SmallChess

[kinderchocolate]

I'm pleased to release the first working version for a new chess playing app for iOS. Unfortunately, it has only been designed for up to iPhone 4s. iPhone 5 and iPad are coming.


1. Coaching Style

I offer you nine coaching styles. They are Detailed, Multi, Adviser, Speed, Board, Remote, Tablebase, Opening Book and Slider

Some of the screenshots





For example, Remote Coach behaves like a TV remote. You control the flow of the game.

The app allows you to render in full-screen. In full-screen, the toolbar will be dismissed. You will need to "drag" the toolbar up if you want it back.



2. Opening Explorer and Tablebase Explorer




You will be able to navigate the statistics and distance to mate. Also, you can install your own book and tablebase. You can also setup any position with the mini-setup in each of the explorer. A mini-setup is a small setup screen that allows quick and easy access to any chess position




3: Export your PGN database via email


4: Create a happy birthday to your friends



Now you can send a birthday wish to your beloved and your friends. SmallChess allows you to create custom chess board. You will have themes to chose from.

You can share your creation on Facebook and Twitter. You can also email your chess board. You might also save the board to iPhoto or a photo album built in-app. SmallChess is not just a chess playing app, it is a also a chess photo digital album.


5: PGN Support

The app has a simple but highly advanced PGN support.



You can directly navigate the game without ever load a single chess game. There is a slider for you. If you click on the chess board, the app will automatically replay the game.


6: Search a game by clicking a player's name



You don't need to memorise a player's name. You just need to click on the player and you're done. This save you from spelling mistakes.


7: Chess Joke




8: Do you know???





9: Unique ways to navigate a game

SmallChess allows you several ways to navigate a game.

A: Move list history



B: Board Slider



C: Remote Coach

D: Traditional left and right arrows

E: SWIPE your finger anywhere under the chess board.


Finger swiping is a very convenient way to navigate a game. You should try it, because I like it.


10: Facebook and Twitter

Not only you can share a chess position, you can also share a training position, cartoon, jokes etc


11: Board Graphics

You can change the graphics if you want to.





12: Difficulty





13: Play Chess Online (FICS)




You can analyse your game once the game has finished. It's a great tool to spot your tactical blunders.


14: Play Like Magnus Carlsen










15: Why she breaks up with her boyfriend?




16: Puzzles





17: Maths




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[zullil]

"Advices" is not a word in English. Use "advice" or "hints".

[kinderchocolate]

Oops, I'm not a native English speaker. My bad...

[kinderchocolate]

Internally, the chess GUI is built using the decorator design pattern.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decorator_pattern

While it's a bit technical to present here, the basic of the pattern is that everything is added to the decorator stack dynamically.

When you just launched the app, the stack will look like this:


Adapter -> UCI Protocol -> Chess Board -> Weak Decorator


The weak decorator controls the difficulty of the game, making it easy for you to beat. If you choose a higher level, the stack will be turned to


Adapter -> UCI Protocol -> Chess Board -> Strong Decorator


The strong decorator will make sure the level of play will be more challenging to your level.

The decorator pattern is extremely powerful for a chess GUI. If we want to connect to the FICS, the stack will look like


Adapter -> FICS Protocol -> Chess Board -> Strong Decorator


Without any change to the upper layers and even an if-statement, suddenly the app turns into an online multiplayer mode.

There is a director which watches your progress as you play. If the director believes the computer should make a blunder, giving chance for you to win, it will insert a new decorator to the stack, something like


Adapter -> UCI Protocol -> Chess Board -> Blunder Decorator

[lucasart]

Congratulations Tim for all this work. It looks like a really nice app. A shame it is tied to IGadgets and won't run on Android or GNU/Linux. If it did, I would surely buy it!

[kinderchocolate]

Lucas, a version for Windows Phone 8 and Android are coming. Other than Blackberry, I won't miss any mobile phone market.

[lucasart]

Lucas, a version for Windows Phone 8 and Android are coming. Other than Blackberry, I won't miss any mobile phone market.

Awesome!
Don't worry about BlackBerry, they are a dying breed...

[kinderchocolate]

Sorry I forgot a link


https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smallch ... ?ls=1&mt=8


:- )

[Ralph Stoesser]

I like the game comments. Very nicely done and entertaining contents. While replaying a game from database I would like to be able to see what's the next move from the game without executing the move. It's much more convenient this way in case I want to compare the best move from current engine analysis with the next move from the game. A green arrow would be nice (might change it's color to blue if best move from engine search = next move from game). The only chess app I know of which get this right is Chess by Christophe Theron.

[ZirconiumX]

Lucas, a version for Windows Phone 8 and Android are coming. Other than Blackberry, I won't miss any mobile phone market.

Awesome!
Don't worry about BlackBerry, they are a dying breed...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenjonbro/5295401406/

If you don't get the joke, Orange are a mobile phone network. (Blackberry on Orange)

Matthew:out[/img]