Tag: anand

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!

Should Anand win the Candidates?

A smiling Anand at the Candidates 2014
(pic by @NastiaKarlovich)

Note, the question is no longer, “Will Anand win the Candidates?” since this is now put to rest after the first 6 rounds. But my question is; should he?

Today is a rest day for the players and me too (after a BIG Analyze This app release). So I thought it was a good day to rest a bit, take a break from programming and ponder over this Q.

“Should Anand win the Candidates?!“.
Sounds dubious, doesn’t it? After all, which player would not want to win a tournament and challenge Magnus Carlsen himself!? And which fan would not want his favorite star to win the Candidates? But should he?

Before I start getting threat calls from Chennai, and Vishy himself ‘unfriends’ me on FB and stops following on Twitter, let me make it clear. I am a big Anand-fan and would like to see him play forever!

There is no doubt about his stature. He is a legend who has single-handedly carried the expectations of a million Indians Chess fans (and one of the reason I quit my full-time job and started working on my Chess Apps and eBooks). He has won everything there was worth winning.

And the way he is currently playing, is a treat to watch. Then, why this question?

Lets take 3 likely scenarios when the Candidates tourney ends:

Scenario 1 : Anand plays badly here-after (r6) and ends up somewhere in the middle of the standing.
This will be obviously bad for him and his fans, especially after a dream start like this. We fans and probably Anand himself would not have imagined that he would be in sole lead after 6 rounds!
This will be quite disastrous.

Scenario 2 : Anand wins the Candidates and the right to challenge Carlsen (again!). Many Chess fans would think this would be the easiest pairing for Carlsen and a lop-sided match. I am sure even Carlsen, would probably stop practicing on his Play Magnus app and stop drinking Orange Juice. He might even take up additional modelling assignments or sign-up a movie! (“Board Wars – Return of the Tiger” starring Liv Tyler and some south Indian dude).

But would Anand himself like to play Carlsen again? Carlsen is strong, but not unbeatable. And he might even take some inspiration from the Rocky movies. According to reports, Anand was initially planning to skip the Candidates (probably because he wanted a nice break and wasn’t really thinking of matching Carlsen again). Would the Chess-world (barring Indian fans), be excited again to watch the match? (well I bet, on any given day a Carlsen-Anand match would have more viewers than a Carlsen-XYZ match)
Anand will now need to spend months in intense preparation if he has to beat Carlsen.

If Anand defeats Carlsen, does it make Anand more greater than he already is? It would be another feather in his overcrowded hat and an impossible comeback! But at some point, the new generation has to overtake the older while the legends fade, and that is perfectly natural!
If Anand loses again, the cycle repeats!?

Scenario 3 : Anand narrowly misses the ticket and finishes 2nd in the Candidates. Probably Aronian beats him on tiebreaks.
Fans will definitely be sympathetic towards Anand and be happy that against all odds, he played a superb tournament and the “tiger is back”. No hard feelings. Even Anand would feel good about his performance.
Anand goes on a nice extended holiday with his family, feeling content that he performed his best and came very close to winning it. He gains a dozen rating points and is having a good time, till his next tournament. Less pressure!

What do you think? Should Anand win the Candidates?

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

Categories
android ichess

300 tactical puzzles from the games of Anand and Carlsen

The biggest Chess match of the decade is just around the corner. What better way to celebrate this historic moment, than by solving puzzles derived from the games of these two brilliant players?

300 puzzles from the games of Anand (166 puzzles) and Carlsen (134 puzzles) are now available for purchase inside iChess. Now, get into the Championship mood!
(Note: First 166 puzzles are from Anand’s games followed by that of Carlsen. As usual, all puzzles are arranged in increasing order of difficulty starting with basic one-movers and going on to several moves)
Sample Puzzle
How did Anand (White) destroy Black’s King side?
White to play and win

Apart from the default free 1000 puzzles arranged into Normal, Advanced and Master levels, iChess also has lots of other puzzles that you can purchase.

Some of the puzzles available inside iChess for purchase

 Solution

App Download

Categories
ichess

New Chess puzzles from June 2013 and Mate in 1 move!

Today I have released new puzzles which can be purchased via iChess app!

Mate in 1 (400 puzzles!)
Check mate in only one move. Nothing more, nothing less!
This is great for beginners and kids but can also be good fun for more serious players!

June 2013 (300 puzzles)
300 puzzles from recent games played in June 2013. Featuring games from Tal Memorial, FIDE World Blitz, Russian Championship etc and games played by Anand, Mamedyarov, Andreikin.


Categories
android

10 best chess games of 2012 – pgn available for download

I just noticed this post on GM Pogonina’s website and I thought I could easily go through the games on my Tablet, but unfortunately there was no PGN for download. Using a Chess board on a webpage is not the world’s easiest thing.

So I searched the relevant games she had listed there, on Chessgames.com, and created a PGN. Thought it will be useful for others too.

Now I can sit back and play through the games using my Analyze This Android app!

Download Best 10 games of 2012.pgn

“Top-10 chess games in 2012 according to Natalia Pogonina:
1. Volokitin – Mamedyarov. I had very few doubts about the first place. This is a fantastic game.
2. Kramnik – McShane. I believe this was Kramnik’s supreme masterpiece in 2012. A great example of a sacrifice of an exchange.
3. Carlsen – Caruana. Magnus is known for his remarkable endgame technique. This game is a living proof of how good he is.
4. Gelfand – Anand. Gelfand took full advantage of the light-squared bad bishop. The fact that this game way played in the WCC match adds to its importance.
5. Bodnaruk – Javakhishvili. A great game by Anastacia Bodnaruk. White sacrificed two rooks and slaughtered the Black king.
6. Gustaffson – Kramnik.  A wonderful journey of the a-pawn 🙂
7. Ivanchuk – Vachier-Lagrave. The sacrifice on d5 is standard, but it never gets old. Especially when accompanied by such a nice move as 26.g3.
8. Carlsen – Topalov. A wild duel with fireworks. I love replaying this game over and over again 🙂
9. Aronian – Morozevich. A lot of splendid games have been played at Tal Memorial, but I decided to pick this one. Both sides has their chances, but in the end Black prevailed.
10. Rodriguez – Veskovi. An impressive attack on the king.”

BTW, the complete list of 38 games is here

Anand – “I didn’t see the hammer blow!”

Funny post-game analysis between Anand and Hammer after their R8 match in the Norway Chess tournament.

“Jon (Hammer) seems to have pretty much assumed that I blundered the pawn (h4…Qxh4)” – Anand
“Yeah I mean he already started this intimidation on twitter …thought it was getting a bit worrying” -Anand

At one point while analyzing a possible mate, Anand says (tongue in cheek) “I didnt see the hammer blow”

No love lost between India and Norway!

Whatt a “Knightmare”

So I had the worst nightmare a Chess programmer and fan could ever have.

Me and Vishy Anand were at some tourney (he was probably giving a simul)
I thought of showing him the latest features that I had added to my Android Chess apps.
But my phone would simply not respond. It had become terribly slow.
Even my Nexus 7 tablet refused to oblige.
In the end I could not show him anything!

Luckily I woke up then…lol

A programmer’s nightmare..demos never go without hiccups!!

Anand’s speech at the Alekhine Memorial – Sat, 20th April

Anand speaking at the press conference of the Alekhine Memorial

“Well i would first like to congratulate the organizers, I think its a very original event.
Last year I had the pleasure of playing in the museum and they have taken the concept further and combined it with great the chess legend, Alekhine.”

“And doing this with the two cities where he had a connection, I think will do honor to his memory.”

“I have had the chance to play in Paris before, but for me it will be the first time in St Petersburg and all in all I believe that this connection that they are making between art and chess; the artistic side and lets say the sporting side of chess is really wonderful and we are here to pay homage to a great champion.”

“I would say that most people would agree that Alekhine is in their list of favorite world champions.
Some may start with Capablanca, some may start with Alekhine, but Alekhine will atleast be 2nd or 3rd. His games were really spectacular. “

“And I hope we will get  chance to produce something that he might enjoy!”

source: http://www.alekhine-memorial.com/videos/2