Chess Engines and Software: How Are They Useful?

If you are getting into chess and do not have any chess software, there is a very good chance you are missing out on a great study tool. Not only can a good engine be fun to play and practice against, but they can also help you study tactics, openings, endgames and view or create databases of games.

Practice against them!

Most quality chess programs have engines that can be set to play very strong or much weaker, depending on your skill level. They can also play any time control, so you can enjoy blitz games or longer, tournament time controls against a worthy opponent. I guarantee that if you get good at playing a strong engine, human opponents will become much easier to tackle.

Study with them!

Many chess software programs are able to change opening books, which makes it possible to study different lines of your favorite openings. They also come with endgame table bases (they are like an opening book, but for the endgame) so that the engine will not have to waste energy thinking about something it can simply refer to. And, as I am sure you have heard, engines are wonderful at tactics. Tactics wins chess games, period.

Analyze games!

There are thousands of databases available that contain nothing but strong grandmaster games. Simply load the database, choose which game to analyze, and have the engine on while you scroll through the moves. You might be surprised at how many moves they find that match the play of even the strongest engines. One can also load their own games into the engine and have it analyze them, pointing out which moves were good and which were bad.

Internet play!

Some chess servers allow for computer accounts, which are normally denoted with a (C) tag. This allows the chess engine to log in and play games, hands free! It can get super fun when another engine plays a few games against yours, because you can watch the engine output to see what it is thinking on each move. Even the cheaper engines available today are capable of reaching Grandmaster ratings.

In short, I highly recommend getting chess software of some sort, and thoroughly recommend Fritz. It comes with insanely strong engines, and can be purchased with special packages like Shredder, Rybka or Hiarcs. Fritz software allows for an infinite number of custom settings, and can even hold engine vs. engine tournaments! Video lectures can also be purchased for Fritz and Chessbase products - a strong master will actually talk while the pieces move.