Fritz 12 Chess Software Preview
Fritz 12
Fritz 12
Chess Playing Software Preview
It's been a while since we've seen an update for the chess playing software Fritz, so when you see the new version of our old friend as Fritz 12, you might not even recognize him - Fritz 12 is that upscaled and modern looking.
Since the early 1990's, Fritz has been the premiere chess playing program for training, analysis, and just plain old-fashioned sparring. Whether you want a post-mortem on your last tournament outing or a quick game (either against the Fritz chess playing engine or online against a human opponent), Fritz is still the first choice for serious chess players and casual hobbyists alike.
But Fritz has come a long way since the old DOS days when it was primarily a chess program for professionals and serious tournament players. Dozens of features have been added over the years which make Fritz the ideal electronic tool for everyone from beginner to grandmaster. Improved database functions, modular engines, chess training features - Fritz just keeps getting better and better with each new edition.
Fritz provides the perfect training environment for chess players who wish to improve their play with training, playing, and analysis features all combined in an integrated environment. Players can sharpen their skills with the numerous training drills geared toward various aspects of the game (like chess openings and endgames) in preparation for competitive games. Fritz also provides an environment for playing such games; players can test themselves in games played against Fritz (and other chess engines) or online against human opponents on the dedicated Playchess server. But Fritz doesn't leave players hanging after that - the software contains numerous analysis functions which can tell you where you went wrong and need to improve your play. Fritz can analyze any chess game, not just ones played against a chess engine or on Playchess; just input your game manually by making the moves on Fritz's virtual chessboard, set up the analysis parameters, and let 'er rip!
Fritz 12 is the latest in a long line of great chess playing programs. Current Fritz users will still find all the features and electronic tools they've come to know and love, as well as plenty of useful new additions to their electronic arsenal. Newcomers to Fritz will be dazzled by the wealth of chess utilities and tools the software provides, as well as by the Fritz 12 program's ease of use.
Fritz 12 New FeaturesFritz 12 Game Database
Among the new features are an expanded database of 1.5 million chess games from throughout history, useful for study, reference, enjoyment, and as a means of improving one's own chess. The earliest game in the database dates from the year 1625 while the newest games are from 2009, providing a generous representative sampling from the centuries-long annals of the royal game. A state of the art search filter gives you numerous ways to search for just the chess games you want (player names, tournaments, openings, results, even board positions or parts thereof), which can be mixed and meshed in near-infinite combinations. The search results can then be played directly on the screen on Fritz's "virtual chessboard" or printed out for "chess on the go".
Fritz 12 Engine
The latest Fritz 12 chess engine is also included, which contains additional positional knowledge over previous versions, resulting in an improved search algorithm; in plain English, it's a better and stronger chess engine for both playing and analysis than were its predecessors.
Fritz 12 New Look
What about the new features of Fritz 12 chess playing program? First of all, our old pal Fritz had a much-needed face lift since the last time we saw him. The user interface has been radically changed and is quite a bit more streamlined than previous versions. The old "MS Office" look of Fritz's pull down menus (introduced with Fritz 6 nearly a decade ago) is gone and has been replaced with a far more user-friendly chess menu:
The cumbersome sub-menus are gone; now you just click on a menu and the associated commands are not just separated and categorized, but are also all visible and available. You can select the chess program feature you want to use without the need to "drill down" through numerous sub-menus.
Other features of Fritz have been redesigned for Fritz 12; even something as simple as the analog chess clock has a cool new (yet charmingly retro) look:
Fritz 12 is a much more visually dynamic program than previous versions; in fact, some of the new chess features are entirely graphics-driven. For example, two of the brand-new features of Fritz 12 are presented in a "dashboard" view:
No, you're not driving a Lotus in the Grand Prix of Monaco. And, yes, this stuff does have chess significance. The "Hotness" gauge indicates the relative dynamic potential of a position: checks, captures, tactical chess threats, mobility, etc.; the higher the reading, the "hotter" the position. If the needle is down near "0", the position is pretty quiet. But if the needle's in the red, watch out! - it's about to hit the fan.
The "Mate-O-Meter" serves a similar function with a different application of the same general idea as the "Hotness" meter. If Fritz foresees a move sequence which sets up a checkmate threat, the needle will rise sharply. If the needle is down near zero there are no mate threats anywhere in Fritz 12's search, but if the needle pegs into the red, somebody's in some serious trouble in the current board position.
Fritz's Evaluation Profile has also been tweaked up in Fritz 12. The familiar "graph" view is still available, but there is an additional optional view available which is more visually striking. Fritz 12's 3D chess graphics are also improved and will load faster than in previous Fritz versions:
Fritz 12 Classification System
Fritz 12 features an improved chess opening classification system (more positions are recognized, providing a finer level of categorization), which also applies to the labeling of chess games which Fritz 12 analyzes. The "Spy" feature in Fritz (providing insight into what the engine is thinking) has likewise been improved in Fritz 12, eliminating some of the "vagueness" found in the prior versions. The Spy function will now tend to zero in on more easily-understood suggestions (clearer refutations and more direct threats) and will less often display "baroque" variations which wouldn't be obvious to a human player.
Fritz 12 Extras
The Fritz 12 package includes twelve hours of video chess tutorials geared toward all levels of chess player. These videos are not only a nice sampling culled from the assortment of Fritz Trainer DVDs (available separately), but constitute a valuable learning resource on their own.
Fritz 12 at Playchess.com
Speaking of "learning resources", the hot news is that the Playchess server will now be offering weekly tutorial videos showing you how to get the most out of your Fritz and ChessBase software. These videos comprise just a small sampling of what you can find on the Playchess Internet chess server. You can use your Fritz 12 software as a user interface to play chess against other chess players worldwide any time of the day or night, earn a chess rating, even play in tournaments and possibly win prizes. Your games are automatically saved to your hard drive, where you can review them later and even have the Fritz 12 engine analyze them to show you improvements to your play. In addition to an archive of instructional videos, there are regularly scheduled real-time chess broadcasts in which strong internationally-renowned chess players teach you chess skills and review instructive great games of the past.
Professional chess tournaments worldwide are often broadcast on Playchess, allowing you to watch games as they happen. The Playchess interface has also been revised for Fritz 12; it contains many new features to enhance your online playing experience, with better game grouping for "opponents wanted", optional desktop alerts for friends and titled players, faster player searches, additional display tools for computer vs. computer games, and new "Multi-watch" functions among the improvements.
All of these features (and more!) are available on the Playchess server, and you get a twelve-month Premium Playchess subscription as part of your Fritz 12 purchase price.
So what are you waiting for? Whether you're a beginner or a grandmaster, Fritz 12 offers you plenty of instructive and fun features designed to help you improve your chess skills, so order your copy from ChessCentral today!
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