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(posted to the "rec.games.chess.computer"
newsgroup)
"Chess Miner, AlterWay, Last Move, Chess Mazes,
and Blindfold are beginner programs that teach chess
vision. They test a beginner's aptitude for visioning
the pieces changing squares in one's head, determining
the best path to reach a goal, and remembering where
obstacles are placed so as to safeguard one's pieces.
Even adults could sharpen their chess vision by
these puzzle programs but they may be put off by
their lack of a real chess setting without kings
on the board. However, since these puzzle programs
give the user an almost infinite supply of settings
with which to test him/her and they really do provide
feedback on a one to one basis to the user, I have
created a special Gold Medal
Category for them. See version number 47
of the Gold Medal List at the
Komputer Korner pages at GambitSoft ".
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http://www.chessreviews.co.uk
" ... This software is unlike any other reviewed
on this page. It is neither a playing program,
nor a "solve the diagram" quiz/test
program. It is instead a program based on psychological
tests administered to chess players for increasing
calculation ability. The program itself is only
one of several written by the authors. The other
programs in the series also target specific chess
abilities, and demos can be downloaded from the
Chess
Puzzle Series web site. I would also recommend
that current and prospective users of this software
look at some of the documentation at this web
site, because it explains in fuller detail why
Blindfold works, and how to interpret your results.
You are probably wondering what this program does...
Essentially, you set the number of pieces on the
board, the length of the sequence of moves you
want to visualize, and the program will place
these pieces at random on the board. The program
shows you the piece set-up, then erases the board.
The program then shows you one piece, and where
it moved to. You must then click on the piece
that interacts with the latest moved piece. If
this description is hard to understand, I would
suggest that you download the demo and try for
yourself. Personally, I think that this type of
training is hard work - and not for the faint
of heart. It's too soon yet for me to tell whether
this is helping my game at all.
I would recommend this program principally for
those chess software junkies with an open mind,
that are extremely driven, and want any tool available
to increase their calculation ability. It would
also be a good choice for those trying to learn
to play blindfold chess.
It is a DOS program, it runs fine under win95,
but set the program PIF so that Blindfold does
not run in the background, runs full screen, and
mouse usage is set to exclusive mode...
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(RocketDownload,
USA)
"AlterWay is a fine program
for beginning chess players. Based on the notion
that the game fosters intellectual abilities, the
program can be a tool for sharpening wit and poise.
It teaches chess students of all ages the fundamentals
of chess pieces, movements and captures. With a
friendly interface, the program presents chess in
a way that's fascinating but not intimidating. This
is good for American children, who'd generally rather
rip someone's spine out in a karate massacre game
than play something constructive.
As I've said, AlterWay is a simplified form of
chess. The object, as in any form of the game,
is to capture all of your enemy's pieces. Given
just a few of your own pieces, you can only win
if all of your moves are captures. You lose if
there are no more immediate captures or if time
runs out. This teaches chess students the concept
of mapping out strategies by finding an optimal
sequence to play the game.
AlterWay comes in Play and Training Modes. The
training section provides hints and the ability
to retract and restore moves. Once you feel that
you've grasped the gist of the game, go to the
Play mode to show off your new skills. This mode
will set you up against your friends or the computer
in a few difficulty levels. Playing against the
clock, you can earn points to track your progress.
This game receives four 'smileys' for delivering
an intellectually stimulating game which all can
play."
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