Checkmate!
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Checkmate! is a client for playing chess on internet chess servers like FICS. It is available for download for free from this site.

Checkmate! is a visually appealing and highly-configurable client. It can be customized in a variety of interesting ways to suit the way you like to play chess. It also has several innovative features not seen before in an internet chess client. The software is being modified all the time -- e-mail me any features you would like to see.

News

Wed Apr 09 2003
Noticed that the fine folks over at Arena linked to me. Arena is great software for playing chess against xboard compatible engines.

Mon Apr 07 2003
Some bug fixes and minor updates. See the readme for more information.

Thu Mar 27 2003
Normally updates wouldn't come so fast but the 1.1.95 release (yesterday) re-broke something that was fixed in 1.1.94. This release re-fixes it. You only need to upgrade if you are having trouble logging on under guest accounts.

Wed Mar 26 2003
Another update. Fixed a heinous bug that would cause the board to lock up if you were playing white and your handle didn't match what you put in the connection dialog EXACTLY. Typically, this only affected people with mixed-case handles. A BIG thank you to MrFish for all of his help squashing this bug!

This release also includes a much needed and long overdue feature: the consoles now pause when you scroll back so you can read old conversations. Various other minor bug fixes and enhancements are also included. See the readme for details. Download

March 25, 2003
Another minor update with some bug fixes and some new usability enhancements. See the readme for more information. Go to the download page to get the latest version.

March 21, 2003
There was an update today to correct a minor flaw. If the sought graph was never opened you would see seek messages in the console until you opened the sought graph and closed it again. This has been fixed. The version with the flaw was in version 1.1.91. The latest version is 1.1.93 available from the download page.

March 20, 2003
Version 1.1 is finally available! See the features page for more information about what is new. Once again, thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

April 20, 2002
The recent change to the "finger" format on FICS is causing a small problem with the "finger" button on the toolbar. Instead of showing the finger results in a new window, the results are going to the console. This will be fixed in the next update. By the way, the next update is coming along. I've been working on it steadily (it's the only interface I actually use to play). I did make the decision to change the UI to include a container window for all of the floating windows. This strikes a good balance, I think, between the current functionality and manageability of all those windows.

No firm date yet on when it will be available for download -- I'm in the midst of moving to a new home but I'll try and get a new release out before June. I'll make an announcement on FICS when it is available. The next release will be version 1.1 or 1.2 I think. I consider what I'm using personally to be 1.0 right now.

November 29, 2001
Work has been slow going lately but version 1.x is on its way -- it won't be long now. Also, Checkmate RC1 works well with Windows XP but it can't seem to remember the board window size between invocations (this will be fixed in the next update). RC1 is relatively bug free so I'm taking the opportunity to improve a few features. Mainly: a better installer; better bug support; better XBoard engine support; and fix that annoying scrolling-while-your-selecting-something-in-the-console thing.

I'm also contemplating reworking the user interface so that all of those seperate windows are somehow more manageable... On the one hand, I like the flexibility the current UI gives me; on the other hand, sometimes it annoys me -- I just can't put my finger on what it is exactly though. Let me know if you have any thoughts on the matter...

August 30, 2001
Click here to download Release Candidate 1. This version fixes several bugs in the beta and adds a few new features. See the readme.txt file for details. A big "THANK YOU" to everyone who helped test the beta, especially Botchvinnik and Loof -- your suggestions were great.

August 15, 2001
Click here to download. Version 0.9.69 beta. This version is beta but it is very stable and undergoing final testing and adjustments prior to the first official release. I currently use it to play every day with no problems.

August 9, 2001
The site is up. Now I just need to finish the programming. :-) Checkmate! should be available sometime in the coming week.






Screenshot
Screenshot showing the news window and transparency features.



Screenshot
Screenshot showing the game list, people list, and sought graph.


© Copyright 2001 John Watson. All rights reserved.

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