Games to introduce kids into chess

[Yautja]

Happy new year 2016 everyone,

 

I want to introduce my kids into playing chess. Which Atari game(s) would you recommend me?

 

Thanks in advance for your opinnions,

 

- Y -

[Keatah]

VideoChess for the win!

[Gabriel]

Dragster

 

wait, what?....

 

Edit: Sorry, couldn't resist. Also didn't notice that this is in the computer forum.

Edited January 1, 2016 by Gabriel

[NE146]

http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Moves-1091-Stress-Chess/dp/B0007Q1IO4/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1451673720&sr=1-1&keywords=No+Stress+Chess

[olavese@online.no]

http://www.atarimania.com/list_games_atari_search_99.104.101.115.115._8_G.html

 

Chessmaster 2000 perhaps? Or Atari's own Chess, which even I can beat (okay to win a little while learning ) or perhaps Parker Chess. The others I struggle to win in, but I only know where the pieces can move, not how smart it is to move it there :-)

[+CharlieChaplin]

Hmmm,

 

1) for some fun and if your kids like to cheat (use illegal moves), try Chess! by John Krause, released as a type-in listing in Compute! magazine; to make the game and init. faster use e.g. Altirra Basic (instead of Atari Basic); the computer will only make legal moves, but it does not check if you are making legal moves...

 

2) for beginners and some fun try Atari Chess (or simply Chess by Atari) and/or Masterchess by Mastertronic. Both programs are rather weak and make many stupid moves and mistakes...

 

3) some of the better chess programs are Parker Chess (Chess by Parker), Chessmaster 2000, Sargon 2 (or Sargon II), Sargon 3 (or Sargon III), Microchess, Mychess, Chess 7.0 (by Odesta), Colossus Chess 3.0, Colossus Chess 4.0 (and hacks/cracks named Colossus Chess 4.1, 4.2) and SuperQuerg Chess.

[+therealbountybob]

Archon

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I highly recommend Hoyle's Majestic Chess for the PC that came out in 2003. Awesome graphics but also teaches strategy in a cool way kinda like an RPG where as you learn techniques you unlock new stuff.

 

[mckafka99]

If you have an iDevice, below is how my daughter learned to play chess (other than my teaching)

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dinosaur-chess-learn-to-play!/id405842432?mt=8

[Andromeda Stardust]

I cut my teeth on the Chess Champion 2150L in the early 90s when I learned to play. I still have my original machine with all 32 pieces and it works great. A vintage dedicated Chess computer IMO is better than a crappy 8-bit video game.

http://chesscomputer.org/radioshack-chess-champion-2150l-64-levels/

 

Runs on batteries or DC adapter. It stores your game progress in RAM memory and you can back up moves, useful if you made an blunder at some point during the game and want to do it over, or just study the game. The magnetic pieces sit on tactile buttons and stow away underneath the machine. To move, you press down on your piece, then move it to the new square and press down again. CPU works the same way. So you can play against the computer or with a human opponent. Also plenty of difficulty settings. I would recommend finding a nice vintage chess computer on eBay or Craigslist or somewhere before using an old video game. Old chess video games seem to be hit or miss in terms of AI quality. If you must use a video game simulation, I would recommend playing chess on a modern platform like a mobile tablet or PC. You can also play matches online which is good for learning.

 

Human players are always better than CPU I have found. You can practice against a computer until you think you're good, then play against a human and your opponent does something unexpected and kind of throws a curve ball. into your game. You need to know how to take advantage of human mistakes but also beware of tactics such as bait pieces, pinning, forking, or what I like to call the Kamikaze checkmate. A Castled king seemingly safely tucked away behind three pawns and a rook can be one move away from a checkmate if the opponent queen, guarded by a bishop or knight, attacks one of the pawns from across the board diagonally. Such attack is easy to block to the trained eye, but can spell a quick demise for the novice player.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Well if you want to discuss hardware I'm still saving up for the Hammacher Schlemmer Robotic Chess Companion

 

[Yautja]

Hello everyone,

 

Thanks for your answers. In fact, I was looking for alternatives in Atari 8 bits computers.

 

- Y -

[russg]

Hello everyone,

 

Thanks for your answers. In fact, I was looking for alternatives in Atari 8 bits computers.

 

- Y -

I play Sargon III all the time. I'm not a novice and it beats me regularly, so it might be too hard.

If you play the .com version without the opening book, it is a little weaker.

This has three versions, all Sargon III. A boot disk original version, put open book in d1: after start,

a two drive boot version, put the open book in D2: and it automatically uses it with the boot .ATR.

and finally the .com version, which will use open book in D2:, but plays fine for a beginner with

no open book, no disk in D2:.

note: the .com version is a binary load from DOS version. Any DOS will do.

There are three .ATRs. One open book .ATR, one original, put open in D1:

and one two drive boot disk .ATR that auto loads open from D2:. It errors

out, but works without open in D2:, just like the .com version.

sargon3.zip

Edited January 15, 2016 by russg

[Synthpopalooza]

Don't forget the immortal Laser Chess, from a Compute! magazine type-in.