''Virtua Chess'' (also known as ''Virtual Chess'') is a 1995 chess video game developed and published by

Titus France SA Titus Interactive SA,Contact
. Titus Interactiv ...

for the

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

. It was later ported to

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

. Two sequels were released: ''Virtual Chess 2'' for the Windows in 1997 and '' Virtual Chess 64'' for the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

in 1998.

Gameplay

The

3D graphics 3D computer graphics, sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics, are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the purposes of perfor ...

were modeled using a

Silicon Graphics Silicon Graphics, Inc. (stylized as SiliconGraphics before 1999, later rebranded SGI, historically known as Silicon Graphics Computer Systems or SGCS) was an American high-performance computing manufacturer, producing computer hardware and soft ...

computer. The interface can be customised by having up to nine

windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

simultaneously on the screen, the 2D and 3D boards can be viewed at the same time. The 3D view can be rotated and zoomed in and out of. A

386SX The Intel 386, originally released as the 80386 and later renamed i386, is the third-generation x86 architecture microprocessor from Intel. It was the first 32-bit processor in the line, making it a significant evolution in the x86 architect ...

is require to run the game. ''Virtua Chess'' supports multiplayer via

IPX Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) is the network-layer protocol in the IPX/SPX protocol suite. IPX is derived from Xerox Network Systems' IDP. It also has the ability to act as a transport layer protocol. The IPX/SPX protocol suite was very ...

and Saitek's magnetic PC Auto Chessboard.

Development

In 1989, when Jean-Christophe Weill was studying for a degree in artificial intelligence, he began programming the

chess engine In computer chess, a chess engine is a computer program that analyzes chess or List of chess variants, chess variant positions, and generates a move or list of moves that it regards as strongest. A chess software engine, engine is usually a Front ...

, which would be the basis for ''Virtua Chess''. He decided to register for a chess engine tournament with another programmer, Marc-François Baudot. The engine finished second to last but drew against Mephisto, one of the stronger engines of the time. According to Weill, the poor result was due to bugs, in particular one involving the

en passant In chess, ''en passant'' (, "in passing") describes the capture by a Pawn (chess), pawn of an enemy pawn on the same and an adjacent that has just made an initial two-square advance. This is a special case in the rules of chess. The capturi ...

rule. Following that, the engine continued to evolve with constant tweaks. It gets entirely rewritten in

assembly language In computing, assembly language (alternatively assembler language or symbolic machine code), often referred to simply as assembly and commonly abbreviated as ASM or asm, is any low-level programming language with a very strong correspondence bet ...

, whereas previous versions had parts in C. During a tournament, they met Eric Caen from Titus and got signed up to do a commercial program with Titus handling the graphics and sound. In January 1995, a

beta version The software release life cycle is the process of developing, testing, and distributing a software product (e.g., an operating system). It typically consists of several stages, such as pre-alpha, alpha, beta, and release candidate, before the fi ...

of ''Virtua Chess'' participated in a European chess engine tournament. It was ranked 36th out of 796 participants. ''Virtua Chess''

Elo rating The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess or esports. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American chess master and physics professor. The Elo system wa ...

was estimated at 2300.

Reception

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...

'' criticized the game for lacking a tutorial but concluded that " ..the strong gameplay and smooth interface does position Virtua Chess within striking distance of the elite chess sims." ''

Joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Also known as the control column, it is the principal control devic ...

'' called ''Virtua Chess'' the best program of its kind. They liked the multi-windowing, 3D board view and "the many levels of play that are perfectly suited to beginners". The game was criticized for not supporting multiplayer via

null modem Null modem is a communication method to directly connect two data terminal equipment, DTEs (computer, computer terminal, terminal, printer (computing), printer, etc.) using an RS-232 serial cable. The name stems from the historical use of RS-232 ...

. ' liked the interface and the number of game options but called the graphics and sound "austere". The game was said to be not friendly to beginners due to lack of tutorials and the difficulty of the AI. The Windows version was said to have an improved interface. ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' said ''

Kasparov's Gambit ''Kasparov's Gambit'', or simply ''Gambit'', is a chess playing computer program created by Heuristic Software and published by Electronic Arts in 1993 based on Socrates II, the only winner of the North American Computer Chess Championship runni ...

''s has a better interface and ''

Chessmaster 4000 ''The Chessmaster 4000 Turbo'' is a 1993 chess video game developed and published by The Software Toolworks. It is part of the ''Chessmaster'' series. An enhanced CD-ROM version was released in 1994. Gameplay The game supports SVGA graphics and ...

and 5000'' have the stronger opponents. The game was called "strictly bargain-bin material". ''

PC Joker ''PC Joker'' was the first German-language video gaming magazine for IBM PC-compatible computers. It was published by Joker-Verlag alongside Amiga Joker. References Computer magazines published in Germany Video game magazines published in G ...

'' said the interface is awkward to use.

Sequels

A sequel, ''Virtual Chess 2'', was released in 1997 for the Windows. Génération 4 gave a positive review, praising the wealth of game options and help systems. '' PC Player'' gave a more negative review, they liked the level of playing strength and the tutorial but disliked the interface and the overall presentation. Another sequel was released in 1998: '' Virtual Chess 64'' for the

. It features animated

chess piece A chess piece, or chessman, is a game piece that is placed on a chessboard to play the game of chess. It can be either White and Black in chess, white or black, and it can be one of six types: King (chess), king, Queen (chess), queen, Rook (ches ...

s similar to '' Battle Chess''. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

References

External links

* * *{{Internet Archive game, msdos_Virtual_Chess_1995, Virtua Chess 1995 video games Chess software DOS games Multiplayer and single-player video games Titus Software games Video games developed in France Windows games