By Dale Farris
Golden Triangle PC Club
January 2006

Game Overview

Viva Media, the supreme children's software distributor, announces yet another new chess tutorial game with Fritz 9 Play Chess, a super game for children (and their parents) interested in learning how to play chess. With Fritz 9 Play Chess, parents have another wonderful software addition that will exactly meet their needs for a chess tutor program directly made for children.

As many readers likely know, children's software programs that are supposedly created to simulate reality, or offer experiential, interactive learning, many times fail to make the grade. However, as any computer owner familiar with the award-winning lineup of software from Viva Media knows, you can always depend on Viva Media for top quality programs, regardless the targeted age group.

In the special case of chess tutor programs, most readers are probably familiar with various of these programs that target adults, but finding such a program created at the level of children has been a problem. With Fritz 9 Play Chess you now have exactly what you want if you are interested in helping children learn to play chess.

What always stymies any computer software creator with a desire to create a program on learning to play chess is of course the inherent complexity of the game, something that just naturally makes for an added challenge if you want to help children learn to play chess by working with a computer program.  Fritz 9 Play Chess score a bulls-eye with the marvelously playful approach to a chess tutorial that will appeal to all children, as well as adults new to the game of chess.

Despite the fun you will have, the game is built on serious matters, namely how to play chess and all the subtle, powerful aspects that accompany playing this highly intellectual game. The "brain" in the game is the well known Fritz chess engine, used by grandmasters to train for tournaments.

The Fritz engine, the core of both games, is the most powerful Chess engine. Created by ChessBase, the world's leading chess software manufacturer, Fritz has now evolved into this 9th version since its birth in 1991. Fritz 9 Play Chess, the newest version, has the playing strength of current world champions. Many of the world's renowned grandmasters train with Fritz software.

Despite the power, Fritz 9 Play Chess is far from intimidating. With over 1,000 voice files and context-relevant chatter technology, Fritz comments humorously and in plain language about what is happening on the board.

According to world champion Vladimir Kramnik, Fritz is stronger than Deep Blue. Kramnik should know. Not only did he study Deep Blue extensively in 2002. That same year Fritz was Kramnik's opponent in the famous man vs. machine competition.

In 1999, Fritz became the only chess software to ever be played in space when it entertained cosmonauts living in the MIR space station. Fritz's narrator is a little spacey too. Hugh Spight was one of the aliens that appeared in the famous Star Wars: Return of the Jedi cantina scene.

As readers may suspect, learning chess with any particular approach is not an easy task, and once you get the basics of the different pieces and their movements, you have learned merely the beginnings of this ancient, powerful game. Learning chess takes time, patience, and practice, along with discipline and determination. Hence, Fritz 9 Play Chess is not going to magically result in hundreds of 8-year old chess masters. However, playing the game will provide you with hours and hours of fun as you learn to play chess.

More About Fritz

Fritz, developed by Chessbase, is ranked the number one computer chess software engine in the world computer ranking lists, and consistently outplays every other chess software on the market. Fritz is the software that battled it out in the famous Man vs. Machine events, most recently holding the human world champion to a draw. These events have fascinated millions when they were broadcast live on ESPN.

Playchess.com

Fritz 9 Play Chess comes with a full, one-year subscription to playchess.com, where kids can find still more information about and help on playing chess. You can even play online with opponents around the globe. This is a $24.99 value. Of course, you will need an Internet connection.

Game Play

Fritz 9 Play Chess, the #1 choice of true chess connoisseurs and professional players, has remarkable new and exclusive features for your unparalleled chess experience. All the tools you need for playing, learning, training, analysis and fun! Fritz 9 Play Chess is for all players from the aspiring novice to prodigious Grandmasters.

The powerful engine behind Fritz 9 Play Chess is the very same that tied World Champion Garry Kasparov in the televised 2003 New York competition. Play it in Friend Mode and the engine will automatically adjust to your playing strength!

Gary Kasparov will explain the famous Queen's Gambit opening strategy in the all-new interactive teaching video feature. Plus, improve your skills like never before using the unique interactive opening training course.

Zoom, tilt and rotate 6 brand-new highly detailed TRUE 3D chessboards and enjoy playing in the "Spanish Room," a one of a kind chess environment.

You move the pieces and interact with the screen by using the mouse.

Age Group

The box covers state the games are relevant for ages from 8 to 102, and I think the games are super choices for a CD ROM approach to a chess tutor. Adults will also likely have a great deal of fun learning to play chess with these marvelous games.

Features in Fritz 9

Super strong knowledge based chess engine: Fritz 9

Two 3D opponents, optimized graphics and physics engine

Updated and fully searchable 1 million games database covering 4 centuries of chess

Interactive training modules for attack, defense and check improvement with high score function

Position explainer offers positional commentary about the current position

New handicap-function for practical training of positional play

2 more ways to play: Engines for Giveaway Chess and Fischerrandom (Chess960)

3D surround sound on all boards

Evaluation profile with depth of calculation

Video beginners course (1 hr. video in Chess Media System) and additional video sample lessons

Continuous gameplay function – watch Fritz replay history’s most famous games back to back

Engines: 3 additional Main engines. Runs different engines under the same interface at the same time. UCI interface for Winboard Engines, Engine duels

Engine tournaments

Chessboards: 8 classic 3D boards, 2 3D symbol boards, 2 3D Character boards

Extreme 3D Mode, 2D customizable boards

Coach and help functions: Coach, Threatened Squares, Explain all Moves

Hint, Spy and Kibitz engine (parallel game analysis)

Levels: Full playing strengths, Friend Mode (engine adjusts to player’s strengths)

Sparring, Handicap and Fun, Shuffle Chess, Tournament Chess with ELO rating

Opening Book: 1 Million opening positions ECO classified, and fully searchable, interactive opening training

Analysis: Deep position analysis, full game analysis, find mistakes, analysis comparison with different engines, position evaluation, search mate position, additional analysis board

Commenting: Graphical commenting with arrows and highlights, medals, null-move

Educational Value

Obviously, the most significant educational value of this game is its tutoring in learning how to play chess. While many may think that learning chess can be tedious and difficult, in this game children will have a ton of fun as they learn the basics of chess. Once they have worked through the basics, they can of course move on to higher levels of playing chess. Any parent who desires their children learn to play chess now has the right computer software to help them in this endeavor.

Targeted Customers

Viva Media's marvelous game Fritz 9 Play Chess is targeted to the age group 8 to 102. While the youngest 8-year olds may indeed have fun with the game, because they are learning to play chess it will be a more likely success the more serious the player is about learning the game. Older children should also find the game to be a super tool to use in their initial learning steps, as well as to help hone higher level skills.

Again, Viva Media presents a title that provides super value to public libraries as a wonderful addition to their collection. The game could be made available on workstations for children and their parents to play, or they could be used as a super tool for use in Little Bookwork programs designed around the topic of learning to play chess.

Price

$39.99

Minimum System Configuration Requirements

Pentium II 300MHz processor
Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, XP
64MB RAM
DVD-ROM drive
Windows Media Player 9

Recommended
Pentium IV 2.2 GHz or better processor
Windows XP
256MB RAM
GeForce5 graphics card (or comparable) with 128 MB memory or better
100% DirectX compatible sound card
Windows Media Player 9
CD-ROM-drive

Installation and Setup

The game should install and set up with no problems. You do need the game disc in the CD ROM drive to play the games.

About Viva Media, LLC

Viva Media, LLC, is a privately held New York company dedicated to publishing a wide array of interactive content of the highest standards. The company's collection of more than 40 multimedia titles tout more than 30 awards for excellence in publishing. Viva Media features the award winning line of Viva Media Publishing. CD ROM games and the Viva range of titles include Viva Chess, Viva Adventure, and Viva Reference.

Contact Information

John W. De Feo
Media Coordinator
Viva Media LLC
580 Broadway, Suite 604
New York, NY 10012
212-431-4420, ext. 207
212-431-4420
FAX 212-431-4537
john@viva-media.com
mail@viva-media.com
www.viva-media.com

You can also order from other retailers or online vendors.