Chess Genius App Reviews

Im about 1800 level, play about even with caissa chess. This program just ripped me to shreds with ease. Graphics could be a bit crisper, but 10 bucks is worth it for the sheer power of the engine even if you already have caissa. Wow.

I bought the ipod for music storage and chess. This is hands down the strongest and best chess program for the iPod so far.

Chess Genius wont teach you to play chess. Doesnt have tutorials a good desktop program like Chessmaster or Fritz does but it is a program that has enough features and depth that it can grow with you as you get better. As of Dec 2008, its probably the best iPhone chess app. First of all, if youre looking for internet play, youll need to look elsewhere. There is none here. Good options are Chess With Friends for turn based and Cyber Chess for FICS and ICC servers. Before purchasing this game, I was considering between Chess Genius, Caissa Chess and Deep Green. Deep Green: People raved about Deep Greens interface and it certainly looks good but it seemed too simple to me. eg. You cant see a move list, doesnt show the name of the opening. It could be fine for a casual player who doesnt want to spend $10 on an app. Caissa Chess Completely different from Deep Green, with a ton of features, at least on paper. Unfortunately, theres not a lot of information available online about how some of the extra features work. eg. it says there are puzzles available but some reviews said there werent any. I was interested in the play by email feature but again, couldnt find any info from their website about how exactly this worked. Caissas cheaper but there were also quite a number of negative reviews, reports of problems and crashes. The user interface looks less polished than either Deep Green or Chess Genius. In the end, it seemed worth it to spend a little more on Chess Genius. Heres what I like about Chess Genius: - starts very quickly. if youre in the middle of a game when you quit, itll get you right back in it, no waiting for splash screens or clicking on resume game. - nice clean interface - has a move list. landscape mode shows a more complete move list - tells you the name of the opening - many difficulty levels. im not an absolute beginner but the computer seems quite beatable on the easiest level and of course the hardest levels are grandmaster level. - optional blunder alert will warn you when you make a bad move - export your game via email - import pgn files (only Caissa and Chess Genius have this function) - next best move feature is really nice when you want the computer to follow a particular line of play. Possible bug: - next best move feature is sometimes not available in the menu. eg if you take back some moves, start playing again, you can no longer choose next best move after the computer moves. Things that could be improved: - separate the playing level from the time controls. eg. I cant choose to play a 1 min blitz game against an easier computer opponent - more time control options. eg. play a 30 min game, 45 secs increment. this is useful in a two player game and also to train yourself, even if the computer opponent doesnt need or use that time. - some kind of optional alert when a player has run out of time. there could be a one-time popup saying "White player has run out of time" but then let the game continue after that like it currently does. - option to disable auto screen off. this is good when you need time to think and want to still see the board. - option to show captured pieces. Could be tiny icons in the bottom right corner of the screen or bigger icons when the move list is off. or maybe show captured pieces in landscape mode where theres more space. - an optional display of the algebraic coordinates of the chess board, maybe along the left and bottom sides of the board like Caissa Chess. this would be helpful for beginners. - option to turn off the move list for those times when you want a super basic interface like Deep Green. - when playing in two player mode, an option to auto-flip the board after each move. - cant access any of the extra controls in landscape mode. its a pity because you can see the expanded move list but cant make use of it and go backwards and forwards to review a game. - maybe something that lists all the openings in the opening book and lets you practice them.

Best chess game I have played. Hints/bad moves/take backs/etc make this a very challenging app.

I had this app on Windows Mobile. I had forgotten how hard is to play because the engine is so good. The hint button is well positioned in the main screen, although you wont win by following hints alone. Glad to have this app now on my iPhone

This game is the best chess I have played offline! Only problem is the price of this app. Iwould give it a 2/5 if I could rate the price. I hate how people rate based on price and app. There should be a separate rating scale.

The best app I ever dowloaded. Strong engine and a great interface.

I have two complaints, however. I wish it would allow you to pick a rating to play against. At 3 second difficulty, I have yet to beat it (or even come close). I can easily handle easy 13 though. What I wish is that it would have a something like "play against 1800" or 1600 or whatever elo level, or a sliding scale, or whatever. Next: I love the fact that you can upload pgn files to the phone and review the games. I have millions of games on my computer. However, my complaint is that I dont have a webspace to publish them to, so I cant get them onto the program. If anyone knows how to do that, or if Lang Software could make it easier to upload the files in the next update, that would be awesome. Still a 5 star app, and I highly recommend it to the moderate-advanced player. It moves with excellent precision, and lightning speed, and more than fulfills my expectations. My complaints are more like suggestions to improve an almost perfect program

Is anyone aware that iMacs come with a built-in chess application? Its tough enough to consistently beat all of my stand-alone chess computers. Shortly after getting Chess Genius, which other reviewers say has a very strong program, I pitted it against the iMac chess application. So far, Chess Genius has prevailed in two of three games--and that was accomplished at one of its weaker levels.

By far the best chess game Ive ever played. Ive had this game with my old PDA. It is almost impossible to beat. Ive done it once and must have played hundreds of games. The best I can usually achieve is a stalemate.

The chess genius is the absolute strongest game ever created!!!! Very very strong/ hard to beat!!! Fun experience

well worth the money

Great depth and tactics.

Ive owned Chess Genius in many forms since the 1980s, first on DOS then on the Palm and PocketPC. (I even still own a 1980s stand-alone chess computer based on an early version of the program.) When it first came out it was by far the strongest program available, though its no longer in the top 20 on the PC as competitors have evolved ruthlessly over the years. The iPhone version is quite strong and smooth and has most of the features youd hope for in a "pro" chess app. Well worth $3 or even $5, but $10 is perhaps a bit much. [Ive recently discovered Abaia, a free chess program for iPhones that have been "freed" in a certain way akin to the program Prison Break -- and its a slightly better program in several ways. Its clearly stronger (to great my surpise), nicer looking, adheres to the GUI standards better, and is, well, free.]

The game is awesome! I would like to request a rating estimator to match the level I should be playing on in this program.

Ive owned Chess Genius for both PocketPC and Palm platforms. Its uniformly stable and extremely well supported. There are enough level options for any grade chess player as well. Only thing Id ask for is some better anti-aliasing on the chess pieces. Otherwise, if you want a chess app for the iPod/iPhone, Chess Genius is the best.

This by far the strongest and easiest to use chess program for the iPhone. I have amazed a friend of mine who is a senior master and former national champion of ireland with the fact that my phone has a winning record against him. With the latest update the graphics are much improved and lots of import/export features have been added. Also, some easier levels for beginners have been added, but not too easy....which is good because the best way to learn is to lose. This app is worth every penny and it will last you from your beginner days until well after you become a master. Look no farther for the best chess app iPhone has available.

Richard Lang has been doing this for a long time and it shows. I have 3 other paid chess apps and was delighted when I saw chess genius, which I have owned on 2 other platforms. The levels should accomodate all skill levels, and people who have complained about the strength of the lower levels simply need to improve. On the lowest levels it plays down to a weak beginner. Any weaker would be absurd. Three minor gripes: no Internet or network play, slightly confusing menus, and fairly primitive graphics compared to deep green for example. The analysis mode is my favorite feature. Its like having a mini fritz with you on the go. Fantastic overall. I paid over $20 for this on the palm many years ago, so $10 seems like good value to me.

If this app could rate my play level it would be perfect. Otherwise, it is five stars only because they dont give 6 stars as an option. Best chess app on a mobile platform, period. Worth the money and I am very frugle.

(Mar 09 update) Chessgenius is starting to "show its age.". With the arrival of Glaurung chess, which is free and has stronger engine, and now shredder chess, which cost the same but is both stronger, with more features (Elo rating and built-in 1000 puzzles...) and better interface, chessgenius need to provide some improvements quickly to keep up... If you want to pay $9.99 for iPhone chess today, Id reccomend shredder. (prior review) First of all, everyone should recognize that this program is capable of playing at master level. For 99% of iphone users, there is no way to beat it at the higher level setting. This makes chess genius a better coaching tool than just another iPhone computer opponent. This is fine for me and its why I bought it, as I was getting useless hints from other low cost chess program, and felt that I am learning nothing from winning or loosing those games. However, chess genius can still use some improvement: 1. The hint is better than other programs, but its not using the full engine strength. If you just rely on hints you will lose a game pretty easily. At least in the analysis mode, the hint shall show the best possible move. Or, give us an another "coach" button other than "hint" to show the best move associated with the difficulty setting/ calculation depth. 2. The score is a bit confusing. Score also gives us a hint on how the game is progressing and (I believe) shows positive number when the program is leading, and negative one when CPU is behind. But when you play against another person, or set CPU VS. CPU in analysis mode, the sign of the score seems to switching all the time, and its confusing. 3. Need more icons to reduce needed tap. I think the chess genius on Palm still has the better interface, with simple icons for all needed tasks all on screen, plus multiple board size settings. For iPhone, multiple taps are often needed for simple actions, like switch side, undo... Multiple taps just slow things down and feels a bit unnatural. 4. "Second best move" is a good feature and geart idea. It will be more useful if it works all the time, particularly at any step in analysis mode during review or replay. Dont take me wrong, this is a great program and I think its well worth $10. I just think the developer shall take full advantage of the engines strength and really differentiate the product. Make small interface improvements and this will be and can be marketed as the best portable chess tutor, make user happier, and brings more sales.