Chess Tools
clean-design iPhone / iPad app
for chess players of all ages & experience levels
free to download and run
private: no servers, logins, no random opponents
on the iOS app store, search "chesstools"
T H E A P P
Features:
flexible play options may be different for each game
one player playing both sides
ChessTools is a game manager...not a player
start with a new game
or setup and play "what's the best move ?" puzzles
2 players on 1 device
like a traditional board
2 players on their own devices
like a traditional through-the-mail "correspondence" game
pass game files as text-message attachments
enforces all legal-move rules, such as:
"white's move, but you moved black"
"you tried to move through another piece"
"knight can only move in an L shape"
recognizes and supports all the chess special situations
check
pawn promotion
castling
pawn's initial 2-space move
en passant
your move left your king in check (discovered-check, checkmate, stalemate)
lets you play at your own pace
text-message transport allows each player to play when it suits them, perfect when...
a player takes a long time to move
players do not have full availability at the same time (working, different time-zones, etc.)
encourages game exploration without affecting the actual game
"history of the game" review...like browser "back" and "forward" buttons
"play forward without committing" to explore possible moves
allows unlimited simultaneous games
each game is a uniquely-identifiable text-file document which uses the app as its "editor"
"save" and "open" allow you full freedom to move between games
current context is automatically saved
whatever happens on your device, you will "pick up where you left off" when you come back
R E T R I E V E G A M E
F R O M T E X T M E S S A G E
To load a game file from a text message, touch your device as indicated by the red highlights. If your text message display does NOT show user-info circles as below, touch here for your version of the instructions.
You may need to scroll down to see the list of attached documents. The latest attachment is always at the upper left.
At this point, you will be taken into the Chess Tools app, with the received file in the app's inbox. When you are ready to open it, "touch for options" at the top of the screen.
Following are the steps to load a game file from a text message from an older version of iMessage.
At this point, you will be taken into the Chess Tools app, with the received file in the app's inbox. When you are ready to open it, "touch for options" at the top of the screen.
