The Classic Strategy Game Computers Were Made For

Will Hare, face of the Chessmaster, from one of his film productions.

My service and family lives take precedence which will be making blog posts less frequent, yet the blog itself will remain alive and may serve as a drafting board for something greater in the future. I know after this long I have little of an audience anyway, but I write more for myself and hope that the repositories of information I have compiled may serve as a reference accessible online where (short of Wix itself going down) it ought to be safer than keeping on a computer (my prior laptop died and I am writing on a new one, but a lot of old files are presently inaccessible). If you are reading, thanks and enjoy.

Much of what I have written about draws from my younger gaming experiences; today is no exception. I first learned how to play chess from The Fidelity Chessmaster 2100 for DOS by the Software Toolworks. I never really got that good at the game, though I played the occasional school tournament (winning my fair share) and never lost appreciation for the way the games exercises the human mind to plan ahead, think critically, and own mistakes (since there is no die roll, card draw, or any factor involving chance). I have reached the point of teaching chess to my son, and integrate games as part of his mental growth both in the factors involved as well as learning how to deal with losing gracefully (an important lesson in life for this generation especially).

If marketing claims and sales figures are accepted at face value, The Chessmaster is the most successful of all home computer chess franchises. There is no small amount of competition on that front, including some cross-pollination of developers like David Kittinger, and the series appears to have been left out to pasture since Chessmaster Live for Xbox 360 (itself derived from an older console version). This puts it firmly in the retro camp, and today's post will encompass an appreciation of the early days showing the steps taken to put chess in an accessible form on people's home computers (and game consoles).

What made The Chessmaster so successful when there were other good-playing chess options prior to 1986 and plenty of competition all the way to the 21st century? Simply, it is one of those cases in which impact was made early and that reputation built upon from there. That impact came from first editions not only being available for the great variety of systems for their time, but also offering both a challenge for experts and accessibility for the inexperienced: basically casting a wide net while striking that key Sid Meier-like balance between playability and fun (The Chessmaster 2000 was contemporary with Meier's Command Series of computer wargames).

The Chessmaster himself had a distinctive face that was a trademark of the franchise, just like that other famous franchise from The Software Toolworks: Mavis Beacon was, for its first 9 editions anyway, Haitian volunteer model Renee L'Esperance. Will Hare, who had a good resume but never achieved Hollywood celebrity impact, adorned the box art and title screens as The Chessmaster all the way to the final base editions in the early 2000s (past the point of his death in 1997). Success of the series ingrained it in other games, from Interplay attempting to one-up The Software Toolworks in its numbering schemes for Battle Chess (The Software Toolworks striking back, pun intended, with Star Wars Chess) to Spectrum Holobyte going full parody with National Lampoon's Chess Maniac 5 Billion and 1.

The Chessmaster 2000 (1986)

Tagline "The Finest Chess Program in the World" broadcasted that all bets were in from the start. The 2000 figure was from its play rating estimate (not a master but still challenging). This remains the one edition available for the widest variety of computers: initially geared towards 8-bit systems and IBM PC (early releases were under the older Software Country branding), the Amiga port was certainly the best of the initial 1986 wave but the Atari ST version in 1987 had enhanced voice with the Macintosh version having the best resolution. The game could be played via mouse (still not all that common in 1986), joystick, or typing moves in chess notation, and all offered either 2D or 3D board views.

This debut release focused on accessibility, hence its 6-figure sales success (which, in 1980s terms, was enormous for home computer software). Its documentation was something to behold, a labor of love on the history of chess and overview of prominent historical games included with the software. There was no independent tutorial (that would come in the next edition), but there was an option to guide novice players on legal moves. Topping all the special inclusions off was an offer in the box for a discounted initial membership in the United States Chess Federation (this would be in the next edition as well).

Over its 2+ years on the market The Chessmaster 2000 achieved success that not only raised the bar for any possible successor (or challenger) but defined the feature set expected in a chess program for home computers. Chess had, for decades, been used as a tool to refine computer development, though the days in which a computer would be capable of challenging a human champion were still some time off in the 80s. David Kittinger, the engine programmer, had previously delivered MyChess for 8-bit CPUs as well as the CP/M operating system, but with The Chessmaster 2000 he seized the high ground of chess for the home computer masses.

That core engine was essentially identical in all versions; like many games in 1986/87, it is better to think of the 16-bit variants as 8-bit ports rather than enhanced re-releases. The Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit ports are functionally the same with fine audiovisual details corresponding to system power (worst to best in the stated order), with the IBM PC version defaulting to eye-bleeding CGA but offering a unique text-mode as an alternative. Amiga, Macintosh and Atari ST top the heap, likewise tuned to the strengths of each system but none a bad choice...though it bears repeating that the Atari ST port is notable for being among the few early games for the system utilizing digitized speech, plus it supports high-resolution in monochrome thus one-upping Macintosh as well.

The Fidelity Chessmaster 2100 (1988)

Ditching the folio cover in favor of a regular box (hence the difference in proportions to 2000), this was named after acquisition of an engine license from Fidelity Electronics whose chess computers served as the basis of the engine for the Sargon series (another home computer chess franchise). Reportedly (and ironically) this applied strictly to the 8-bit computer versions of 2100 (perhaps due to the base engine being designed around 8-bit CPUs?). The 16-bit versions once again had their engine developed by Kittinger, marking the point in the series different systems diverged and the focus would eventually settle on development for one platform and be taken from there. What set Chessmaster 2100 apart was not the engine (only marginally stronger than its predecessor) but its slew of new features.

The reason Chessmaster 2000 remains the most accessible home computer version is Chessmaster 2100 picking platform winners and losers. Apple (both II and Macintosh) remained, with the first new 16-bit version of 2100 being for IIGS, however Atari (both 8-bit and ST) were dropped. Commodore 64, still trucking along in 1988, was covered while the DOS version the following year improved audiovisuals from 2000 in terms of digitized speech (not bad for PC speaker) and high-resolution EGA graphics. If presentation is the factor, though, the best version by far is the 1990 Amiga release (having a distinct title screen with a white background that matches the box) which offered a preview of features in the next version of The Chessmaster which was under development at the time.

Chess is chess and can only be improved in computerized form so much, yet The Fidelity Chessmaster 2100 exudes that "labor of love" effect in a way that would define the series from this point forward. A self-running tutorial teaches the rules of chess for beginners, a "newcomer mode" deactivates advanced processing for an easier computer opponent, and the new War Room view reveals computer thinking. While 2000 was a game of computerized chess anyone could get in to, 2100 ups the ante to a game that helps players get better at chess. Once again this is reflected in documentation and scenarios included on the disk: there are now two manuals (one dedicated to history and the special games, the other a sort of system-specific technical supplement which is still extensive due to the number of features).

The Fidelity Chessmaster 2100 is what served as basis for the first wave of The Chessmaster console ports. What extent of features were translated and/or improved upon is uncertain; special variances may exist that are uncovered by extensive analysis of how each plays (an effort not undertaken by the author for the sake of this blog post), but releases for Nintendo's Entertainment Systems, Game Boy and Sega's Game Gear were clearly more designed to build atop the "chess for the masses" approach of 2000 than being the chess learning tool of 2100. The Sega Genesis version is interesting due to being exclusive to the online-only Sega Channel, thus was released well after the other 4 ports; as such it carries the later Mindscape branding, and while it could possibly have adopted the different engine of later Chessmaster editions footage (upon the recent recovery of the ROM of it as well as many other Sega Channel games) suggest it actually matches the feature set of the 1991 Super Nintendo version.

The Chessmaster 3000 (1991)

Numbering based on rating is dropped and now follows in version sequence. The IBM PC, which with the runaway success of Microsoft Windows 3.0 has sounded the death knell of not only 8-bit computers but most 16-bit competitors, now has primary development platform status (though the Macintosh would continue receiving ports, albeit those would all come well after the PC releases). Finally, as was previewed in the 2100 Amiga port, the distinct gameplay sounds that come with the series became standardized as well as jumping to SVGA graphics. Visuals can be tinkered with: while some ports of 2100 supported bitmap edits to create customized chess pieces and capacity to edit colors had existed since 2000, 3000 is first to come with an extensive set selection of its own plus the greatest extent of customization options yet.

The Chessmaster 3000 marks a close to an era and the opening of a new one. This is the final edition to be built upon the engines of Dave Kittinger, who would go his own direction to develop WChess (which would be implemented in Sierra On-Line's short-lived Power Chess series). The Chessmaster 3000 is first to be re-released in an enhanced (not unlike Windows 3.0 itself) Multimedia Edition for CD-ROM which added the voice of former world champion Anatoly Karpov, special multimedia programming on chess history, and included both the original DOS and a new Windows version on-disc. 3000 Multimedia also made it to Macintosh.

The Chessmaster 4000 (1993)

Today's post closes here (as family life once again beckons), but it is an interesting case study. The Software Toolworks had acquired Mindscape, a publisher known for its board game licenses (like Battleship) and would adopt that branding come 1994, which would affect re-releases of 4000 such as the 1996 Macintosh port. The Turbo moniker of its initial release was likely due to transitioning from the Kittinger engine of the series up to this point in favor of The King by Johan de Konig (a Dutch system that achieved its biggest success via Chessmaster as it was used in all subsequent releases of the series), yet this was only used for the initial 16-bit Windows release then dropped for the Windows 95 and Macintosh ports. It was also the last for Macintosh for a while, 5000 plus 5500 being Windows-only.

The core of its change was the engine: the feature set only built upon that of 3000 (including Karpov in the multimedia CD version) though the game windowing system was given a new distinct look no longer merely adapting that of the base operating system. Music was an option, but the use of MIDI was not well-received (nor that fitting to the chess atmosphere). Each new version of The Chessmaster extended the library of historical games as well as visualization options, and according to Chess Programming Wiki a new version of The King engine was part of the Windows 95 Edition of 4000, but it would have to wait until 5000 (the tenth anniversary of the The Chessmaster franchise) to make the full jump into 32-bit, the internet, and American prodigy Josh Waitzkin becoming spokesperson for the remainder of the series.