From: clong@remus.rutgers.edu (Chris Long)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: Review: Knightstalker
Date: 20 Aug 92 12:39:20 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.


Here's an old review of mine:


Knightstalker: ChessBase, $49.95.  Approximate rating 2261 on a
386/33.  On my machine, a 486/50, it's about a 2367.

Comes with a well-written 54 page instruction manual (with index),
and two datebases, one a selection of 570 historical games, the
other a short tactical database.  Uses ChessBase data format.

I ordered directly from ChessBase USA (1-800-524-3527).  Received
it promptly in two days.

Strong points:

  Graphically very nice.

  Incorporates many features that ChessBase has, using most of the
  same commands.  If you use ChessBase, this is a big plus.

  Very easy to use, utilizes the mouse very well.  Move entry is a
  breeze.

  Not copy protected.  Big plus, since I've had problems with copy
  protected programs in the past.

  Nice choice of difficulty settings (seconds per move, minutes
  per game, ply depth, mate problems).

  The datebase functions are quite extensive (basically, it
  incorporates a small version of ChessBase), and I really
  can't do them justice.  You can load a database of games, pick
  one out and then (easily!) scroll forwards and backwards through
  the game.  Press the spacebar at any point and Knightstalker will
  analyze the position for you.  You can also scroll and analyze
  like this in games you play against Knightstalker; most chess
  programs only have a takeback.

Problems:

  There does not seem to be a way to specify paths for databases.
  This is a problem, because I would prefer not to have to copy
  my ChessBase databases into the Knightstalker directory in order
  to use them.

  Fails the pathological problem test when used with QEMM:

  White to play and mate in 4:

         8 - - - - k - - -
         7 q q q q q q q q
         6 - - - - - - - -
         5 - - - - - - - -
         4 - - - - - - - -
         3 - - - - - - - -
         2 Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
         1 - - - - K - - -
           a b c d e f g h

  Knightstalker crashed spectacularly, with a QEMM exception error.
  Machine needed to be rebooted.

  Database size limited to 2500.  Very annoying, since ChessBase has
  no such limit, and I have a ChessBase database with over 10,000
  games.

  Has a bizarre problem with underpromotion:

  Troitzky, _Shahmatni Shurnal_, 1901.  #4 in _360 Brilliant and
  Instructive Endgames_.

         8 - - - - - - - -
         7 - P q - k - - -
         6 - - - - - - - -
         5 - - - - - - - -
         4 - - b - - - - -
         3 - - - - - - - -
         2 - - Q - - - - -
         1 - K - - - - - -
           a b c d e f g h

  Finds  1. Qh7+ Bf7! 2. Qh4+ Ke6! 3. Qh3+ Kd5!  but when analyzing
  now insists the position is even (even after over an hour of search).
  Finds  4. Qb3+  but claims the best line is  4. Qb3+ Kc6! 5. Qc2+??.
  The correct line is  4. .. .. 5. b8=N+!! and White wins the queen.
  Sees the underpromotion immediately at the position, but not one
  move before.  I would consider this a serious problem, but one which
  is not likely to arise in actual play.

  When analyzing, and move is either forced or mate is found,
  Knightstalker immediately moves, even when the level is set to
  "infinite" for analysis.  At this point all moves past that are
  trashed, and the game is either lost or must be loaded again.
  Came across this problem when trying to analyze a game of Morphy's.
  *Very* annoying.

  Suffers from the same problem that ChessBase has:  ASCII text
  games cannot be imported.

Overall, I'd *highly* recommend Knightstalker.  It incorporates
many, many features not found in either Zarkov or MChess, and
it is quite strong.  Superb for analyzing your own games and
trying to discover where you went wrong.
-- 
Chris Long, 265 Old York Rd., Bridgewater, NJ  08807-2618

"In a study of schoolboys, an educator discovered a correlation between size
 of feet and quality of handwriting.  The boys with the larger feet were,
 on the average, older."        Wallis & Roberts, _The Nature of Statistics_
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