Chess King 4 Deep with Houdini 4 Chess Software (New for 2014)

About installation: There were no installation problems. Chess King 4 lists compatibility through Windows 8. Other chess software I checked specified Windows 7. I had recently upgraded to Windows 10. That Chess King was the most likely choice to be compatible was a consideration. I watched Chess King Tutorial #2, the installation video (twice) and followed instructions. Checked that AutoPlay was enabled. Inserted Chess King DVD, installation window appeared, started. Prompt for folder location showed "C:\ChessKing" so no correction necessary (see installation video). Finished. After installation, checked for updates, got "You have the most recent version". Total installation took about 10 minutes. Registration URL with DVD is no longer active, so register on Chess King website. The software crashed fairly often at first, but this seems to have been the usual new software adjustment ("menu button does this, not that"), not compatibility issues.About the software: I am an average level chess nut. Curiosity about the powerful Houdini engine was my main reason for picking Chess King 4.Getting started with the software can be awkward. You may expect to set options, such as opponent level, and have a game automatically start (as in Chess Titans). Chess King is more complicated. There are menu buttons for chess training, for analyzing games, and for managing stored games. Playing an actual game means selecting "Classical Chess", the fifth option under the TRAIN button (and setting opponent level). Watching the first few online tutorials is a good idea. These videos are typically 3-4 minutes each. (For example, Tutorial #5 describes the "Classical Chess" option.)Since Chess King includes the very powerful engine Houdini, a database of millions of games, and provides game analysis capabilities, it may seem to be aimed at experts and masters. I found a range of options for players at all levels, including total beginners, to study chess and improve skills. "Puzzles" provide a sequence of chess quizzes starting at beginner level (how pieces move, simple captures and mates, etc.) and increasing to substantial challenges. "Quests" are simplified games where you play against Houdini but with advantages such as more pieces. See Tutorial #4. I found "Random Games" (Tutorial #7) especially interesting. You set some level of advantage. The software randomly generates a corresponding position, and you play it against Houdini. This is great training for concentration and planning, and the experience gave this average player a far more vivid sense of what master play means than playing over master games. Some careful thought has gone into making the software helpful for beginners and average players.An awkward point: The opponent level is not saved for unfinished games. If you start a game with opponent rating set to 1700 and save the game before finishing, then the opponent level is automatically reset to full Houdini strength when the unfinished game is called up. Advantages of computer chess usually include (a) adjusting the opponent level; (b) playing any time; (c) resuming an interrupted game later. Due to the reset, Chess King does not actually provide the last option.The overall organization and capability definitely justifies a 5 star rating, although I did hesitate a bit due to the awkward point noted.

I am a distinctly average chess player who's been looking for a modern chess software package that will provide me with the tools I need to improve my game, as well as serve as a worthy chess opponent. Over the years, I've tried several of the major chess engine/GUI combinations available for download, but I've usually found them very frustrating to use because they don't really help me learn how to play the game better, and I almost always lose to them - and lose badly - in only a few moves...Then I discovered Chess King 4 Deep, an excellent all-around chess software package that fulfills my needs better than any program I've ever used before. Here is a chess app that contains the Houdini 4 chess engine - one of the top-rated engines on the market today - and a host of other features that make learning and playing computer chess a pleasure for me.I've played several "rated" games against the Houdini 4 chess engine, which can be set at varying difficulty levels ranging from USCF rating of 800 (beginner) to approximately 2,800 (grandmaster). To date, I and have not been able to win a game versus Houdini at any level.I've also played against Chess King 4 in "fun mode," where the Houdini chess engine is not active. In this mode, I've actually managed to win a few games, but I still find the program a mighty challenge to beat!I have especially enjoyed playing the large variety of chess puzzles included with the application. These puzzles are a very helpful learning aid for me. They vary in difficulty level from beginning to grandmaster. Thus far, I am still working on chess basics.Chess King 4 works very well on my Windows 8.1-based laptop. The program is quick to load, very responsive, and has shown no compatibility issues with the operating system.I have one (very minor) gripe with Chess King 4: I wish they had made the chess board and pieces a bit larger. Even on my 15.6-inch laptop display, the board and pieces seem a bit small, cramped, and can be difficult for my 60-plus year-old eyes to see. (There is an option to make the board larger, but it's a temporary setting that only lasts for the user's current session. It should be made an option that the user can save and keep.) UPDATE: I recently discovered an option that solves this problem: checking the “Hide Engine” box on the Analysis page hides the engine and user profile panels, causing the chessboard to expand to a much larger and easier to see size.Since I purchased Chess King 4 Deep a few months ago, I have found my interest in chess greatly renewed. This excellent program has provided me with hours of challenging fun, and has definitely helped me improve my game. Highly recommended.

If you have 2 dual cores or more, analysis of positions and games is incredible and almost immediate. I already had Fritz 11 with it's convoluted menus and a million games to search; after I bought Chess King DEEP 4 I felt like I was in hyperdrive.At first I was worried because I couldn't see how to look up a position in its overwhelming 6 million game database as there was not checkbox for looking up a position in the "GAMES" tab (as it is in Fritz). Then I found it under the "MENU" tab in "search" and there's a "Current Position" choice. Other than that not being in the logical place, I have had a blast analyzing my old games, looking up better moves for certain positions I found myself in in the past. Plus it gives you 3 variations (versus the 2 in Fritz). I love looking up my favorites' (Tal, Fischer, Botvinnik) games and studying them.I haven't fully explored the "Train" tab and I guess that's maybe the point I'm making with this piece of software: there's so much to do and you could spend a lifetime with it enjoying the game of chess training, researching, analyzing.

The user interface is non-intuitive and there is little help included in the package. I had to go through a series of YouTube instructional videos to figure out how to do the things I wanted to do, and then go back through some of them again later because tabs, particularly "Analysis" don't give you much of a clue as to how they are supposed to work.I bought this version thinking I would be able to replace Fritz 13. For the time being I'm sticking with Fritz for game analysis and only using some of the Chess King 4 training functions.