Chess King 4 with Houdini 4 Chess Software for Mac

Not only are there so many more programs available such as Fritz and HIARCS, but the people at Chess King are totally non responsive to technical support issues. The program has it's share of bugs. I wrote to them many months go by filling out the request form on their website - no reply. I tried another tac - I wrote directly to them via email - no response. A few days ago, I again filled out a form on their website with a tech question - no response. I tried again in a couple of days - no response. AVOID THESE PEOPLE AND BUY A PROGRAM THAT IS NOT ONLY MUCH SUPERIOR, BUT IS PRODUCED BY PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS!

Won't work on my Mac at all, even with the CD in place. On my computer, I have 4Gb RAM, ! Tb computer memory, 2.5 Tb on my RAID system.

The software is ok. But it was not what I expected. And it is not in the same class as a Chessmaster 9000 or better.

Chess King provides a nice environment that is primarily for training, but also allows you to play against the computer and a database to both save your own games and to research thousand of past games, and of course includes Houdini 4, a very strong chess database. Normally, you have to purchase a chess database, training tool, playing interface (GUI), and chess engine all separately, making Chess King a good value. The only thing that I don't like on the Mac version is that the application is not a native application for the Mac, but rather runs in a commercial version of WINE, a Windows emulator. I was already running WINE on my Mac Mini and had some difficulties in getting Chess King to install. I either had to create a new user account where WINE wasn't installed/configured, or uninstall my existing WINE environment. Anyway, not a big deal, but as a computer person, I am taking away a star. There isn't a lot of chess software for Mac, so Chess King is a welcome addition.

Great!

Be aware that this will not work on Mac Yosemite. The company is working on an update and probably will have it soon, as in November of this year.Also, this is not an Apple application. It is the PC version running in Wine (Wine is a free and open source compatibility layer software application that aims to allow applications designed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems). Wine is not an emulator (the acronym) in my opinion is never as good as a program written for a specific operating system.I really like this program. Hopefully, it will become available as a true Mac application.Update December 7, 2014:I have purchased the updated version of Chess King 4 for Mac. Having used it for almost a week, I see no problems with it. It appears to work fine with Yosemite. I have changeed my rating to 4 stars. I still believe native applications are better than Wine.Bottom Line, slow to load, but works very well.

As a Mac user I have struggled for years trying to figure out how to use SCID. I know SCID is very capable, but there is little or no documentation or help. My problem was solved, immediately, when I bought Chess King 4 for Mac. This is the easiest chess database I have ever used, and it works, right out of the box. Within the first hour, using the 5.5 million game GigaKing database that comes with Chess King, I'd build my own databases of each of my usual openings and defenses, games of famous players (and even some of not so famous players like my coach), and one of all my chess.com games so I can review and play through them, and analyze them using Houdini.I have only owned this package for a day or so, but it has been one of the most positive experiences I've had with a software package. There are over 20 excellent videos covering every aspect of using Chess King. I watched all of them before buying and these sold me on this product. See: http://chesskingtraining.com/products/online-video/chess-king-4-tutorial/And, if these aren't enough, Alexandra Kosteniuk and her husband, Diego Garces answer all email questions very quickly and thoroughly. This is a level of support I have not found in years. They take great pride in their Chess King database and strive to insure you have the best possible experience.I probably sound as though I work for Chess King, I don't. I am just a very satisfied customer and want to pass on my experience to others.Oh, I am still using OS-X 10.9.5 and have not upgraded to Yosemite, but Diego insures me that the latest version works just fine under Yosemite and that the upgrade is free (if you buy the DVD which is version 4.1 you will need to upgrade, if you by via the download option on their web site, you get version 4.2).Christmas will soon be here and I can't think of a better gift for anyone who plays chess. They offer a 20% discount Black Friday weekend, and a 10% discount any other time.

Chess King 4 currently is the best chess software for Mac. Database:5 453 157 games. Games are in CDP format.34 Annotated games. Corr2014 =667 413 games.PGN function: There is a PGN function. You can add other games. Annotated games are included 34.Help: Youtube tutorials.If you need further help there is an email contact. They answer fast.Purchase: On ebay a Chess King 4 key ring. In addition 4 down loads are allowed. For Mac and Windows.There is a serial number with the software. The engine is Houdini. Other chess software for Mac: Shredder. There are limitations on the amount of games in PGN that can be added.