Category: android

Categories
android ichess

iChess v5.0 on Android – Its brand new and colorful!

Over the past several weeks, we have been partly busy with iChess release. We slowly rolled it out to few set of users, squashed a lot of bugs (and silly mistakes), but its finally here! The latest Android version is now available for all users!

What’s New?

Background
Sometimes when you start an App project, you develop it with the knowledge and tools you have during that time. Over a period of time, your knowledge improves and you realize that the way you developed something in the past, was probably not quite the best way to do it. It can be made better.
So thats what we did. We changed the guts of the Android version and built-it almost from scratch!
This was done to make it better and improve the stability and fix bugs which creep in some weird scenarios.
Colorful & Curvaceous…



..with new Wooden Board Theme

..and colors!

Brand new Store design and experience!
 
Search any puzzle or publisher. View our Top Puzzles or your purchases, all in one screen! Find puzzles that you want based on various categories!

..and puzzles from ‘New In Chess’ publisher!

Puzzles based on your playing strength or from games of top players like Carlsen, Nakamura, Giri, Kasparov etc.
..and…

  • A single place to view and download all your purchases
  • Choose a different ‘Side to play’, in case your PGN has puzzles where the 1st move is for the losing side.
  • Its not only the App design that has changed, the underlying stuff and architecture
  • Stability improvements and bug fixes and more!
These are significant changes and might cause some bug here and there. It will be great if you could just email me (Can do that via the App too. Menu – About – Feedback)

If you don’t like something, just email me! Looking forward to your feedback!

PS. Some of these changes will be rolling out to the iChess iOS version too

Categories
android ios yourmove

Your Move correspondence chess app for iPhone/iPad!

Your Move Android was the only mobile App for correspondence chess on the official Chess Servers (ICCF, SchemingMind, AICCF, ChessMoon, MyChess.de, ChessOK)
Now, Your Move app is also on iOS (for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch…)! This is our 7th Chess App on iOS and we couldn’t be more proud!
  1. You can make your moves in your games on any of the aforementioned chess web servers. Please note that ICCF is the official chess body for correspondence chess, which entitles you to official rating, Titles etc.
  2. Multi-login. The App supports multiple logins, especially for those who play simultaneously on different servers
  3. One tap position analysis with Analyze This iOS App (PRO only)
NOTE : The App only serves as a conduit/client app to get list of your games and make moves in your ongoing games. The App currently does not have any API (from the servers) to get list of users or issue challenges. Who knows, maybe in the future!

Check out all the other iOS Chess Apps from us!

Categories
android followchess

Live chess on the web has a new address!

Last week was amazingly busy. We released updates to several Apps:


♞ Analyze This iOS got improved support for annotated games and several bug fixes. ♞ Analyze This Android got critical bug/crash fixes related to game saving.

♞ Follow Chess iOS had a bug related to multi board refresh which went unseen for a while. We fixed that too!
♞ Chess Book Study iOS got support for loading your own PGN files! (finally!) So now its easy to study Chess books and magazines.
♞ Your Move app which is currently on Android, will also be coming to iOS (its with Apple for approval…sshh)!

But the most exciting and well received, was the news about Follow Chess (Beta) on ANY browser!
Just type live.followchess.com in your browser and enjoy live games from top tournaments in a mobile/tablet friendly manner.

Currently its a “lite” version and does not have all the bells and whistles of the Android & iOS Apps. But its a big step for us as well, since its our first product to be publicly available via a Browser!
Any hey, like all our products, its just a matter of time and even this “lite” will get new features and updates!

titbit: This project was conceived as part of our “Tech Tuesday”, where we work on some different challenging ideas every Tuesdays!

I am personally very happy to see a side-project become something more. But what excites me more is the potential it has to further improve how we all experience Chess.

Categories
analyzethis android ios

Analyze This v2.0 for iOS with Stockfish 7 and more!

Hardwork and dedication; this is what this App update is all about! Given our unfamiliarity with the environment and building complex UIs on iOS, we weren’t sure we could pull this off, but here it is… Analyze This v2.0 for iOS!


Whats New?

This single screen pretty much summarizes everything!

  • Stockfish 7

Now you can analyze your games with the latest and greatest version of Stockfish 7 which is rated a whooping ELO 3337! Ofcourse, strength on mobile devices would differ. In a future release, we plan to add an option to change the number of threads/cores the engine uses.You can also start/stop the Engine so you can take a break while you read the annotations or browse through the complete game.

  • Multi PV

Earlier App version only showed a single PV (primary variation) or line. With v2.0, you can now view more engine variations to get better insights into the position.

Tapping the +/- buttons increases/decreases the number of lines. The first line is the best line followed by 2. 3. etc. If you wish to view a longer line, its best to use the device in Portrait view.


  • Improved Notation view

The Notation view now support text commentary if present in your pgn string.

  • Multi-purpose Paste

We have improved the Paste option. You can now paste a complete PGN or even a single FEN string. ex: rnbqkbnr/pp1ppppp/8/2p5/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq c6 0 2

It is quite fault tolerant and should ideally accept quotes or extraneous strings and only take what matters. (ofcourse there will be many more improvements coming to this feature and the App overall)
Apart from these changes, we have made several improvements. Hope you will like the App, as you have come to like all our other Apps on Android and iOS.

Ads – We need to pay our developers and feed families. One important change in this version of the App is the presence of full screen Ads. But we have taken care to not annoy anybody with excess Ads and they would probably appear infrequently (moreover, most of the Ads would be related to Chess, so you may actually find them useful. Sample below…)


However, knowing who we are and how awesome our Apps are (and can be!), you could also Upgrade the App to the PRO version at its current low price (via In-App purchase) and enjoy all features and Ad free experience.


PS. Yesterday we discovered a critical bug in Follow Chess iOS (thanks to Steve) which prevented users who purchased the full version of the App (in the past few days), from using all the PRO features. This has been fixed in version 2.0.3 currently in the App store.


Categories
android followchess ios

Issue with Subscriptions on Follow Chess iOS v2.0

Today (Mar 28) we came to know of a critical bug in the v2.0 of Follow Chess iOS App.

Issue: Existing active Subscriptions (monthly & yearly) ceased to work after upgrading to 2.0 and the App was working as a Free version (showing Ads and restricting features).
I apologize for this.

Re-installing the App or restoring the purchase does not help and the only solution is to wait for the new App update.

We have already fixed the issue and we are waiting for Apple’s approval (in times like these, I miss Google/Android’s ability to release a new App update in couple of hours!). We have also requested Apple for an expedited App review (normal App reviews take about 5-7 days).

Thanks for your patience and kind understanding.

PS : Once the new App update is available, please try the RESTORE option from the Pro Screen to restore your subscription, in case it does not automatically do it.

Update (Mar 29) : The expedite review process did work and Apple approved the bug-fix v2.0.1 within a day!
So with the latest version now available in the App Store, the issue is fixed.

Categories
android followchess ios

Follow Chess v2.0 for iOS now available!!

Follow Chess v2.0 for iOS is right in time for the final 2 rounds of the Candidates 2016 games!
This is a major update and has lots of features (which the Android version received few weeks back)

What’s new in v2.0?

  • New Tourney Notifications – Now you will receive notifications when new tournaments are added to the App! By default, the App will only try to notify you of tournaments which may be of interest to you (Setting – Tourney Notification – Smart). However, if you wish to receive notifications for ALL tourney, please change the aforementioned setting to ALL
  • Watch List – You can choose to watch any live game from different tournaments, all in a single screen!

  • Thinking time per move – App now shows clock time per move, which provides a better insight into the game and the player’s thinking/strategy.

  • Engine Analysis – Just like on Android, you can now analyze the current game/position with help of a Chess engine. Its a separate App (a basic version of Analyze This App), which can be installed for free from the App Store. More features will be added to Analyze This App in due course of time.
  • Live Video – You can also watch live video commentary for tournaments which are broadcast via YouTube.
  • Search Games – You can now search for games of a Player or opening or result in the All Games screen

  • Tap player name in Standings screen to directly load all his/her games
  • And bug fixes and improvements!
Categories
analyzethis android

Analyze This v4.2 – A 10x better PGN Manager!

v4.2.1 of Analyze This (Android) was released to the Play Store today. With this release, the App is now a much improved PGN Viewer/Writer and is thinner/sleeker/faster and comes with better performance! In fact, in our tests, PGN loading was 10x faster than the previous version!

FREE Version
PRO Version

What’s New

☆ Search Board position + Quick game search!
Now the App comes with the ability to search your pgn games for any games that match the currently loaded board position.

Or you can search for any player or even combination, filter games by result or Opening ECO codes!
☆ PGN files load faster + Quick scroll
PGN games loading is 10 times faster than the previous version! You can also quickly scroll down or up by dragging the scroll bar (right edge of the screen)
☆ Stockfish 7
Both Free and PRO versions of the App get Stockfish 7.
On first App run, the latest version of Stockfish will be automatically downloaded. Unfortunately as is known, Critter still won’t work on Android 5.0 and above.
☆ Fullscreen option


☆ Change Notation language to English (non figurine), French, Norwegian etc
Didn’t like the default Figurine Notation? You can now change that or even set the preferred language for the Notation from the Settings – Notation Options. You can also share the game in that language with your friends and coaches!

☆ Many other improvements + bug fixes!
I had lots of other features and requests, but due to delayed release I could not add them all. Hopefully another new update will follow in March!
So download now and send your bug reports/suggestions/features to me at pereiraasim(a)gmail(dot)com

FREE Version
PRO Version

Categories
android

New ‘Chess Fan’ App for Android!

We at NexM Software (the Company I co-founded earlier this year), are happy to announce the release of our latest Chess App: “Chess Fan“. We have been very busy in developing Chess Apps that you will love! (psst, recently Follow Chess App was released on iOS!). Hope you would like Chess Fan app too!

What does the App do?

If you are somebody who likes to closely follow your Chess idols, then this App is for you! No longer do you have to keep checking what your favorite Chess player has to say. Let the App do it for you! You will get notified when he/she Tweets (even if you DONT have a Twitter account. No Sign-in required!). Or you can even see what other people talk about your chess hero. If you want, you can retweet/favorite right back from the App!

Not just that, the App will also notify you of any News articles/interview about your idol!

Screenshots

The main screen where you can see the list of available players. Tap on the heart icon to subscribe!

Read Tweets of your favorite Chess player!
And News too!
No sweat! You just get notified when a Tweet/News is available!
and there is more!!
Go download the FREE App now!
Categories
android followchess ios

Follow Chess App is now on iOS!!

After a long wait (and some anxious moments with Apple [read at the bottom of this post!]), Follow Chess is finally on iOS!
I am personally pleased and happy with the End product.

The Story!

On Android, the App received a very warm response and I have loved reading the kind feedback and suggestions from everybody. It was also personally very satisfying, since I could learn lots of new Technologies along the way and do some cool things. But what could be more gratifying than a Tweet from your Chess idol!!?

@asimpereira will do.. use your app a lot almost the best way to follow chess

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) November 2, 2014

Consequently I started receiving more and more responses for an iOS version! Then began the hunt for a iOS Developer who could help! In fact I even received some cheeky remarks from Android fans, that the App be kept exclusive to Android, since thats one thing which the iOS guys would not be able to enjoy!

The iOS project which started with one developer in Q2 of this year, ended with another Developer completing it couple of weeks back (Developer #1 quit in between!)! It was a very interesting journey and I couldn’t have been more happy to see the App finally on iDevices!

What’s in v1.0?

Many Live tournaments – Follow Chess aims to cover as many top international (and National) tournaments as possible! So besides the mega European Team & Showdown in Saint Louis, it also covers the Indian Women’s Premiere, MaxEuwe Matches (ft veterans vs young guns) & TCEC Superfinal (Komodo vs Stockfish)

 And ofcourse, there are many other tournament games to follow; tourneys which got over in the recent past or as old as the 2014 World Rapid and Blitz!

  • Multi-boards in the same screen – With Follow Chess, you can keep a tap on all the LIVE games of a tournament, on a single screen! So you don’t need to keep changing the boards or screens!         

  • Make your own moves – When you choose any individual game to view, you can even play out your own moves in a sub-variation to understand what could have happened if the player had chosen a different path (in the same screen!) And not just that, the App is smart enough to know when an actual move is made in the Live game and gently inform you, so you can get back to following the action! Now what better way to learn from the Masters!!
  • Follow your country-men (women) – Follow Chess was really built with the intention of making it easy to follow and watch games that you may like. So if you choose your country (in the first popup or via Settings), Follow Chess will smartly show games of your country men on top! So you don’t have to scroll down looking for them.
  • Standings | All Games – Ofcourse there are lots of things you can do with Follow Chess. The App can show you the latest standings (and even highlight where your country-men is placed!). You can also play through games from the Previous rounds and all the old tourneys available in the App! (Sorry some features are PRO only)
  • You also get to see when the next round of each Tourney starts, in your local time!

However, this is only the first version and many exciting features (some of which are already in the Android version), will be added soon (but definitely at a much faster rate than what I have been able to do with iChess for iOS & Chess Book Study for iOS). Yes, but all Apps will get their due share of Upgrades and features which the Android counter parts have been enjoying all these years!

Go download now or tell your Chess buddy! Please do leave your feedback in the App Store, or drop me an email with your suggestions/feedback!




PS. Why I dislike Apple!

The App should have been available 7 days ago, but for Apple’s difficult-to-comprehend App Approval process. They wanted that the App Description in the App Store should have the below lines related to Subscriptions, which I think not many users would really bother to read anyways. But hey, please please read this, for Apple’s sake!!

AUTO-RENEWING SUBSCRIPTIONS:

You can purchase the Pro version of the App with a monthly or yearly Subscription. This entitles you to the current PRO features (View All games from previous rounds, Remove Ads, View All Standings) as well as any PRO features that may be added in the future.

– Subscription can be for a Month or Year
– Price (USD 0.99 for a Month, USD 5.99 for a Year). Local price may vary
– Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period
– Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period (USD 0.99 every month & USD 5.99 every year. Local prices may vary)
– You can manage the Subscriptions and turn-off auto-renewal by going to the Account Settings after purchase
– You will not be able to cancel the current subscription during the active subscription period

Privacy policy : http://chess32.in/privacy_policy_followchess.html

Categories
android followchess

Whats new in Follow Chess v1.7

Follow Chess (Android) is now faster and better! Although its not a very big release; its an important one!

  • New Tourney Notification – The App will now automatically notify you when a new tourney starts, so you don’t have to keep checking for your favorite Chess tournaments. The App smartly notifies you of tournaments which may be of interest to you (default Setting). However, you can always change this behavior from the App Settings, and choose to either receive ALL new tourney notifications, or none!

3 settings for new tourney notifications
  • Faster & Better – The older version of the App would sometimes show stale standings or games, till the App was relaunched or till a certain time had elapsed. Now with this new version, the App is equipped to receive real-time updates from the Server. Consequentially, you should get to view the up-to-date Standings, Tourney Status and other important stuff. This should improve the overall experience
  • Enhancements & Bug fixes – There are some other enhancements (orientation handling while watching video and in Analysis board screen etc) under the hood and bug fixes

Already Purchased?

With this release, you now have the ability to convert to the Full version (Pro) by subscribing on a monthly or yearly basis. So you could just turn Pro for the duration of a month when your favorite tournament is in play! However please note the following:
  • All your purchases and subscriptions are available for use on multiple Android devices (linked with the same Google account). You DO NOT have to purchase again on other Android device.
  • If you have already purchased the Pro version (either monthly, yearly or lifetime), the Follow Chess App on your other Android devices should also automatically convert to Pro for that duration (monthly, yearly or lifetime). However, sometimes it takes time for Google to sync this purchase information. If you still see Ads or free version, please restart your device. This helps the App get latest purchase information from Google.
  • The monthly and yearly charges are recurring (Google dictates that!). So if you wish to unsubscribe, you may do so from the Play Store app – My Apps – SUBSCRIPTIONS screen
PS. Follow Chess tries its best to cover as many international tournaments as possible. This in turn means more recurring Server charges. There are also many cool features (past, present, future!) that take a lot of time and effort. This is the reason for the change in the billing model, compared to the previous version of Follow Chess.
Special thanks to Sathish S for his help with this version.