Psion Chess

I grab Psion Chess when I want the computer to think a bit, but not to crush me with a checkmate in two moves. Psion Chess from 1985 is that kind of thing — surprisingly correct implementation of the royal game on PC, which doesn't have to simply steamroll you.

It's a classic chess program without frills. Board, pieces, that's it. You configure the difficulty level and let the computer play against itself, or you play against the computer. The rules are honest — no computer errors working in your favor. Display orientation? Noticeable, nothing wobbly, just clearly a black square next to a white one and chess pieces in their places.

You play in a straightforward way — you select a piece, determine the target, the computer responds. Waiting for its move isn't endless, but you feel something happening there, some calculation going on. Weaker levels are the boundary where the computer doesn't commit suicide, but isn't master enough to kick you unexpectedly. Higher difficulties, however, start thinking in sequences and the computer builds on its strength. That's no longer just more precise — it's more brutal, and when you get in its way with two pieces, it wipes you out methodically.

Psion Chess represents the time when chess programs didn't have to be a graphics marvel to have value. The quality of the game engine — that was everything. In editorial tournaments among available chess games on PC, it was a solid choice. Today, old bastards remember it, and those who want to try how the computer fared in the time when the monitor still squeaked with typing.

When you run out of patience with internet opponents today and want to bite off pieces on the go without time pressure, Psion Chess in a web emulator will do the trick. It's not a visual feast, but that board spins under your fingers correctly and the computer talks to you in a language you understand.