Chess Combinations Encyclopedia

by Convekta

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• ASIN: B0009P57LS
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 15, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,836 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)

Product Description

Chess Combinations Encyclopedia is a fundamental program on chess tactics including more than 4000 training examples and exercises classified by more than 100 tactical methods and motifs. The complexity of the exercises grows inside each theme from beginner to advanced chess player. Individual ratings are calculated on the basis of the user's performance and statistics are gathered for each user. When studying each theme step by step, you can master all the tactical methods and improve your play drastically.Specifications:Languages: English, German, French, Spanish and ItalianCD, printed manual and plastic box System Requirements: Win 95/98/ME/2000/XP, No additional software required

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but worthwhile nonetheless, May 11, 2006

By 

David Small (Hobart, Tasmania Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chess Combinations Encyclopedia (CD-ROM)

After trying out a number of chess training software packages, I have become a great fan of their use. Books provide information, but they are expensive and often limited in their scope. Software has the great advantage of being able to provide students of the game with a very large number of training exercises. This is indispensible for training in pattern recognition (the key to chess mastery). Software has the added advantage of not being a passive learning medium - problems can challenge the student. In addition, the student's focus is on the board, not on the text of a book, which provides a more intense learning experience. Furthermore, repetition, which is the key to learning, is easy with this format.

It is often said that chess is tactics, tactics and tactics. Well, if that is the case (and I am not totally convinced) then the chess combinations encyclopaedia is a good start. There are 4000 examples of tactics, most fairly easy, but that is good, especially for lower rated players who need training in tactical patterns.

The Chess Combinations Encyclopedia follows the traditional Convekta format, which I prefer over some other formats. There are problems to solve and tests and a rating is given based on performance (which is not very meaningful as the rating is set too high and the user is given the impression that there is a rating improvement, when there probably isnt).

The problem with the CCE is a problem I have encountered with other Convekta software. For some of the problems, the solutions are simply wrong. For example, on one problem I was asked for the best move and chose a mate-in-one. But the program refused my choice, "told" me I had played a bad move, and proceeded to show me a long variation that won. Hmmm.... For other problems, I found that the program refused my choice, didn't allow any other choice, and then when I finally got it "wrong" enough times, it proceeded to show me that my original choice was the best move...hmmm.

Having said that, this is a nice collection of problems and if you ignore your rating and ignore the program flaws, you will get something out of it. Especially recommended for people rated below 1900 (USCF) or 1800 (FIDE).

PS I am currently rated 2000-2100 FIDE.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great exercise tool for advanced players, July 17, 2008

By 

Andre E. Harding (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chess Combinations Encyclopedia (CD-ROM)

My rating is about 1900 USCF, and for someone rated at that level, I saw myself as a "fair" tactician.

For some reason, I started having problems with calculation awhile ago. I didn't forget the various tactical themes a player learns, but I made lots of mistakes in calculating and in putting ideas together correctly. On occasions when I analyze with masters and titled players, they always tell me that I spot good ideas. In practical games, however, I was having problems.

I decided that I simply had to work on my tactics. I was a player who never really liked tactics: I could competently figure out "Mate in X," but I had a hard time in complex positions with a myriad of options for both sides.

Over the past couple of months, I have started to work seriously with Chess Combinations Encyclopedia, while also strengthening my openings and endgame play. I do not use the "Study" or "Practice" functions of this program, rather I use the "TEST" function. I set the program to test me on "All Themes" and I usually choose to do "New" problems, though I sometimes choose "Erroneous" to redo those that stumped me. Typically I let it test me on 40 or 50 problems.

One more important thing: I set the difficulty from "0" to "2800." These are the leftmost and rightmost bounds, but you can adjust them in-between however you wish. The result is that there are a lot of easier problems, but there are certainly a number of difficult ones to stimulate you. The program deducts points if you get a solution wrong (sometimes they deduct too many or too few, I think!).

I can say that the program has definitely strengthened my tactics: calculation and accuracy. I am amazed, really, at how much these two aspects of my play have improved in such a short period of time. The user doesn't want to lose points on the test, so you focus really hard to be precise! When working through a tactics book, there is a tendency to "forgive yourself" if you miss something "insignificant"...

About the statistics and ratings: reviewers of Convekta programs often say their rating results are set too high, but I'm not sure of the extent to which this is true. Over my last 966 problems solved, they give my Elo as 2429, with an 89% success rate [in solving the problems]. The program is not telling me that I play chess at a 2429 level, but that I can find combinations (given by the program) at this level. I don't find this too far-fetched, considering the tactics I regularly see masters overlook. The problems should be solved by straight calculation, and other factors such as opening preparation, endgame technique, psychology, and strategic mastery don't enter into it. One day a few weeks ago when I was really on fire, the program ranked me at 2631 with 98% success! I've also had a few 2500+ performances. Typically, I sit in the 2380-2480 range with 88-94% success. Maybe the program is ~200 points too high, but I'm not so sure about that.

There is a graph that displays your rating progress over time (picture a shaded line graph for a stock). I think this is helpful, encouraging, and fairly accurate. When I first started working with the program many, many months ago before I was serious about it, I was at a ~1900 level. Then, I got better and was at a 2100-2200 level according to the program. The improvements then became small, but the trend was definitely upward, and I notice this difference in both my solving and my play.

Like a previous reviewer said, the program DOES sometimes give answers that are not the best and deducts points if you happen to spot an instant mate! Also, some problems don't "work properly": you're ready to begin and then it takes you through half the solution. These types of problems occurred less than 5% of the time though.

I would add that in my last tournament I played three 2100+ players and one 1900 player. Tactically, I outplayed all four of them, the first time in my career I consistently outplayed such opponents consistently. The reason I got only one point is because my technique was faulty and my decision-making let me down at critical points (these are two aress I'm also working on).

I feel more confident, too: coupled with my results on the ICC, I'm not afraid of anyone (tactically) below the rank of International Master.

I used to have CT-Art but lost it. When I'm nearing the end of this program, I will purchase CT-Art, as some people say it is tougher.

Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Shoddy Company, Sloppy Programming, Decent Product, January 17, 2009

By 

M. Montgomery - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chess Combinations Encyclopedia (CD-ROM)

First let me say that I came to Amazon to find out if I was crazy. After about 45 minutes of searching for an errata, a bug fix, or something from Convekta, most of the time following broken links on their website to other reviews, I decided to see what my fellow users at Amazon had to say. What does that tell you about the company?

In the middle of a training exercise, I find Morphy's move - 60 points worth of difficulty. I see the mate. The computer plays a move - tells me it's my move - and locks up. Great. I'm betting, as a programmer I'm guessing, someone forgot to put the rest of the line in the data file. So the user is stuck. If they aren't computer literate they are in double trouble because they think their computer locked up. Eventually when you try to quit, it warns you about quitting the exercise, which you are still solving, though the computer won't take any of your answers. Computer hell!!!

Most of what the other reviewers have said I agree with. The program is good when it works right. But the contempt for the customer is staggering to me. And it is not limited to this program. Why do the programmers at Convekta not know how to write a routine that stores the changes you make to board color or animation speed so that they work time after time without resetting them? So that you don't have to trick the program like in CT-ART? Why does their Rybka interface lock up so often?

When I buy the new Rybka I am buying the ChessBase version. Whenever I have a choice, I am avoiding Convekta software. At least until the company lets the user know, via their website, that the problem is known, Convekta's and unfixed.