and casual players. ''GameZone'' noted " If you're an ultra hard-core player, you can stick with a

Fritz Fritz is a common German language, German male name. The name originated as a German diminutive of Friedrich (given name), Friedrich or Frederick (given name), Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Fred ...

or Kasparov model, but for those of us that do not eat, breathe and sleep chess, this is an excellent game." '' PC PowerPlay'' said " ’s easy to get into, pick up, then put down again for a few months."

Xbox

''IGN'' said "Chessmaster is accessible to all skill levels." ''GameSpot'' echoed that " 's perfect for beginners, intermediates, and experts alike". ''

1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conte ...

'' summarized: "Chessmaster offers a plethora of options, online play, and no innovation to a game that doesn't really need innovation ... ''GameZone'' called it " top quality game that did not short the consumers or insult the seasoned players by dumping a low-end game for the sake of having a chess game for the Xbox."

References

External links

* (archived) *
Demo download
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Patch download
at The Patches Scrolls {{Chessmaster 2004 video games Chess software Chessmaster 10000 Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer online games Ubisoft games Video game sequels Video games developed in Romania Video games with stereoscopic 3D graphics Windows games Xbox games