Chess for Android: A Comprehensive Review
If you are a chess enthusiast, you might be looking for a good chess app to play, practice, and improve your skills. There are many chess apps available for Android devices, but one of the most popular and versatile ones is Chess for Android. In this article, we will review Chess for Android in detail, covering its features, benefits, installation, usage, comparison, pros, cons, alternatives, and FAQs. By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of whether Chess for Android is the right app for you or not.
What is Chess for Android?
Chess for Android is a free chess app that consists of a chess engine and a graphical user interface (GUI). The app was developed by Aart Bik, a computer scientist and chess programmer. The app has been downloaded over 10 million times and has received more than 110K reviews on Google Play Store.
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Features and benefits of Chess for Android
Chess for Android has many features and benefits that make it a great choice for chess lovers. Some of them are:
The app accepts moves through the touch screen, trackball, or keyboard. You can also use voice commands to make moves.
The app has an optional "move coach" that highlights valid user moves during input and last played engine move. This can help you learn from your mistakes and improve your strategy.
The app has full game navigation that enables you to correct mistakes or analyze games. You can undo, redo, go to start, go to end, or go to any position in the game.
The app supports games import and export as FEN/PGN to and from the clipboard or via sharing. You can also load and save games as files or set up positions through a position editor.
The app recognizes draws by stalemate, insufficient material, the fifty move rule, or threefold repetition. It also supports castling, en passant, and pawn promotion.
The app allows you to play against the built-in engine at various levels (including random, against itself in auto-play, or free-play). You can also play against more powerful third-party engines or even play tournaments between engines. The app supports the Universal Chess Interface (UCI) and Chess Engine Communication Protocol (WinBoard and XBoard), which are standard protocols for communicating with chess engines.
The app lets you customize the engine settings such as time control, pondering, infinite analysis, hash tables, multiple threads, endgame tablebases, and opening test suites.
The app connects to an external electronic chessboard (Chessnut, Certabo, DGT, or Millennium) and supports online play on FICS (Free Internet Chess Server) or ICC (Internet Chess Club). You can also chat with other players online.
The app has a simple and intuitive interface that can be viewed from the perspective of white or black. You can also change the board color, piece set, sound effects, notation style, and language.
How to install and use Chess for Android
Installing and using Chess for Android is very easy. Here are the steps:
Go to Google Play Store and search for Chess for Android or click on this link.
Tap on Install and wait for the app to download and install on your device.
Open the app and tap on Start to begin a new game. You can choose to play as white or black or let the app decide randomly.
Make your moves by tapping on the pieces and the squares or by using the keyboard or voice commands. You can also use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to navigate the game or access other options.
To play against another engine or online, tap on Menu and select UCI Engine or Internet Chess Server. You will need to import or connect to a server or a chessboard before playing.
To change the settings of the app, tap on Menu and select Settings. You can adjust the engine, board, notation, sound, language, and other options according to your preference.
To import or export games, tap on Menu and select Clipboard. You can copy or paste FEN/PGN data or share it with other apps.
To load or save games, tap on Menu and select File. You can browse the files on your device or create new ones.
To edit positions, tap on Menu and select Edit Board. You can drag and drop pieces or use the buttons to clear or reset the board.
How does Chess for Android compare to other chess apps?
Chess for Android is not the only chess app available for Android devices. There are many other apps that offer similar or different features and experiences. How does Chess for Android compare to them? Let's find out.
Pros and cons of Chess for Android
Chess for Android has many advantages and disadvantages that you should consider before choosing it as your chess app. Here are some of them:
Pros
Cons
- It is free and has no ads or in-app purchases.
- It has a simple and basic design that may not appeal to some users.
- It supports multiple engines, protocols, and online servers.
- It does not have a built-in tutorial or coach mode for beginners.
- It has many customization options and settings.
- It does not have a rating system or a leaderboard for competitive players.
- It connects to external chessboards and devices.
- It does not have a social media integration or a chat feature for online players.
- It is regularly updated and maintained by the developer.
- It may have some bugs or compatibility issues with some devices or engines.
Alternatives to Chess for Android
If you are not satisfied with Chess for Android or you want to try something different, you can check out some of the alternatives to Chess for Android. Here are some of the most popular and highly rated ones:
- lichess: This is a free and open-source chess app that has over 10 million downloads and 4.8 stars on Google Play Store. It has a sleek and modern design that offers many features such as online play, tournaments, puzzles, analysis, lessons, videos, chat, themes, variants, and more. It also has a website version that you can access from any browser. - Chess.com: This is another free chess app that has over 50 million downloads and 4.6 stars on Google Play Store. It is one of the most popular and comprehensive chess apps that provides online play, lessons, puzzles, articles, videos, podcasts, news, events, clubs, forums, and more. It also has a website version that you can access from any browser. - DroidFish: This is a free chess app that has over 5 million downloads and 4.7 stars on Google Play Store. It is based on the powerful Stockfish engine that is one of the strongest chess engines in the world. It has a simple and functional interface that allows you to play against the engine or analyze games. It also supports UCI engines and opening books. - Chess Free: This is a free chess app that has over 100 million downloads and 4.5 stars on Google Play Store. It is designed for casual players who want to have fun and learn chess. It has a friendly and colorful design that offers features such as 12 levels of difficulty, hints, coach mode, stats, achievements, leaderboards, themes, and more. Conclusion and recommendations
Summary of the main points
In this article, we have reviewed Chess for Android in detail. We have covered its features, benefits, installation, usage, comparison, pros, cons, alternatives, and FAQs. We have learned that Chess for Android is a free and versatile chess app that supports multiple engines, protocols, online servers, and external chessboards. It has many customization options and settings that allow you to play and analyze chess games in different ways. However, it also has some drawbacks such as a simple and basic design, no tutorial or coach mode, no rating system or leaderboard, no social media integration or chat feature, and some bugs or compatibility issues. We have also compared Chess for Android to some of the other popular and highly rated chess apps such as lichess, Chess.com, DroidFish, and Chess Free.
Recommendations
Based on our review, we recommend Chess for Android to anyone who is looking for a free and versatile chess app that can play and analyze chess games with different engines, protocols, online servers, and external chessboards. It is suitable for intermediate to advanced players who want to improve their skills and challenge themselves with different levels of difficulty and modes of play. However, if you are looking for a more modern and comprehensive chess app that has a tutorial or coach mode, a rating system or leaderboard, a social media integration or chat feature, and fewer bugs or compatibility issues, you might want to try some of the alternatives to Chess for Android such as lichess, Chess.com, DroidFish, or Chess Free.
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FAQs about Chess for Android
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Chess for Android:
Q: How can I change the level of difficulty of the engine?
A: You can change the level of difficulty of the engine by tapping on Menu and selecting Settings. Then tap on Engine Options and select Level. You can choose from 1 to 20 levels of difficulty or let the app decide randomly.
Q: How can I import or install a third-party engine?
A: You can import or install a third-party engine by tapping on Menu and selecting UCI Engine. Then tap on Install New UCI Engine and browse the files on your device or download them from the internet. You can also use the app's built-in downloader to get some of the popular engines such as Stockfish, Komodo, or Cfish.
Q: How can I play online with other players?
A: You can play online with other players by tapping on Menu and selecting Internet Chess Server. Then tap on Connect and choose from FICS or ICC. You will need to create an account or log in with your existing one before playing.
Q: How can I connect to an external chessboard?
A: You can connect to an external chessboard by tapping on Menu and selecting External Board. Then tap on Connect and choose from Chessnut, Certabo, DGT, or Millennium. You will need to pair your device with the chessboard via Bluetooth or USB before playing.
Q: How can I contact the developer of the app?
A: You can contact the developer of the app by tapping on Menu and selecting About. Then tap on Email Developer and write your message. You can also visit the developer's website or follow him on Twitter.
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