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Product information

ASIN

B000SL4ANE

Release date

October 30, 2007

Customer Reviews

4.1 185 ratings

4.1 out of 5 stars

Best Sellers Rank

#93,901 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
#24,465 in PC Games & Accessories

Package Dimensions

7.4 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches; 8 ounces

Type of item

Video Game

Rated

Everyone

Item model number

68366

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer

Yes

Item Weight

8 ounces

Manufacturer

Ubi Soft

Date First Available

July 13, 2007

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Product Description

Product description

Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition PC

Manufacturer's Notice

System Requirements

Supported OS: Windows Vista®/Windows® XP (only)
RAM:
256 MB (512 MB recommended)
Video Card: 32 MB DirectX® 9.0c-compliant video card (128 MB recommended) Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c-compliant sound card optional DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c or up
CD-ROM: 16x CD-ROM or faster Hard Drive Space: 600 MB (2.3 GB recommended) Multiplay: 56 Kbps or faster for Internet or LAN play (broadband recommended) Peripherals Supported: Mouse, keyboards, headsets, ultra 3D glasses (not included) Supported Video Cards at time of release:
NVIDIA® GeForce™ 3/4/FX/6/7/8 series (GeForce4 MX NOT supported)
ATI® Radeon® 7500/8000/9000/X series
Laptop versions of these cards may work but are NOT supported. These chipsets are the only ones that will run this game.

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

185 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers like the quality, appearance, value, and versatility of the chess software. They mention that it has very good teaching tools, it looks pretty nice, and is worth the purchase price. Customers also appreciate ease of use, and playability. However, some customers have reported issues with the speed of the product.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

43 customers mention38 positive5 negative

Customers like the quality of the chess game. They say it's an excellent game for the beginning and intermediate player, and it makes the learning fun. The teaching tools are appropriate for most players, and the game provides a very well rounded chese education. It's a great ches tutorial, and there is a fun module to entertain younger children while they become familiar with it. They also mention that the game was perfect and exactly as presented.

"This program is jam packed with features. Excellent software overall...." Read more

"...This is a great learning tool for new comers to chess. It teaches the basic principles than can be applied to even the most modern of computer..." Read more

"...training exercises, this version contains the best tutorials and exercises for chess learning that I've ever encountered...." Read more

"...As noted below, I do feel it is an excellent product, largely because it includes nearly all of the same features of previous editions...." Read more

20 customers mention16 positive4 negative

Customers like the ease of use of the video game software. They say that it is very simple to learn, the tutorials by Joshua Waitzkin are engaging, enlightening, and entertaining, and the online play is fairly easy to set up. They also mention that it's a great start for beginners and advanced beginners, and that it installs easily on any machine. Customers also appreciate the superb interface, which makes it easy to play rated games and tournaments.

"...So it's easy installing on any machine. And now the next time I get a new machine or travel to a new destination, I don't need the CD...." Read more

"The best thing about this software is that it has a superb interface that makes it's options very easy to implement...." Read more

"I bought this product because of the other reviews. I really like the tutorial...." Read more

"Great product! Stunning graphics and an easy to use interface combined with a plethora of game and viewing options truly stand out...." Read more

12 customers mention10 positive2 negative

Customers like the value of the video game software. They say it's worth the purchase price, a nice program when the price is right, and a great buy.

"...These benefits are most definitely worth the extra (like $8) I paid." Read more

"All versions of ChessMaster offer excellent value for learning chess. ChessMaster GrandMaster Edition is the best version for one's chess education...." Read more

"...Let me clarify: all of the Chessmaster products are well worth their price tags...." Read more

"...The value is tremendous for the price." Read more

8 customers mention8 positive0 negative

Customers like the playability of the physical video game software. They mention that it works wonderfully with tons of different gameplay options, has lots of levels to play against, and that they love all the features of the game. They also appreciate the separate courses that can be taken and the lesson are given in logical sequence.

"This program is jam packed with features. Excellent software overall...." Read more

"...It's great to go back and review sections and be able to play through the examples. I don't have other chess programs to compare this software to...." Read more

"...graphics and an easy to use interface combined with a plethora of game and viewing options truly stand out...." Read more

"I love all the features of the game. The voiceovers, the different chess sets, and the explaining of alot of chess history...." Read more

5 customers mention5 positive0 negative

Customers like the appearance of the game. They say it looks pretty nice compared to Fritz, has a superbly designed interface, and has shinny GUI. Customers also appreciate the cool wallpapers assigned to each chess set and the very complex design.

"...a serious player wants, and getting there is easy with it's superbly designed interface." Read more

"...-New tutorials from Larry Christiansen, added in version 10. Kind of cool, because he details his match against Chessmaster, but rather disorganized..." Read more

"...It's a shame, because this game looks pretty nice compared to Fritz, but the constraints are a deal breaker...." Read more

"Great product! Stunning graphics and an easy to use interface combined with a plethora of game and viewing options truly stand out...." Read more

4 customers mention4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the versatility of the product. They mention that it offers everything a serious player wants, is good for the average player, and is ideal for the casual player. They also appreciate the good teaching tools that are appropriate for most players. Overall, customers are happy with the quality and content of the game.

"...Look no further. This software is first rate. It offers everything a serious player wants, and getting there is easy with it's superbly designed..." Read more

"...The content alone is invaluable but the fact that he (Josh) actually speaks during the lessons and the fact that they are interactive makes this..." Read more

"...I think it is ideal for the casual player, giving you the choice of levels of play." Read more

"Chessmaster has very good teaching tools that are appropriate for most players. Lot's of levels to play against...." Read more

26 customers mention13 positive13 negative

Customers are mixed about the performance of the product. Some mention that it works wonderfully with tons of different gameplay, while others say that it does not work on their computer. The download system works flawlessly, and most are satisfied with the product's performance. However, some customers say that the product does not run on their Windows 10 computer and is not useful at all for tournament chess players.

"...These were found and installed automatically. No issues so far." Read more

"Lousy product. It will not run on windows 7. I had to return the product because of this fact. Chessmaster is a great program on windows 98!..." Read more

"...no longer supported, or even sold by Ubisoft any longer.. this program runs PERFECTLY on a "State of the Art" Windows 7 system...." Read more

"...Unfortunately, some of the tactical drills in the beginners module don't work right...." Read more

4 customers mention0 positive4 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the speed of the product. They mention that it can take 15 minutes in some moves, the computer opponent delays, and the download on DSL took around 3 hours. Some customers also have trouble loading up one of the lessons from one of teh teaching tools.

"...Whereas Chessmaster 9000 loads almost instantly, version 11 takes awhile, and plays an intro video every time...." Read more

"...It was worth a risk.Its nearly 2 Gig, so downloading on DSL took around 3 hours. I wouldn't want to try it with dial-up!..." Read more

"...It can take 15 minutes in some moves, which is an unnecessary wait considering you're playing a computer opponent with an average joe ELO...." Read more

"...Plus I'm having some trouble loading up one of the lessons from one of the teaching tools but that hasn't stopped me from playing it every single day..." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

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Victor Wai Tak Kam

excellent; kudos to Amazon digital downloads

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2011

Platform For Display: PC DownloadVerified Purchase

This program is jam packed with features. Excellent software overall. That has been said enough here already, but I'll try to add a couple negatives that might not have been spoken about:

- in Windows, you need a language locale that's, well, European. Otherwise the chess symbols (queen, king, pawn, etc) don't show up right. I had mine in an Asian locale so I had to set it back to US English and restart to get them to work. Kind of annoying.
- again, in Windows, if you go to "Make it easier to read what's on your screen" in ControlPanel/Display, and not pick 100%, the font size is too big for some boxes. In fact you can't even see the words on the pulldown menu at the top. They're there, you can see the options once you click on it, but you have to guess around a bit. Annoying. Not sure if it's their fault or Window's.

A big plus for buying the Amazon digital copy, even though when I got it the CD version was half the price. Now I no longer need to worry about losing CDs. It's also cheaper on Steam, but I elected Amazon because a) I'll have to install Steam and b) apparently I can't uninstall Steam without deactivating games I downloaded using Steam (or so I read). Amazon does require you to install the download manager or something, but you can uninstall that and the game still works. So it's easy installing on any machine. And now the next time I get a new machine or travel to a new destination, I don't need the CD. These benefits are most definitely worth the extra (like $8) I paid.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Lengo67

As Good as Expected, As Good as it Gets

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2011

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

The best thing about this software is that it has a superb interface that makes it's options very easy to implement. You can choose to play against the computer in a laid back comfortable way, or against it for rating, or set it up for learning very easily. If you choose to learn the openings, you can add variations to the openings that are found in books very easily. You can also play online against human opponents very easily. The user interface is superbly designed, and this is most important for any software.

Those who complain that this software doesn't give enough challenge have it wrong. It gives just the right amount of challenge, and I'm no newbie to Chess. It provides a relaxing, challenging game that at times will make you sweat, if you care to care about your chess playing that much. I don't. I expect a human player to make blunders, and this software makes blunders also, just like a human does.

If you want to play online, a simple set up gets you to a portal where others are looking for opponents, but it should be obvious to anyone that playing against a human opponent is much more fun when playing face to face. Nevertheless, finding an online opponent with this software is a snap.

This is a great learning tool for new comers to chess. It teaches the basic principles than can be applied to even the most modern of computer strategy games. Chess is the granddaddy of all strategy games, and Chessmaster is the most widely used Chess playing software. Look no further. This software is first rate. It offers everything a serious player wants, and getting there is easy with it's superbly designed interface.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Chris A. Kantack

The best "bang for your buck" for learning chess

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2010

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

All versions of ChessMaster offer excellent value for learning chess. ChessMaster GrandMaster Edition is the best version for one's chess education. With the addition of Josh Waitzkin's Chess Academy and other training exercises, this version contains the best tutorials and exercises for chess learning that I've ever encountered. You could easily spend over $100 on other chess educational materials and not get as good a chess education as you'll get from this product.

I also like the fact that this is the first version of ChessMaster that is not copy-protected. You can install the full product on a system and need not reference the original discs again. (Unless of course, you need to do a re-install of the program at a later time.)

However, all is not perfect with the GrandMaster Edition. The user interface is needlessly complicated compared to earlier versions. I also had problems with the "drop down menus" from appearing at all when I first installed the product. Eventually I was able to resolve my drop down menu visibility issue but have since discovered another problem.

The GrandMaster edition of ChessMaster cannot analyze a single chess position for more than about 10 to 15 minutes before crashing. I've verified this problem on multiple computers with both XP and Windows 7. This "deep analyses crash" will not be encountered by most users of this product as it only seems to occur when doing a very deep analysis of a single chess position. Fortunately I also own ChessMaster 9000 which I can use for analyzing a position for hours on end with no problems.

I highly recommended ChessMaster GrandMaster Edition for learning chess and for general computer chess play. However, those wishing to run extensive (very deep) computer analyses of chess positions should instead consider ChessMsster 9000 and other programs.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Joseph Pechie

Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

Installed in laptop running Windows 11. Updates for CM were already downloaded. These were found and installed automatically. No issues so far.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Luv-2-Read

Amazing! I learned a lot as a novice!

Reviewed in Canada on March 2, 2018

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

I love it, love it, love it!

It taught me a lot, for me being somewhat of a novice. The graphics are amazing and it is just easy to navigate through.

I highly recommend it!

Arrived quickly!

Thank you!

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

... to play with it and learn more about the great game.

Reviewed in Canada on February 16, 2017

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

wish I had more time to play with it and learn more about the great game.

jenniferhibbard

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on September 17, 2017

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

Excellent game. Arrived on time in good condition, and easy to install.

Jason Moschella

THE standard in chess software

Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2014

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

If you want to improve your chess game and don't have access to a real-life chess club or have friends who play, this software is essential. Computer ranges from super easy to extraordinarily challenging.

One person found this helpful

Daniel Dufour

Two Stars

Reviewed in Canada on September 5, 2014

Platform For Display: PCVerified Purchase

same as previous version

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