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Interface Reviews
Introduction[The Big List (comparison chart)] [BlitzIn] [Thief] There are two basic elements that define your on-line chess experience: the quality of competition and the interface you play with. The first is pretty easy to evaluate: are they tough to beat but not impossible; do they like to play similar time controls; do they (c)heat. The second is like comparing cars; some people relish the control of manual transmission, others prefer automatic because they don't want to have to think about anything. Neither is particularly 'better' than the other, but lots of people will get all up in a huff over the topic. I'll tell you up front, none of the interfaces I've reviewed were the end-all be-all of on-line experiences. Some hand you a set of custom Staunton ebony and ivory only to make you sit under a blinking, buzzing florescent light. Others drop a Milton Bradley box-set in your lap but are more than willing to make your coffee and light your cigarette. There are lots of features to choose from, sound effects, customizable boards, multiple boards, pre-move, smart-move, seek graphs, etc, but no interface seems to have them all and the ability to turn anything you don't like off. Over the next few months I'll be posting reviews of all the major and a lot of the minor interfaces out there that are used for ICS type chess servers (FICS, ICC, & USCL are such servers). The reviews will be a long-winded subjective comparison of the pros and cons of each interface. I'll have screen shots for you to look at, opinions on ease of use, maturity of the interface, and annoyances. But if you want to do some quick comparison shopping for an interface that is most like BlitzIn but works on FICS you should check out The Big List. There I do a rundown of all features available showing which interfaces have them and which don't. While the capabilities of an interface are often intertwined with those of the server it runs on and the line between them blurred, I will try to make it clear where the line is when describing that feature. I'll leave strict server comparisons for another time. If you're new to the world of on-line chess, or you just came from the world of YahooChess and wish to find more serious competition on-line, hopefully the following pages can help you find a good interface to start your experience. If you're an old hand and looking to put a new face on your favorite server, I might just have something for you too. This week: Thief >> The Big List: an interface feature comparison
1: "drag" means drag-n-drop moves are supported. "p2p" means 2 click moves are supported. 2:
"p" means the captured pieces are shown. "n" means a numerical
evaluation is shown. 3:
"i" means this variant is supported by the interface. "s"
means it need to ask the server for move legality. price note: "*" means free to download to use with limited functionality as a guest; full use requires paid membership to server.
Copyright 2002 J. Varsoke
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