Hey guys, I purchased Hiarcs a few days ago, the only commercial chess program for Macintosh.
This post is for the Mac users who haven't yet found an appropriate program. If you have any questions: ask.
I bought the full version for 105 € (I know, it's pricy) and I'm very content with it.
Tell us what you like about it. 105€ is indeed very pricey.
I'll write a review tomorrow.
Not saying that it isn't worth the money, but it's not the only program. You also have the old Shredder for example. Or open source GUIs ChessX, SCID vs PC/Mac if you want to spare a buck.
Where did you buy it from? On the HIARCS site, it's €49 for the single-core version, €89 for multi-core.
http://www.hiarcs.com/mac-chess-explorer.htmI have the iPad version of HIARCS, and have considered getting the PC version as well, though for now I just use SCID. That has plenty of functionality, though it can be rather confusing and difficult to use.
On the multi-core, there is an additional 19% VAT in Germany.
Catch you later.
Why not "chessX"/"SCID"/"Scid for mac" with stockfish ?
#7 there are some good reasons for and against HIARCS as well as for chessX/SCID
HIARCS: some say they love this engine for its "human-like" style of play and for the credible artificial strength limitation option. But it's not as strong as Stockfish, so maybe not the first choice when it comes to game analysis.
Sadly I don't know exactly what the HIARCS Chess Explorer GUI can do, in comparison to the following free chess-software:
chessX:
- it does _not_ support its very own database format which makes it hard to use for huge databases (PGN = long loading times and no file compression)
- confusing engine analysis output
- no real engine tournaments
- not very sophisticated FICS support
SCID:
- one of the best database/analysis tools there is
- very fast databases (own format)
- no engine tournaments
- sometimes not very intuitive (e.g. changing engine settings is fiddly)
- not very sophisticated FICS support
So there are a lot of things that can be improved by chess explorer over the free alternatives.
#1: "...the only commercial chess program for Macintosh"
Not really: Please see
http://www.shredderchess.com/chess-software/macintosh.htmlMeyer-Kahlen (the author) complains about bad consumer demand for the Mac version.
Unfortunately the Mac version doesn't support 960. I guess this is because of the previous mentioned reason.
It ain't cheap: € 99.99 for the multi core capable version AKA Deep Shredder.
But it has a very nice user friendly GUI, comes with a good manual and has a lot of possibilities for configuration as well as good support, IMHO.
The author is very friendly, even if you ask him a dumb question ;-)
I can't write a more in depth review because of lack of chess competence.
Please see also
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shredder_%28software%29Regards, Karl
I'm sorry for the delay, guys.
I don't really have the time to write a proper review:
Let me boil things down to the points which were most important to me:
I need a chessprogram in order to work on variations and ideas. Therefore I need a reliable and functional database as well as a good engine and the option of handling information well and quickly, meaning to be able to transfer my games/ideas quickly to other people (HIARCS works with pgn, so that is definitely possible; also pasting the notation (in English): you've got it immediately in your note-window through copy and paste and can play through it) and being able to annotate them with arrows, colors and verbal
commentary.
As a former chessbase user, it took me a little time to adapt, but then it worked out fine.
I just can't think of anything I can not do with Hiarcs, which is a good thing.
The reasons scuffi listed against Chessx and SCID are pretty crucial. Also, I remember (at least for SCID), that they both have horrible graphics. I'm allergic to that and like being able to work on my variations properly and being able to save them. I don't need the strongest engine in the world; a human-like play is indeed helpful, and the Hiarcs multicore version is strong enough for me. In case I need it, I can still use Stockfish to analyse positions where I've got the feeling ultimate precision is mandatory, yet I doubt that there are praxis-relevant differences for otb play. I mean, I'm not letting the engine ponder over a certain position for hours; I did that a couple of years ago, but now I find it ridiculous. You gotta give the engine impulses, ideas, analyze whether certain suggestions of the engine are indeed a good idea or whether the machine is missing even some praxis-relevant drawbacks.
Correspondence chess is a different chapter. For that I'd advise you to use windows and some fritz program, with as many engines to compare as possible. Some engines see what others miss, even if they're ranked below the other one.
All in all I can say that it's a very good alternative to windowsing your mac to death, in order to install chessbase.
I'm content with HIARCS and will post updates, incase I encounter problems.