Cheap Shredder 10 Chess Software on DVD (Software) Price

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Customer Reviews of Shredder 10 Chess Software on DVD

Very Strong; Only One Problem
I have Deep Shredder 10, which is for multi-processor systems or dual-core processors. As far as I can tell, it is as strong as Deep Fritz 10, which defeated World Champion Kramnik in a six-game match recently ( 2 wins, no losses). <
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>The only problem I have had with Deep Shredder is that it crashes whenever I try to play the Exchange Variation of the Caro-Kann in analysis mode. After 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5, Shredder crashes. There's a way around it: Play the variation in a different move order. But I shouldn't have to do this. Anyway, I'm happy with the product. I can't give it 5 stars because of the flaw I mentioned.

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Nothing to write home about
Pros <
>Very smart program, can outplay 95% or more of the players out . Has got quite a number of game available its database. Has internet play, VIP games, ratings and ladders etc. Has a number of the standard boards and peices to view . Possible to get basic game analysis of matches . <
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>Cons <
>Boring layout, 3d boards clunky, found was all too easy to drop/misplace peices.Hard to sometimes perform even basic functions like locate recently played game. Poor Icon design and placement. Uninspired internet design , very poor technical support. Most online play is limited to 3 minute wonders style (i.e. you can be waiting a long time to play a 30 min game ) . DVD had no multimedia or profiles or extras like interviews. Expensive for what essentially is basically an fritz 8 format with a smarter brain. No design upgrades or evolution of approach to computer chess. You only get a years worth of internet play on chessbase. And even then it seems to be given grudgingly. Compared that to other pc games , where online play is free for the life of the game, and there's usually a ton of websites, forums etc. Shredder support is nothing, except you can write them !!! <
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>Summary <
>Taste can vary of course and maybe some people like the bland approach to design. I personally thought the style of the Shredder 10 was functional but lacking. The online play layout is like a Bulletin board compared with rivals like Chessmaster X You'd think they would invest some resouces to a dynamic design . Gamewise it can beat 95% of most players, and thats where it good points are. I would like to have the analysis function better, to me it doesn't really give a good overview of the game. It points out obvious mistakes and side lines, but rarely do you get a grasp of the strategic side of the match. I personally wish I'd stuck with Fritz 8 .

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Sor far so very good
Why 4 stars instead of 5? Because as far as graphics go, the program doesn't compete with Chessmaster with its abundance of chessboards and pieces options (admittedly, many of them are so outrageous and impractical that they are ultimately useless). It does, however, have a few 3-D options that look somewhat minimalist but quite decent, with short, very distinct, and rather attractive pieces that never eclipse each other (especially when the board is angled to show much of the board in bird's eye view). I suspect that any serious player will be satisfied with this modest palette of graphical options, which offer a couple of 3-D boards and pieces that are perfectly readable or identifiable and permit easy playing (on a purely practical level). <
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>As for the Windows interface (apparently borrowed from Fritz 8), it is in my perception simple and straightforward. All in all, this program was not designed to dazzle you with visual bells and whistles; it was designed to impress the hell out of you with its artificial intelligence: the dominant Shredder 9 engine. The first thing I noticed that I found compellingly attractive was the way this engine played at lower difficulty levels (say, 1000). Unlike Chessmaster at this level, it doesn't produce a ridiculous and positively annoying blend of rational moves and insanely stupid and self-destructive ones; on the contrary, it produces rational moves throughout, though they may be shortsighted and modestly constructed, like the moves that a player with a 1000 rating would play. <
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>In short, I am very happy I made the switch from Chessmaster 9000 to Shredder 9, and I recommend this product to anyone who is more interested in playing chess than in being visually entertained by futile gimmicks. <
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