Welcome to FrayerChess 2009

New:   July 2009 Game collection

For more than 26 years I have enjoyed the pastime of computer chess. Pitting one program and computer system against another, setting mesmerized as the strangely beautiful positional games played out. Before the internet we would sometimes establish a telephone voice link and play a kind of centaur chess between computers at different locations. More often it was necessary to have the two machines in the same physical location. By 1982 it was clear the internet would change not only computer chess, but chess forever.

In these early days we foresaw what would become freestyle chess, or what Kasparov called Advanced chess. (centaur) An all out attack upon the game, using computerized book openings, vast game bases combined with brut force heuristic searches. What we did not foresee was the worlds top GM's dismissing our over the board abilities as a mere side show act. (even after they could no longer beat us)

My point is, that I have been in this (hobby-sport) from its public beginnings and It has not taken the direction that I hoped it would. The pastime of engine chess has been commandeered by a small group of software publishers and businessmen. They produce the programs we play with and run the servers we play on. Their motivation is simple, profit. What I question, is if they have the best interest of game and the players in mind. This monopoly might be compared to the manufactures of golf clubs and balls controlling the game of golf. Deciding where the game will be played and what the rules shall be. Rather than taking a backseat role as sponsors and technical support.

Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing unethical about making a profit from computer chess. But an iron fist, jackboot approach to maintain control over this hobby is preventing it from becoming a sport. This website was originally setup to be the portal for my commercial .ctg opening book Chimera Pro. The profits, intended to run this site and provide rescores to the engine chess community. This has proved to be imposable to do because of possible legal difficulties with the opening book format being used. Individual players are not being given the chance in the market place, to decide, with his or her pocket book who produces the best opening book for their commercial chess program.

I would like to thank you all for visiting FrayerChess over the last few months in its new location. There is still hope for Chimera Pro and I will try to update some of the available recourses as soon as possible. In the interim here is my current opening blitz book for play on the PlayChess server. As always I can be contacted at   Kevin@frayerchess.com

 

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