Monday, December 8, 2003
Analyze This!
Posted by Andy Sjostrom in "SOFTWARE" @ 07:20 AM
The number one Pocket PC application I use most frequently, besides Calendar and Contacts, is Pocket Fritz 2. I recently wrote a review of Pocket Fritz 2 and two other chess games, and since then I have gradually played Pocket Fritz 2 more and more. The current development assignment I on requires me to commute every day, so I have lots of "in between time"...
I am sure most of you heard about the latest man vs machine chess match between Garry Kasparov and X3D Fritz, which finished 2-2 after a last game draw. I followed the match carefully and used Pocket Fritz 2 extensively to analyze their games. If you are the least interested in chess read on and check out the cool analysis features I learned more about here! If you to choose to not read on, at least check out this awesome glimpse of latest of Fritz chess games, Deep Fritz 8, the same chess engine used in the latest match against Garry Kasparov.
"Obviously your first step is to launch Pocket Fritz2. Then go to the File menu and tap on "New Game". The next steps aren't so obvious. If you want to be able to make moves for both sides (without PF2 replying) and see the program's analysis of the moves as they're made, you need to tap on the Edit menu and select "Options" -- then select the "Input" tab, click on the arrow to pull down the "Mode" menu, and select "Analyse". Then tap the "OK" button (located in the upper right corner of your Pocket PC's screen). You'll see a narrow window appear below the PF2 chessboard; in this window you'll see the Pocket Fritz2 engine analyzing the position. To reduce the board size and increase the size of the analysis window (in order to make the analysis window's contents more readable), go to the Toolbar at the bottom of the screen and tap the button that looks like three overlapping windows. This also increases the size of the clock pane and notation pane -- the basic layout is similar to the default for the same panes in the PC version of Fritz. (For more on the Toolbar buttons see the next-to-last paragraph of this article)."
"But what about the TV commentators' analysis? How can we keep track of that? It's pretty simple to add variations to a game in PF2. Let's say that Black has just played 7...0-0, but the commentators want to explore what might have happened after 7...Bb7. You would simply use the arrow buttons below the chessboard to take back 7...0-0 (by tapping on the left-arrow button) and make the move 7...Bb7 on the chessboard. A new window will appear and give you several options in the form of buttons; in this case, you'd click on the "New line" button. After you do so, you'll see 7...Bb7 appear as a bracketed subvariation in the notation pane.
Of course, you could enter PF2's analysis in the same way. If you're looking at the engine's analysis after White's seventh move and you see that PF recommends something other than 7...0-0 as was actually played, you could take back 7...0-0 and make PF's suggested move (as well as any moves following it). And to jump to any position in the game or its variations, just tap on a move in the notation pane."
I am sure most of you heard about the latest man vs machine chess match between Garry Kasparov and X3D Fritz, which finished 2-2 after a last game draw. I followed the match carefully and used Pocket Fritz 2 extensively to analyze their games. If you are the least interested in chess read on and check out the cool analysis features I learned more about here! If you to choose to not read on, at least check out this awesome glimpse of latest of Fritz chess games, Deep Fritz 8, the same chess engine used in the latest match against Garry Kasparov.
"Obviously your first step is to launch Pocket Fritz2. Then go to the File menu and tap on "New Game". The next steps aren't so obvious. If you want to be able to make moves for both sides (without PF2 replying) and see the program's analysis of the moves as they're made, you need to tap on the Edit menu and select "Options" -- then select the "Input" tab, click on the arrow to pull down the "Mode" menu, and select "Analyse". Then tap the "OK" button (located in the upper right corner of your Pocket PC's screen). You'll see a narrow window appear below the PF2 chessboard; in this window you'll see the Pocket Fritz2 engine analyzing the position. To reduce the board size and increase the size of the analysis window (in order to make the analysis window's contents more readable), go to the Toolbar at the bottom of the screen and tap the button that looks like three overlapping windows. This also increases the size of the clock pane and notation pane -- the basic layout is similar to the default for the same panes in the PC version of Fritz. (For more on the Toolbar buttons see the next-to-last paragraph of this article)."
"But what about the TV commentators' analysis? How can we keep track of that? It's pretty simple to add variations to a game in PF2. Let's say that Black has just played 7...0-0, but the commentators want to explore what might have happened after 7...Bb7. You would simply use the arrow buttons below the chessboard to take back 7...0-0 (by tapping on the left-arrow button) and make the move 7...Bb7 on the chessboard. A new window will appear and give you several options in the form of buttons; in this case, you'd click on the "New line" button. After you do so, you'll see 7...Bb7 appear as a bracketed subvariation in the notation pane.
Of course, you could enter PF2's analysis in the same way. If you're looking at the engine's analysis after White's seventh move and you see that PF recommends something other than 7...0-0 as was actually played, you could take back 7...0-0 and make PF's suggested move (as well as any moves following it). And to jump to any position in the game or its variations, just tap on a move in the notation pane."
