News & Updates
Some of our customers who are new to the chess scene sometimes ask us what the difference between Fritz 12 and Rybka 4 is. That is an excellent question that we’d like to clarify. Both programs are chess software that help teach chess. Here are a few other similarities:
- Both programs are in the “starter” chess market, offering a complete package for the chess player new to chess software.
- They both offer chess-playing engines, allowing you to play against a computer from beginning to advanced levels.
- Both programs feature a huge database of past games (over 1.5 million games in each) from the 17th century and later.
So what makes these two programs different? They are both quite similar and offer a very similar set of features. It is important to note that Fritz 12 is geared more toward the new and learning chess player. The program offers better competition for players who are newer to the game and are looking to improve. Rybka 4, on the other hand, is much more geared toward advanced players looking for a challenge. While they both offer the different skill levels, Rybka 4 is much better in the advanced category.
Buy Rybka 4
Buy Fritz 12
Written by guest author Jason Repa for Wholesale Chess
A continuation of Jason’s reviews of online chess sites. Be sure to check out Jason’s ICC review, ficgs.com review, and Yahoo Chess and PlayChess.com review.
Chesscube.com is a real-time chess server based in South Africa. It features a sharp and intuitive flash-based interface with fairly smooth gameplay. Chess 960, otherwise known as Fischer Random Chess, can be played there as well. This is the only chess variant they currently offer.
Chesscube.com utilizes a unique system of levels ranging from 1 through 20 that rewards you based on how much you play, referred to as XP (short for experience, not for the Windows operating system). The more you play the higher the level you achieve and the more features and functionality you ‘unlock’. New accounts start off at level 1, but even here, you are able to chat in public chat rooms (pending email verification), play in tournaments, post games to Facebook, set rating range for seeks, copy your games as PGN, etc. At level 2 you are able to Read more �
Written by guest author Jason Repa for Wholesale Chess
A continuation of Jason’s reviews of online chess sites. Be sure to check out Jason’s review of ICC and Yahoo Chess and PlayChess.com review
In the days before the public internet, correspondence chess referred to a game which involved a person setting up a position on a chess board, thinking about that position for sometimes days, or even weeks, then writing down their move(s) on a piece of paper, putting that piece of paper into a stamped envelope, and mailing it off to their opponent, who might be on a different continent. Not only did the moves sometimes take a long time to make, but on top of this there was the time it took to mail the letter. In an era of modern technology, with instant emails, voice, and video communication from any two places on the planet, this might seem like a ridiculous waste of time and money (spent on postage), but it did offer a unique chess experience which can no longer be replicated.
It was a form of the game in which two players had the opportunity to play to the best of their ability and without any restrictions on time or travel obligations. There was a profound Read more �
Written by guest author Jason Repa for Wholesale Chess
A continuation of Jason’s reviews of online chess sites. Be sure to check out Jason’s review of ICC.
Second on my list is www.playchess.com.
This server was created by the Chessbase Company which sells popular chess software. Their annual fees are comparable to ICC and you also have the option of getting a year membership with the purchase of any of their new chess playing software, such as Fritz, Rybka, Shredder, or the formidably expensive Chessbase database management utility. A free trial membership is possible as well.
They are based out of Germany, but have a fully functional English interface, as well as providing interfaces in a plethora of other languages. Playchess.com has by far the highest resolution interface and smoothest action for game-play of any chess server on the internet, which is why they began stealing many of ICC’s members when they first arrived on the scene about a decade ago. Read more �
Written by guest author Jason Repa for Wholesale Chess
In the early days of the public internet, there were few choices for those seeking to play chess in cyber space. On top of this, you had to contend with slow response times, crude graphics, and a limited number of prospective opponents. Live, or what is referred to in chess vernacular as over-the-board (otb) chess, was still very much alive and well as many chess aficionados didn’t want to make such concessions.
Today there are many dozens, if not hundreds, of chess servers, sometimes with tens of thousands of users logged on at once, offering everything from turn-based email chess, in which players may take days, or even weeks, to make a single move, to nerve-wracking bullet chess, where all of your moves must be made within a minute or two. In addition to that, Read more �
Copyright 2012 Wholesale Chess. All rights reserved.
