Hi. I would like to find some good free software for playing chess on a Windows 7 computer.
I have already looked around and tried a few myself but the problem 'm having is finding one where it is more intuitive to set the playing level (or strength) or the computer.
In the software I’ve tried so far it wasn’t easy (for me) to set the computer strength. The options seemed to always be about setting the number of moves the computer could look ahead, the time the computer was allowed to think, or the number of “plys” (or something like that).
I fussed around with these settings thinking it wouldn’t be hard to get just the right level. But it was always either too strong or too weak (I’m like Goldilocks!). What I’d like to find is a chess game that let’s me set the level more intuitively (i.e. one made for stoopid folks like me). I would like one that has settings like “Level 1 - 10” or “beginner, intermediate, expert” (although I would like a lot more granularity then just 3 choices).
Can anyone recommend some good software?
ETA: I’d bet that there are already some threads about chess software on the Dope but I didn’t check because I think my needs (of finding one where it’s intuitive to select computer strength) probably wouldn’t be addressed.
More likely those threads would cover things that experienced chess software users would be interested in. That is not me! :smack:
A 1-10 scale might be tricky, because how does your 5 compare to someone else’s 5? 10 would presumably be the best the software is capable of, but should 1 be something a kindergartner could beat, or something for the middle-school chess club?
You might have better luck finding one that lets you set the Elo rating, which is the standard method for evaluating the strength of chess players.
Yes! That would be great. Do you know of any such programs? As for the 1 - 10 levels, I thought of it as just the relative strength of the program’s chess engine. 1 being very easy, and 10 being as good as the engine can play.
I’m no chess software expert but I would consider checking out Fritz Chess 14 on Steam. It supposedly adjusts its playing strength automatically; however, it isn’t free. Fritz Chess 15 (I think) is the latest Fritz, but it hasn’t made it onto Steam yet, but I can’t imagine there’s that much of a difference.
Looking on Steam I found “Simply Chess”. It is free, uses Stockfish AI (world class) and has 100 difficulty levels. That might be exactly what you’re looking for.
That sounds great but I’d rather not have to load up Steam every time I want to play. I happened to see some poor reviews about it’s user interface but who knows if that’s just griping by malcontents.
I play chess in my browser with lichess.org, which is free, no registration, and vs computer or against human, including online. All you need’s an internet connection. Just visit the site, press “Play with the machine” on the right, one more click and you’re playing (against the computer). I play on Level 2 out of 10.
I think I started playing chess there after someone from this board recommended it.