Categories
analyzethis android

What’s new in Analyze This 4.0!

After a long wait, Analyze This 4.0 for Android was released today! Its a big release and I am sure you will all like it. Here is what’s new in it!

 Full Automatic Engine Analysis (with verbose commentary!) – BETA
It took me really long time to finish this feature (besides work on other Apps/features), but its finally here! Analyze This is probably the first Android App to feature a full automated analysis with natural language analysis. Yes, not only can it suggest moves, but it can also add verbose comments (in English, for now)
Moreover, the feature has been programmed to not only suggest the mistakes and bad moves, but it also marks good moves and sacrifices! Yes it can add symbols like “!”, “?!” , “??” etc

This is only the 1st version of this feature and obviously there will be some rough edges. I plan to keep improving this feature, so please send your suggestions or remarks based on your experience with this feature.
Free users can only choose between 1-5seconds per move. PRO users can choose upto 20seconds per move.

 Stockfish 6
PRO users of the App could manually download and install the latest version of Stockfish 6. Now, its available by default for all users (free and PRO)

 Engine Threads/Cores

Now you can choose the number of Threads/Cores/Processors the Engines can use. See Settings – Engine Options. 
Please note that choosing the max number of threads can improve Engine performance, but at the same time, your device may stall a bit and consume more battery. Use wisely.

 Automatic Opening recognition
The App now automatically tells you the Opening ECO, name in the Notation. The ECO will also be automatically saved when you save a game!

 Undo option in strategic places
From time to time, we all make mistakes! Accidentally deleted the wrong move? Or perhaps you cleared the board in Position setup? Don’t worry, UNDO has got you covered!
A major reason and driving force behind this was to improve the overall user experience.
Undo options have been added in multiple strategic places, so even if you make a mistake while using the App, you can undo it! 
Share board image with different arrow/highlight colors!
Now when you share the Board as image, you can choose from 4 preset colors and highlight the Squares or draw arrows with them! Makes it easy to express ideas.
Not only this, you can even directly Share board image from other Chess Apps installed on your device! Choose to export current board as FEN, and choose “Analyze This – Highlight & Share” option from the list of Apps! You are ready to highlight the board and share it!
☆ Option to hide engine arrow
For those of you who did not like the Engine revealing the solution with the arrow on the board, you may now hide the arrow. See Settings – Engine Options
☆ More space for Notation!
Some of you wanted even more space for the Notation view. Now the 2-way toggle next to the player names, can work 3-ways and provide more space for the Notation (and shrink the Board accordingly)
☆ Touch and hold the board for Quick annotation view
This was a nice feature added in the previous version which quickly helped to add annotation Symbols to the game. Earlier you could double tap on the board to view it, but some times that lead to false touches. This is now changed to long-press. So touch and hold the board to view the Quick annotation View.
In this regard, there is an additional feature in the Analysis Menu, to hide the Engine layout. When not needed, you can hide the Engines currently selected, and make more space for the Board/Notation.

☆ Bug fixes and other enhancements

This version has many bug fixes and lots of other visual enhancements and improvements under the hood!

//What could not make into this release
Unfortunately, Critter cannot run on Android 5.0 and above. I am looking for a suitable replacement, and will hopefully add it in a future release.

Meanwhile, please keep sending your bugs/feature suggestions, and I would be happy to consider them.

Categories
analyzethis android ios

Using Analyze This’ Instant-position analysis from your Android/iOS Chess App


ANDROID
You can use the Instant-position analysis feature of Analyze This from your own Chess App! All you need to do is invoke Analyze This and pass additional Intent extras.

1. Instant-position analysis for current position only
You can send the FEN string of the current position for Instant-position analysis. Note that only the FEN string is sent and not the whole PGN. So users would need to return back to your App in case they wish to analyze some other position.

public static final String PKG_ANALYZE_THIS_FREE 
= "com.pereira.analysis";
public static final String PKG_ANALYZE_THIS_PAID
= "com.pereira.analysis.paid";
public static final String ANALYZE_THIS_ACTIVITY
= "com.pereira.analysis.ui.BoardActivity";
public static final String KEY_FEN = "KEY_FEN";

//Since users may have either the Free or the Paid version of Analyze This, you should check using Package Manager


 //default to free version, 
//but check below if paid version is installed
String analyzeThisPackageName = PKG_ANALYZE_THIS_FREE;
if (isInstalled(this, if (isInstalled(this, PKG_ANALYZE_THIS_PAID)) {
//paid version is installed, so use it!
        analyzeThisPackageName = PKG_ANALYZE_THIS_PAID;
}

Intent intent = new Intent();
//send the "fen" string from your program
intent.putExtra(KEY_FEN, fen);
Intent intent =
new Intent();
try {
startActivity(intent);
}
catch (ActivityNotFoundException e) {
//TODO neither Free nor Paid version of Analyze This is installed,
so show message to the user to install the App from the Play store
}

//Method to check if the given package is installed on the device
public static boolean isInstalled(Context context, String packageName) {
boolean installed = true;
try {
PackageInfo pinfo =
context.getPackageManager().getPackageInfo(packageName, 0);
}
catch (NameNotFoundException e) {
installed =
false;
}
return installed;
}

2. Instant-position analysis with whole PGN
You can also send the whole PGN game to Analyze This and have it immediately start analyzing the position at a given ply number: (new addition in Analyze This v3.1.4). The added advantage of sending the whole PGN text is that users can also move back and forth through the game without having to return back to your App.

//complete pgn text
intent.putExtra(android.content.Intent.EXTRA_TEXT, pgn); 
ComponentName name = new ComponentName(analyzeThisPackageName,
ANALYZE_THIS_ACTIVITY);

//plyNum (half-move) at which to start analyzing
intent.putExtra(KEY_PLY_NUM, plyNum);

intent.setComponent(name);


BONUS!
You can even ask Analyze This to flip the board or choose a different board color which suits your application’s board color.

 //Integer value, where 0="Aqua", 1="Blue", 2="Brown", 3="Gray", 
4="Green" , 5="Fritz", 6="Sky Blue"
intent.putExtra("KEY_COLOR", 0);
intent.putExtra("KEY_FLIPPED", true);

//set the component
ComponentName name = new ComponentName(analyzeThisPackageName,
ANALYZE_THIS_ACTIVITY);
intent.setComponent(name);

public static final String KEY_PLY_NUM = "KEY_PLY_NUM";

Intent shareIntent = new Intent(android.content.Intent.ACTION_SEND);
intent.setType("application/x-chess-pgn");

try {
startActivity(intent);
} catch (ActivityNotFoundException e) {
//TODO neither Free nor Paid version of Analyze This is installed,
 so show message to the user to install the App from the Play store
}
iOS
You can send the whole PGN game to Analyze This and have it immediately start analyzing the position at a given ply number. The added advantage of sending the whole PGN text is that users can also move back and forth through the game without having to return back to your App.Your iOSAppcan interact with Analyze This through custom URL schemes and copy PGN data to clipboard. Analyze This then starts analyzing the pgn copied by your App to the clipboard.
Step 1: Sending whole PGN to Analyze This
You can even ask Analyze This to flip the board or choose a different board color which suits your application’s board color.
static NSString *kPasteboardName = @"pgnPasteBoard";

//MUST – The pgn string that should be sent to Analyze This.
Currently the App only accepts a single game in pgn string format
static NSString *kPgnKey = @"pgn";

//OPTIONAL - the position at given ply which Analyze This will jump to
static NSString *kPlyKey = @"ply";

//OPTIONAL – if Analyze This should immediately start analyzing the position.
 Default -
static NSString *kAutoEngineKey = @"autoengine";

//OPTIONAL - Integer value where 1=”Aqua”, 2=”Blue”, 3=”Brown”,
4=”Gray”, 5=”Green”, 6=”Fritz” (starts from 1 not 0)
static NSString *kColorIndex = @"colorIndex";

//OPTIONAL - whether Analyze This should flip the board [true|false]
static NSString *kFlipped = @"boardFlip";
//Open Analyze This app and analyze the pgn
- (void)analyzeTapped {
NSInteger colorIndex = 1; // ex. Aqua board
BOOL isFlip = false;
NSNumber *currentPly;
// get pgn string from your app
NSString* pgnStr;

NSString *customURL = [NSString
stringWithFormat:@"apxchesspgn://?%@=%@",kPgnKey,
 kPasteboardName]; // configure the url
customURL = [customURL stringByAppendingString:
[NSString stringWithFormat:@"&%@=%@",
 kPlyKey, currentPly]]; 
//plyNum (half-move) at which to start analysing
customURL = [customURL stringByAppendingString:
[NSString stringWithFormat:@"&%@=%@",
 kAutoEngineKey, @(true)]]; 
// start engine when Analyze This loads
customURL = [customURL stringByAppendingString:
[NSString stringWithFormat:@"&%@=%ld",
 kColorIndex, (long)colorIndex]]; 
// colour of your choice
customURL = [customURL stringByAppendingString:
[NSString stringWithFormat:@"&%@=%d",
 kFlipped, isFlip]]; 
// flipped bool
// create a UIPasteboard with name “pgnPasteBoard”
UIPasteboard *pasteBoard =
[UIPasteboard pasteboardWithName:kPasteboardName 
create:true];

// set pin string to paste Board
[pasteBoard setString:pgnStr];

//if the url opens, it means Analyze This is installed else show the
//user alert to install Analyze This
if ([[UIApplication sharedApplication]
canOpenURL:[NSURL URLWithString:customURL]]) {
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:[NSURL URLWithString:customURL]];
} else {
UIAlertView *alert = [[UIAlertView alloc]
initWithTitle:@"Install Analyze This"
message:@"Analyze this game with a powerful Chess engine!
Its free. 
Would you like to install it now?"
delegate:self
cancelButtonTitle:nil
otherButtonTitles:@"Install", @"Cancel", nil];
[alert show];
}
}
#pragma mark - UIAlertView Delegate
//Handle button clicks
- (void)alertView:(UIAlertView *)alertView clickedButtonAtIndex:
(NSInteger)buttonIndex
{
switch (buttonIndex) {
case 0:
//install
NSLog(
@"Install");
[self installAnalyze];
break;
case 1:
//Do nothing // cancel button
NSLog(
@"Do nothing");
break;
}
}
//open the Analyze This store listing in iTunes, so that the user can install the App
- (void)installAnalyze{
// Initialize Product View Controller
SKStoreProductViewController *storeProductViewController =
[[SKStoreProductViewController alloc] init];
// Configure View Controller
[storeProductViewController setDelegate:self];
[storeProductViewController loadProductWithParameters:
@{SKStoreProductParameterITunesItemIdentifier : @1090863537} 
completionBlock:^(BOOL result, NSError *error) {
if (error) {
NSLog(@"Error %@ with User Info %@.", error, [error userInfo]);
} else {
// Present Store Product View Controller
// [self presentViewController:storeProductViewController
animated:YES completion:nil];
}
}];
[self presentViewController:storeProductViewController
animated:YES completion:nil];
}
Step 2: Include URL Scheme in info.plist
Be sure to include Analyze This URL scheme in your application’s Info.plist under LSApplicationQueriesSchemes key if you want to query presence of Analyze This on user’s iPhone using -[UIApplication canOpenURL:].

Open Info.plist. Add new element (+). Set key asLSApplicationQueriesSchemes. Set values as apxchesspgn
Categories
android ichess

[Android] iChess v3.6.1 released!

iChess v3.6.1 was released today with the following changes:

* You can now reset the Bird view and start solving afresh! (See Bird View screen – Menu – Reset). This will not affect your score

* If your puzzles PGN has a comment, then iChess will show it underneath the board.

* Better Fritz color
* Better support for foreign language PGNs
* Fixed some puzzles
* Other enhancements under the hood!

Categories
android chessbookstudy

Whats New in Chess Book Study v2.5! [Android]

v2.5 of Chess Book Study Android app was released today! [FREE / PRO]

Chess Book Study Store!
Chessdom Chess Insider PDFs/PGNs are now available for purchase from inside the App!
Read GM Analysis and reports of the historic Candidates 2014, European Individual Chp or the Gashimov Memorial. More coming soon…
You can even copy the PDF/PGN and view them on your Computer!*
(Please upgrade Ebookdroid (Chess) app to see the extra Menu option. Else use the Quick Action menu > Store)

Annotation Editor
You can effortlessly add annotations and comments to multiples moves from a single screen!

Settings

  • Board Colors – You can choose different Board colors. What more, the board/app background changes according to the chosen color!
  • Sound – Enable/disable sound

Promote Variation
In the Notation view, tap an already selected move or touch and hold to see more options, including the Promote Variation option.

Bug fixes and Misc changes
This release also includes some bug fixes and PGN library changes.

Play Store Links
[FREE / PRO]

* The files are stored on your sdcard. (/sdcard/Android/data/com.pereira.booknboard{.paid}/files/)

Categories
android followchess

Follow Chess 1.0 released!! Now follow moves from multiple Chess tournaments

Follow Chess v1.0
  Follow Chess v1.0 for Android was released today! With it, you can now watch multiple Chess tournaments in multi-board format!

Check out moves from multiple international chess tournaments.
Currently broadcasting Women’s Grand Prix, 14th Bangkok Club Open, Danish National Class, Fagernes International and Dubai Open!!
Dont like the Ads? See Menu – Remove Ads to remove all Ads and go Pro! This will also unlock all features that may be added in the future!

 

TIP : Tap on any board in the multi-screen view to launch the offline Analysis Board.

Offline Analysis Board – Play through the moves or even enter you own moves to understand the nuances of the game!

Please note that this board will not auto-refresh if new moves are made in the actual game.

Hit the Menu – Analyze This and you get the full game (with your variations!) into Analyze This app for saving, sharing and further analysis!

TIP : Instant Engine Analysis – Double tap the board in this screen to launch the instant engine analysis with my Analyze This app!
TIP : Flip Board – Like my other Chess apps, swipe your finger down on the board to flip the board!

The app supports nearly 5300 Android devices!!! As usual, there could be issues with certain devices running on certain Android versions. If you are one of those unlucky ones, please send me an email at pereiraasim@gmail.com and I would be able to fix it. Leaving a review on the Play Store, does not give me enough information to fix the issue; so it will remain as it is! Instead, pls mail me!

Even if there is no issue, just mail me with your feedback. I like to listen to em!

DOWNLOAD (PLAY STORE)

Future Features
– Games from previous rounds
– Pairing & Schedule
– Results
…till then, happy viewing!

Categories
analyzethis android

Analyze This v3.0!! Lots of features and fun in your favorite Android Chess app!

Extremely happy to have released Analyze This v3.0 today. This culminates many months of work and I could not have been more happier than this.

This release has lots of exciting features and I am personally very happy with it.

WHAT’S NEW in 3.0?

  • Delete games from PGN file (remember to always back-up your precious PGN files!) (Thx Mesut, Romuald, Claude)
  • Copy Engine output to Notation – Handy if you like to permanently save the engine analysis to PGN. To copy the whole line to notation, simply touch and hold the line. Alternately, you can also tap the engine name and choose ‘Clip main-line’ to copy just the main line. (Thx Timotei, Kevin, Mazzy)
  • Play against Mobile / Engine shootout [PRO Only] – Wonder why the GM resigned in his game? Now you can try that position and play it against the Engine. Or wish to sharpen your Endgame skills? Play it out against the Engine. You can start a different engine (or even the same engine) for the other side, and have the Engines play against each other and finish off the game! This can be a really powerful tool to practice endgames or certain winning positions and test your skills against the machine.
  • Annotation editor – Add comments and symbols. You can tap on any other move and enter the comment for that move too. Makes it easier to quickly annotate a game.
  • Quick Annotation Palette – For those cases where you simply want to add a symbol. Just double-tap any empty square on the board and quickly choose the symbol It cannot get easier than this!
  • Promote variation – You can now promote sub variations from the Notation view.
  • Auto-replay game  [PRO Only] – Like to go through many master games? Then this is for you. Load your favorite games and let the app automatically move through the game.
  • Variation chooser – Sometimes when you are studying an annotated game with lots of variations, its not easier to find the sub variation inside the large variation tree. Analyze This gives a handy list of variations for you to choose. Tap the variation to enter it. At the end of the sub-variation, you can tap-tap (twice) to automatically jump back to the main line. Pretty handy I say! (Thx Durga Prasad)
  • Player lookup via Wikipedia – Sometimes when I browse through PGNs downloaded from theweekinchess.com, I come across good games played by relatively unknown players. This feature makes it handy to lookup the player’s profile (if exists) on Wikipedia. It is also a good way to check on your favorite players and their important statistics.
  • Swipe to change games – Say you loaded a game from your PGN file. Now to load the next game, you simply swipe left-wards on the board. Similarly, swipe right to load the previous game from the PGN. (every time you restart the app and swipe, you will be shown the games list for the first time. Subsequently, swiping will work as expected) (Thx Joseph)
  • Arrows and Highlights – Sharing the board as image just got prettier. Before you share the image, you can highlight key squares and draw arrows! (Thx Carlos)
  • Single tap to launch Notation menu. If you already have a move highlighted in the Notation view, then you simply touch it one more time to access the Notation menu (Delete Move, Promote variation, Annotation Editor) options.
  • Improved Fritz color (hopefully this is easier on the eyes on brighter devices) (Thx Zamana)
  • Stockfish upgraded to DD (another update v3.0.2 was released with Stockfish 3.0 included. If DD has problems running on your device, you can switch the engines from the Manage Engines screen). Added support for intel Phones. (Thx Eric and neevstation)
  • Move to sd card (for supported devices) – App can now be moved to the SD card (if you are falling short of space on the internal memory). Please let me know in case some things don’t work. (Thx Larry)
and some more…!
PHEWW!

Check out the Tips and Tricks!

Download Links:
PLAY STORE
AMAZON APP STORE (v3.0 releasing soon)

PS: The app has been thoroughly tested (as much as one person could!) and there may be some potential problems. Please drop me a note if you see anything odd!
IMP: If you see some weird behavior after upgrade (over your existing version), its always best to uninstall and re-install again!

Categories
android followchess

Follow Chess – New Android app to watch live chess games

Friends,

Here is a simple App to watch the Live games from the Candidates 2014 tournament.
FOLLOW CHESS on the Play Store

With multiple boards, you surely cannot miss a move!
‘Follow Chess’ will broadcast many more tournaments in the future and have many awesome features like my other Chess apps. Stay tuned!

FOLLOW CHESS on the Play Store

Cheers,
Asim

Categories
android ichess

Chess – How to improve your Tactical defense?

Chess is 99% tactics. Many games are won when you spot a tactical shot or simply miss one from your opponent.
Hence, apart from sharpening your own tactical skills, it is also important to improve your defensive skills, so that you don’t easily fall prey to your opponent’s Tactical shots.

The key here is to be aware of THREATS in any given position. When you are aware of the Threats in the position, you would naturally take precaution to not leave a piece enprise or safe guard your King from the impending mate.

So, improving your ability to spot Threats in the position is a sure shot way to bump up your tactical defense.

Take a moment to study the following position (It is White to move and imagine YOU are playing Black). It is a very simple position, but ask yourself.
“What is White threatening?”
“Are any of my pieces undefended?”

Once you notice that your Rook on a6 has no support and it can be attacked by Qc8 (with check!), you would know what to do! So if instead of White, it was your turn (Black’s move), you would naturally safe guard the Rook or exchange off the enemy Queen.

Another simple example (White to move and you are Black).
“What is White threatening?”

Qf8+ immediately finishes the game. So if you were playing Black and it was your move instead, you would protect against the mate with say …Kg7

A more difficult puzzle with Black to move. Ask yourself the same question.
“What is Black threatening?”

Oh, thats infact simple. Black would play Bxg2 mate! You now know the Threat.

What if the position was actually like this with Black to move:

You can immediately spot the tactical motif for your opponent. Remember you are playing White and the idea is to ask “What is Black threatening?”
The threat is: Black will play Qxf4 sacrificing his queen to “deflect” the White queen away from the protection of the g2 pawn. Then after you reply with Qxf4, your opponent (Black) will play the deadly Bxg2 and hold his head high up while the onlookers admire his skill.
Instead, if it was your turn to move (White), you would see the “Threat” and protect yourself against the embarrassing mate!

Summary

  1. Always ask yourself, “What is my opponent threatening?” or “What will be my opponent’s next move”
  2. Watch your opponent’s last move (99% of the times, your opponent’s last move has all the “Threats”)
  3. Always look out for the “checks”, “captures” and “threats” in the position.
  4. After a good amount of practice/training, points 1, 2 and 3 above would actually be obsolete and you would no longer have to do that, since your brain and intuition will automatically make you aware of the impending Threats. You would naturally get a feel for the position. However, never let down your guard!
  5. Practice, Practice, Practice, no short cuts!

How to practice?

  1. Pick up your favorite puzzle book (even if you have already solved all the puzzles). Now solve the puzzles all over again from the losing side’s perspective, every time asking yourself the simple question, “What is my opponent threatening?” (you play as the losing side). However it is better if the winning side is actually on Top (for a change!)
  2. iChess for Android has a very interesting feature which can be very useful for defensive training. iChess can rotate the board, such that the losing side (remember YOU are playing the losing side for now), is at the bottom. For every puzzle you solve, ask yourself the above question and go ahead and make moves for the winning side. This kind of training is bound to help you improve your Tactical defenses and overall “Threat” perception. (To turn ON this option, open iChess > Menu > Settings > Board Rotation > Select “Winning side on top”. Now for every puzzle, iChess will show the winning side on top and you have to make moves for the other side as if you are guessing what moves your opponent is going to make)
May Caissa be with you!
PS. All the above images are from iChess, with the board rotation feature turned ON as mentioned above.
Categories
android

World Championship App, Carlsen and some pics

“The first of its kind!”
This World championship match touched many lives, and mine has been no different.

Back in September, I approached the AICF with a proposal to develop a Android app for the Match. They liked the idea and the rest is history!


There were lots of new things that I had never done before with my other Chess apps. It was a big challenge. 


♚ The first line of code!

On, September 1st, 2013, I wrote the first line of code!
Given my familiarity with Java and affinity towards Google, I chose the Google App Engine as my server. (One of the main reason to use a separate server for my app was to reduce the load on the official servers, especially after the London Candidates’ debacle during the earlier rounds). There were many technical hurdles that had to be crossed.
Line by line, file by file, the Android app and the corresponding server was brought to life.
But the main setback was not a technical problem, but a lack of response from the concerned teams that almost threatened to derail the app or some of its features. 
There were so many questions that needed answers, but there was no one to answer!

♚ First board prototype

The first board prototype, using the color scheme matching the actual board from the Candidates! Lol. The teak theme was too dark on some phones, especially the black pieces on dark square.


♚ What you “fore-see” is not what you get!

But as it happens with so many projects, the end-product is almost always completely different from the initial idea that you had envisaged, and some times its good.
At some point, the “Cool Anand” and “Hot Carlsen” board ideas struck my mind.
The app had to be made personal. After all it was all about the duo. And the fans. Let chess fans proudly choose the board theme matching the player they support, is what I thought!


Tactics were never part of the initial idea, but they became one of the most liked features of the app! (Full set of 300 tactical puzzles of Anand and Carlsen are available for purchase via my iChess Android and iOS app)

Live video was! But even after the app was officially released, there were no details on how to access the live video! (lol, can only laugh when I think about it now!)
Picture gallery was optional, and remains optional till date! 😉
There were so many features that I wanted to add and so many changes that were requested by Chess fans, but then there is a limit to time, energy and motivation!

♚ Who will annotate the previous encounters?

The previous encounters had to be annotated. With my limited time and Chess skills, I could never had done justice to the master pieces. I initially approached a couple of Indian GM’s, one of whom is well known for his satirical posts. But I did not have the money to offer nor did they have the time. (Note, the app was developed for FREE with no monetary payment. Just for honor and pride, or “loyalty huh?” as Vishy Anand told me at the pre-match dinner party!)
Then entered, Sagar Shah, the most energetic and entertaining Chess annotator I have ever seen. His annotations are like poetry! He agreed to annotate for the share of the “glory” and no money, although I did tell him that in case there is a chance to monetize the app, then I shall pay him 30% of the revenue. Thanks to the server costs, the revenue is negative! Ofcourse, being the “official” app, it could not serve any Ads and generate revenue. Imagine the app saying, “you can only watch the first two games for free. Rest of the games need $0.99, each) 😛

♚ The first version

After several internal Beta test versions from Oct 21st to Oct 25th, the first version was released for public download on Oct 26th. I could now breathe easy, atleast that is what I thought!
Then followed a series of changes, bug fixes, improvements, additions, deletions. Overall, 15 versions were released since then, each carrying some improvement or bug fix or some unavoidable design change!

♚ Stats & Dates

  • Development started – Sep 1st
  • First version released – Oct 26th
  • Total active users – >45,000 (as of Nov 27) (my expectation before the match was a modest 5000!)
  • Average rating – 4.72/5 (389 of 471 were 5 stars!)
  • Top 3 countries – India (37.8%), Spain (7.72%), Germany (7.52%). Norway was #5 with 3.87% sessions.


♚ Thanks

This app would not have been possible without the kind support of so many Chess enthusiasts and even non-enthusiasts (the app icon was developed by a “non-Chess” guy!)
Starting with Bharat Singh, who liked the app idea and immediately called up to take this forward. Sagar Shah and Swayams Mishra who helped with the Previous encounters and Tactics respectively. Such was Sagar’s enthusiasm and commitment, that he would burn the midnight oil and stay up late till the morning and annotate the game (before he got busy with his own tournament)! I think it took a toll on him and he had a disastrous performance at the recently concluded Chennai Grand Master open tournament.
Soni Prasad, my college mate who designed the app icon even though he was faced with some personal tragedy and difficult situations.
Aart Bik, who offered the first “foreign” hand and translated the app to Dutch. BTW, he is the developer of the popular “Chess for Android” app.
Many of them came ahead on their own accord and helped with the translation. This is the real Chess spirit! Bruno Pellanda, David Kaufmann, Houssem Collo, Jan Hotarek, Michael Meyer, Sverre Eugen. And the many people on G+, Twitter and FB who helped with their kind and encouraging words.
Some times users don’t realize how their words (reviews in this case) can positively or negatively affect others. For instance, a user did not like the recently added Norwegian translation and chose to give a bad review. That was enough to upset Sverre, who had spent the time and effort to help translate and had personally offered his help in the first place. “So let them do it from here. I stick to only playing chess”, Sverre argued. The user who chose to award a bad review, never offered any help to correct the translation, inspite of asking for his feedback! Thats life!

♚ Future of the app?

Dalila – “I’ll miss seeing the coloured notification ‘a move has been made’“. It was indeed a part of my life for the past 3 months and for many fans world wide. This is quite evident from the amazing response the app received. And I am truly grateful.


At one point, the app was #6 in the Top New Free Apps in the Brain & Puzzle Category on the Google Play Store!
So whats next? Like Deep Blue, the super computer, the app will be disassembled! But the parts will be used for a future project with the intention of watching live games and even more! Stay tuned!

♚ Perks of the job

Watching the Opening ceremony from the front row!


Sitting on that chair, touching those pieces!



Oh and, congratulations to MAGNUS CARLSEN, the new World Chess Champion!
(My 10 year old niece, who was “not interested” in Chess, now likes Magnus Carlsen and has taken to chess again! She plays Chess with her 8 year old brother who coincidentally likes Anand…still!)

PS. Some photos from the event:

https://plus.google.com/photos/109229292553599584633/albums/5943560829066629073

Categories
android

Introducing the Official App of the FIDE World Championship Match 2013

First time in the history of a World Chess Championship match, fans world wide can follow the action on their Android devices! And not just follow, but immerse into it with this feature packed Android app!

DOWNLOAD

Get it on Google Play

APP HIGHLIGHTS


Live Moves
Follow the live moves on a beautiful Chess board, and watch as the drama unfolds in real-time!

Notifications
Get notified when the game starts or after moves are made. What more, after every game is over, you will be immediately notified of the result*

Sample game notification in the Notification tray during the game and after the game is over


Engine Analysis
One click engine analysis of the current board position with two Strong Chess engines (Critter & Stockfish). Needs ‘Analyze This’ Android app

‘Analyze This’ Android app



Annotated Previous Encounters
Get ready for the match as Sagar Shah (ELO 2373) walks you through some selected previous encounters of Anand and Carlsen, with some entertaining annotations and commentary.



Tactics of Anand & Carlsen

Solve 30 tactical puzzles of Anand and Carlsen (15 each), carefully selected by IM Swayams Mishra (ELO 2434). These are “awesome tactics worth solving”, as he puts it.



Integrated Tweets

Stay abreast with expert opinion and comments with the integrated Tweets. Also, Tweet while you watch the live moves right from the Board screen!



2 Board Designs

Whom are you supporting? Choose either the “Cool Anand” or the “Hot Carlsen” board design and support your man!

‘Cool Anand’ & ‘Hot Carlsen’ board designs!




Home Screen and Lock Screen Widgets
What if you could follow the action without even opening the app!!? Too good to be true?
Yes, you can! Add the Board widget to your Android Home screen (or Lock Screen!!) and watch as the widget updates automatically when the moves are made!*
The home screen widget can be resized and made bigger!




♚ Match Score
View match schedule (in your local time!) and follow the score as the match progresses

♚ Available in International languages

Thanks to some awesome Chess enthusiasts, the app is available in native Portuguese (BRL), Dutch, French, Czech, German and Spanish languages!**


♚ Optimized for Battery and Data
The app only does its work when the server notifies it that a move has been made, instead of continuously connecting to the server every few minutes. This saves a lot of device battery and data charges. Hence you can always keep your data connection ON and never miss a beat!

TIPS N TRICKS

  • Live Board – Swipe down to flip the board


  • Tactics – Swipe right-to-left to load next puzzle


  • Tweets – Pull down to refresh tweets


FAQs

“Google Play Services not available.” What does this mean?

To save device battery and data charges, the app uses Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) to send moves and other details from the server down to the devices. If the correct version of Google Play Services is not available on your device, then cloud messaging will not work. Instead, the device will resort to pulling moves from the server. This has the following implications:
  • Server will not be able to push any move notification to the device. This in turn means that the device will periodically try and fetch this information, resulting in higher Battery and data charges
  • No move notifications from the server. Hence moves may be delayed
  • Game start/end notification will not work 
  • Home/Lock screen widget will NOT automatically show the latest board position.


With “Google Play Services” error, will I be able to watch live games? 

Yes! However, there will be no moves pushed by the server to your device automatically, nor will there be any game start/end notifications. As long as you are on the “Live Board” screen, the app will show the latest board position and refresh at a 2 minute interval.


How do I add the Board widget to my Home screen?

Click ‘Widgets’ category on your Android device and scroll right till you locate the ‘World Championship Match 2013’ widget shown below:

Then drag it and place it some where on your home screen. The widget will automatically update and show you the latest game position, when the game is in play*.





How do I add the Board widget to my Lock screen?

Lock your device and swipe the lock screen widget till you see the below:
Touch the ‘+’ area and scroll to locate the World Championship match widget.

Then touch to select the widget and it will be added to the Lock screen.

Now when the game starts, you only have to look at your lock screen to see the current game position!*
Adding widgets to lock screen is available only on Android 4.2 and higher

CREDITS


* – Notification feature is not available on devices like the Amazon Kindle Fire etc which do not have the Google Play Services.
Please see ‘Google Play Services not available’ FAQ above for other restrictions for devices that do not support Google Play Services.
Lock screen widgets are only available on devices running Android 4.2 and above. 

** – If you would like to help and translate the App to your international language, please mail me at pereiraasim@gmail.com. Only the App could be translated. The vast amount of Game annotations and commentary will still be in English.

♚ IMPORTANT: The app supports nearly 4200 different Android devices! So there is a possibility that the app may not always look “pretty” on your device. If you are one of those, please drop me a mail at pereiraasim@gmail.com and I shall try to fix it. A bad review will not automatically fix the issue since most likely I would need more details from you! 


DOWNLOAD

Get it on Google Play