Chess for Android

Chess for Android is a chess game with a built-in java chess engine.

Chess for Android allows you to play against the computer or against real friends (there's no online version so far). The game accepts moves through the screentouch, the trackball or through the keyboard. You can check games played earlier to learn from mistakes. Games can also be saved, exported or imported as FEN/PGN to continue from other devices. One of its main features is the option to turn the game into a “magnetic chessboard” and to play against a real friend. Chess for Android also supports the Universal Chess Interface (UCI). The graphics could definitely be improved; it’s a bit dull from our point of view and we’re not keen on green color used for the “move coach”. Plus, there’s no clock for controlling the time each move takes. It’s insanely difficult to beat the computer, but there are different levels to choose from.

Chess for Android has been developed by Aart Bik, an emerging individual developer who also has launched other puzzle games on the Market such as Checkers for Android and Reversi for Android, but Chess for Android is still his most successful game.

If you’re a chess-lover and you like the challenge of playing against a tough computer opponent or your real friends (physically), then give it a go. We think there’s room for improvement and there are certainly better chess games on the market.

Chess for Android consists of a chess engine and a GUI. The application accepts moves through the touch screen, trackball, or keyboard (e2e4 pushes the king pawn, e1g1 castles king side, etc.). An optional "move coach" highlights valid user moves during input and last played engine move. Full game navigation buttons enable users to correct mistakes or analyze games. Games import and export as FEN/PGN to and from the clipboard, load and save as file, are set up through a position editor, or import as application/x-chess-pgn MIME type on startup. A draw by stalemate, insufficient material, the fifty move rule, or threefold repetition is recognized. The engine plays at various levels (including random, against itself in auto-play, or free-play, where the game can be used as a "magnetic chessboard"). The user can play either side and, independently, view the board from the perspective of white or black.

The application supports the Universal Chess Interface (UCI) and Chess Engine Communication Protocol (WinBoard and XBoard), which allows users to play against more powerful third party engines or even play tournaments between engines. Engine setup features pondering, infinite analysis, hash tables, multiple threads, endgame tablebases, and opening test suites. A list of available engines is given at http://www.aartbik.com/MISC/eng.html