[{"TitleName":"Masterchess","Publisher":"Mikro-Gen Ltd","Author":"","YearOfRelease":"1982","ZxDbId":"0003057","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 1, Feb 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-01-19","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nDesigner: Oliver Frey\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Rod Bellamy\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Edwards\r\nProduction Designer: Michael Arienti\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\n\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nMono printing, typesetting & finishing by Feb Edge Litho Ltd. [redacted]\r\nColour printing by Allan-Denver Web Offset Ltd. [redacted].\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post included)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post included).\r\nSingle copy: 75p\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to CRASH please send articles or ideas for projects to the above address. Articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope\r\n\r\nCover Illustration:Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Mikrogen, 48K\r\n£6.95\r\n\r\nA program with ten playing levels, options to alter the board and piece colours to suit, setting up the board - good for problem solving - recommended moves and game saving, all make Mikrogen's chess game a strong contender.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"59","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 4, May 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-04-19","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":128,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nEditorial [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nColour origination by Scan Studio, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Plymouth Web Offset Ltd, [redacted].\r\nDistribution by Comag, [redacted]\r\nAdditional setting and process work by The Tortoise Shell Press, [redacted].\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post free)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post free).\r\n\r\nWe cannot undertake to return any written or photographic material sent to CRASH MICRO unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Mikrogen, 48K\r\n£6.95\r\n\r\nA program with ten playing levels, options to alter the board and piece colours to suit, setting up the board - good for problem solving - recommended moves and game saving, all make Mikrogen's chess game a strong contender.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"64","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 13, Apr 1983","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1983-03-17","Editor":"Nigel Clark","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial Director: Nigel Clark\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nProduction Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nStaff Writer: John Gilbert\r\nDesign: William Scolding\r\nEditorial Director: John Sterlicchi\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Ross\r\nStates Executive: Annette Burrows\r\nEditorial/Production Assistant: Margaret Hawkins\r\nManaging Director: Terry Cartwright\r\nChairman: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by ECC Publications Ltd. it is not in anyway connected with Sinclair Research Ltd.\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nAll departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to any of the Sinclair User group of publications please send programs, articles or ideas for hardware projects to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nECC Publications.\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrograms should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe will pay £10 for each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1983\r\nSinclair User\r\nISSN NO. 0262-5458\r\n\r\nOrigination by Outline Graphics.\r\nPrinted Eden Fisher (Southend) Ltd\r\n\r\nDistributed by Spotlight Magazine Distribution Ltd, [redacted]"},"MainText":"MIKRO GEN CHESS HELPS TO DEFEAT ITSELF\r\n\r\nMaster Chess, from Mikro Gen, is one of the best chess programs available for the 48K Spectrum. The game allows the user to play at one of 10 levels, numbered from zero to nine. The computer will respond with its move almost immediately in mode zero but the computer move in mode nine can take several minutes.\r\n\r\nIf a player is stuck in a position, the computer will suggest a move. In effect, the computer will recommend to its opponent the best move to make against itself, which shows that computers have no brains. The program also allows you to set up the board before playing the rest of the game.\r\n\r\nThe board can be cleared and a flashing cursor will appear on one of the board squares. Entering the appropriate Letter, for example 'p' for pawn or 'k' for king, will make the computer place that piece on the square with the cursor.\r\n\r\nWhen the board is set up with all the pieces in the order the player requires, the game will continue after selection of colour and level number.\r\n\r\nA record of the moves made is kept on the left-hand side of the screen. If the player makes an illegal move the computer will not permit it and if the player wants to make another move instead of the one last entered, that move can be deleted.\r\n\r\nThe game is capable of pawn promotion and en passant and is one of the best versions of chess for the Spectrum. Master Chess can be obtained from Mikro Gen, [redacted]. It costs £6.95.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"36","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 16, Jul 1983","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1983-06-16","Editor":"Nigel Clark","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial Director: Nigel Clark\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nProduction Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nStaff Writer: John Gilbert\r\nProgram Reviewer: Rebecca Ferguson\r\nEditorial Director: John Sterlicchi\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Ross\r\nSales Executive: Annette Burrows\r\nEditorial Assistant: Margaret Hawkins\r\nProduction Assistant: Dezi Epaminondou\r\nManaging Director: Terry Cartwright\r\nChairman: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by ECC Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nAll departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to any of the Sinclair User group of publications please send programs, articles or ideas for hardware projects to:\r\nSinclair User and Programs\r\nECC Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrograms should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe will pay £10 for each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1983\r\nSinclair User\r\nISSN NO. 0262-5458\r\n\r\nPrinted and typeset by Cradley Print PLC, [redacted]\r\n\r\nDistributed by Spotlight Magazine Distribution Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCover Photograph: Max Bradley\r\nCover Illustration: Richard Dunn"},"MainText":"CHECKING THE BEST MOVES IN GROWING CHESS MARKET\r\n\r\nQuentin Heath emerges from the dungeons to return to the boards.\r\n\r\nIn the last few months I have been stuck underground in the Sinclair User dungeons with a variety of man-eating monsters, so this month I thought I would seek some fresh air and talk about chess.\r\n\r\nIn later articles I want o say something about the structure of chess programs but for now I will introduce you to what is available for Sinclair machines.\r\n\r\nMost of the early ZX-81 games were, more or less, copies of a famous American chess program called Sargon. Many manufacturers used the Sargon basic structure and re-wrote the printing routines so that they would be compatible for the ZX-81 screen format.\r\n\r\nAfter a few months of copying, manufacturers began to alter programs to make them play better and run faster. Out of the first batch of games to arrive on the scene, the Attic Computing ZX-81 Chess was acclaimed the best by the critics.\r\n\r\nThe original Artic chess, and its upgraded version, Chess Two, have sold well and with good reason. The games include all legal moves, with castling and en passant, and can be played at six levels. The easiest level has a response time of about one second and the most difficult, level six, takes several minutes to make a move.\r\n\r\nChess Two plays a good entertaining game for anyone with a slight knowledge of the laws of chess and when I played with it the game did not make an incorrect move, even on the simplest level. It is the game I would recommend for the average player who wants to try to beat a computer at chess. Some people may argue that a computer can play only a mechanical game with no invention or luck but playing a computer will give you some practice if no partner is available.\r\n\r\nArtic also produces a technically-excellent game which fits into the 1K ZX-81. It may not play brilliantly but it is fascinating to watch the computer scan the moves available to it graphically on the screen. The computer makes moves very quickly, although it will not allow the usual en passant and castling which are available on the bigger games. The game loads very quickly and at £2.95 it is worth the money.\r\n\r\nArtic has upgraded its ZX-81 chess games to the Spectrum. There are at present three versions but only one is for the 16K Spectrum. So far as I know it is the only chess program for the 16K machine. Its playing standard is similar to that of ZX Chess Two.\r\n\r\nThe most interesting of the chess programs from Artic is Voice Chess. It not only plays as well as Spec Chess, the other game in the trio, but each move made is announced by a voice which is generated by the Spectrum loudspeaker.\r\n\r\nSome people have asked if the amount of memory used to store the voice affects the quality of the game. So far as I can tell, it does not do so noticeably. Most chess programs occupy a great deal less room than 48K and the voice is just filling the space which is not used. My own feeling is that if you want a game with novelty you should buy Voice Chess but if you just want to buy a good game with no frills, 48K Spec Chess and 16K Micro Chess are choices.\r\n\r\nMaster Chess, from Mikro-Gen, also provides a formidable game. It runs on a 48K Spectrum and has 10 levels of play which are numbered from zero to nine. If you do not know which move to make the computer will suggest one for you. The game also includes an analysis option which can be used to solve chess puzzles.\r\n\r\nThe Masterchess program is capable of all legal moves, including en passant and castling.\r\n\r\nTo see how the games compete with a real chess machine I played a game between the Quicksilva Chess Player and a Sci-Sys chess computer. The results were interesting. Sci-Sys was slower in making moves than the Quicksilva game on level one but the dedicated chess computer earned checkmate in 67 moves.\r\n\r\nWhat was also interesting was that the Sci-Sys system often anticipated the moves of the Chess Player. That may indicate that most structures are similar.\r\n\r\nThe final game I want to examine is the best available, in my opinion. Superchess Two is from CP Software and is a chess player's dream. The range of options includes 10 levels of play, a recommended move option, self-play, analyse and technical information.\r\n\r\nThe self-play mode pits the computer against itself so that you can see how it solves game problems. You can also provide it with problems to analyse and solve.\r\n\r\nThe most advanced level is level 10. At that level the computer can take several hours to make up its mind about a move.\r\n\r\nThe game also includes an option which I have never seen in other chess programs. The technical information option will tell you how the program is structured and which techniques are used for the computer to find its next feasible move. Explanations of tree searches and data structures is provided to give the player a chance to further the computer's 'mind'.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"103","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Quentin Heath","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 10, Dec 1983","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1983-11-25","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":196,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"ZX Computing\r\nVol. One\r\nNumber Ten\r\nDec/Jan 1984\r\n\r\nEditor: Roger Munford\r\nAdvertising Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nManaging Editor: Ron Harris\r\nManaging Director: T J Connell\r\n\r\nOrigination and design by MM Design & Print, [redacted]\r\nPublished by Argus Specialist Publications Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing is published bi-monthly on the fourth Friday of the month. Distributed by: Argus Press Sales & Distribution Ltd. [redacted]. Printed by: Henry Garnett Ltd., Rotherham.\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication including all articles, designs, plans, drawings and programs and all copyright and other intellectual property rights therein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the Law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of the Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1983"},"MainText":"SPECTRUM MASTERCHESS\r\nMikro-Gen\r\nDarren Sargent\r\n\r\nIf you like playing chess, then this is the cassette for you. If you don't like waiting for them, however, then perhaps you should think twice before ordering. This cassette took three weeks and several calls to Mikro-Gen before it plopped on my doormat.\r\n\r\nIt is unusual not to find the LOADing instructions on the insert card, instead it tells you to 'LOAD in the usual way'. Once you have accomplished this feat (no offence, Mikro-Gen, it loaded first time), you are presented with an elegant graphic chess board, complete with pieces and alpha-numeric labelling. At the top left of the screen are two mysterious words, 'You' and 'Me'. These turn out to be the column heading for the scrolling history of moves.\r\n\r\nAt the bottom of the screen are the options: play/colour/set-up. Taking these in order:\r\n\r\nPlay: Pressing 'p' puts you into 'play' mode. You are asked if you would like to play black or white, and then for the level ('O'-easy, to 9-probably hard when it eventually moves). If you decide to play black the computer will kindly reverse the board for you, so that you are always playing up the screen. Once you have done all this, presuming you are playing white you can: key in your opening move; delete the move you were about to key in; change the level; ask for a recommended move; get a screen dump; save the game; or go back to the play/colour/set up question.\r\n\r\nAfter each move you are offered this series of options.\r\n\r\nColour: This allows you to get the board, background, text colours, and what type of pieces are used in the display.\r\n\r\nSet-up: This allows you to set up chess positions and then play them. You move a cursor over the board, with which you can place any piece of either side at any position on the board. When you have set up your position, you can choose sides, level and black or white to play.\r\n\r\nThis cassette is excellent value for any chess enthusiast, although the instructions say nothing about the rules of chess. Even so, it supports all the usual chess moves (castling, etc) and is a worthwhile purchase at £6.95.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"164","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Darren Sargent","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]