Technological Guidelines by Taylor Kingston Chess Software Sourcebook, by Robert J. Pawlak, 1999 Treehaus Books, Montross, Softcover, 150 pp., $16.95. This is a good book at a good time. Not too many years ago chess- related programs for home computers were few and simple, but in the past decade they have burgeoned in number, ability and sophistication. As probably most of you reading this know, a wide array of software is now available: playing programs of GM strength, huge game collections, opening encyclopedias, middle- game analysis engines, endgame tablebases, interfaces for on-line play, training programs for both novice and master, even specialized tools for correspondence, composition, and blindfold play. We have reached a level of technological complexity where most chess software shoppers want and need guidance like one can get from, say, Consumer Reports when contemplating a major purchase like a car or household appliance. Chess Software Sourcebook is an attempt to create a Consumer Reports for chess technophiles. Its goal is to describe, compare and evaluate all the major chess-related products available for the PC today. It succeeds quite well. Many chess magazines and web-sites review software, but the reviewers do not always have the ideal combination of chess knowledge, computer expertise, objectivity, experience, and writing skill required to evaluate products properly and to explain them in a clear, understandable way. In contrast, CSS author Robert Pawlak is highly qualified: he is an active chess player, he holds a doctorate in electrical engineering, he has knowledge of several programming languages and of the relationship between PC software and hardware. He can discuss technical topics in layman's terms, and he writes in well-organized, grammatically correct English. Perhaps most importantly, Dr. Pawlak has a great deal of practical experience with his subject. For several years he has operated a web-site, now called Chess Program Reviews (URL: http://members.aol.com/rjpawlak/ch_widow.html), which reviews products and allows readers to e-mail questions and problems. Researching their queries has given Pawlak an understanding both of the capabilities of many products, and of the kinds of questions and concerns common to chess software users throughout the world. The book is divided into logical sections. Chapter 1 describes the main categories of programs currently on the market: playing programs, databases, opening tree programs, tutorials, e-books, Internet chess servers, autosensory boards, and dedicated, single- purpose chess computers (which Pawlak considers obsolete and omits from further discussion). Minimum standards and general advice for each type of product are given, e.g. that for a playing program Elo rating is probably the least important factor. Optimal hardware specs (RAM capacity, processor speed, etc.) are discussed, as well as software availability (rather limited) for older computers, Apple machines and non-Windows operating systems. A basic level of computer proficiency is assumed (the fact that you are reading this indicates yours is probably adequate), but great expertise is not required and the language is free of obfuscatory techno-jargon. Chapter 2 correlates areas of chess interest with the appropriate kind of program, and explains important technical terms (header search, EPD export/import, hash table, WinBoard engine interface, etc.). Having established the basics, Pawlak then proceeds to describe and evaluate specific programs within each category. About 40 products are mentioned, at least 30 of which are discussed in some detail. These include, among playing programs, ChessGenius, PowerChess, Chessica, Rebel, Chessmaster, Shredder, Chessvision, Virtual Chess, Fritz, and MasterChess; among databases BOOKUP, ChessBase, Chess Academy, Chessvision, and Chess Assistant; for tutorials CT-ART, ABCs of Chess Openings, Blindfold, Daniel King: Attack!, Encyclopedia of Middlegames, Chess Mentor, School, Strategy, Chess Tutor, and Chess Tactics for Beginners; and for opening references Chess Informant Reader, Chess Openings, Encyclopedia of Semiclosed Games, and FideChess Encyclopaedia. Each product gets a one- to four-page write-up describing its main features, strengths and weaknesses, plus a screen print showing the look of its graphic interface. These reviews are generally somewhat shorter than those Pawlak offers at his web-site, but more products are covered and the reviews are still adequately thorough. Some verdicts are positive; for example "Fritz has become the de facto standard ... [and] is an especially cost- effective solution", or "Personnel at Convekta Ltd. [makers of Chess Assistant] are very responsive to customer needs". Others are not: "[Chessmaster 6000 has] an almost unusable opening book editor, which has remained virtually unchanged over the last few releases.", or "[with PowerChess] I found it hard to differentiate between features that are offered and features that actually work reliably", or "The [Virtual Chess 2] program's main failing is a graphical interface that crashes on a regular basis." Unique features are pointed out, e.g. "Chessmaster is the only playing program reviewed in this book that allows you to adjourn a game", or "The quiz positions in [Chess Tactics for Beginners] are taken from the [highly regarded] book The Manual of Chess Combinations by Sergey Ivaschenko ... and this software offers the only way to access it outside of Russia." Also Pawlak points out when a product is particularly well- or ill-suited to a given kind of player, e.g. School is for beginners while Studies is for fans of endgame composition. Each section ends with a table comparing programs feature by feature, so one can see at a glance that, for example, ChessBase and Chessvision both support database search for Bishops of opposite color, but the former also does material and maneuver search while the latter does not. Prices are not mentioned, though when Pawlak considers a system an exceptional value he says so, as for example with Fritz or Chess Assistant. His evaluations appear to be based on release levels as of late 1998, but he tends to focus on a system's core capabilities rather than recent minor enhancements. The above-described chapters take up 86 pages. The next 40 pages provide some interesting and useful instructions for optimal use of software, including ways to enhance database searches, analysis depth and opening study, and to modify a program's playing strength if it's winning or losing too often to suit you. This is followed by a chapter on how to play chess on the Internet, assorted miscellaneous tips, and finally a list of chess software publishers, including their web-site and e-mail addresses. While the book's overall thoroughness is admirable, there are a few omissions. Specialized software for correspondence chess is not discussed; those seeking advice in that area would best consult Tim Harding's writings and/or his Chess Mail web-site. Desktop publishing for chess is little mentioned. Databases are not evaluated for game selection and quality control (i.e. ratio of GM to amateur games, percentage of inaccurate, spurious and/or duplicate scores, completeness for major players, etc.). Also some of Pawlak's classifications are questionable; for example MasterChess seems foremost a database, but he lists it among playing programs. In my experience a playing program such as Fritz is the best tool for game analysis, but Pawlak lists this as a database function. However, these are minor quibbles, and admittedly there is considerable overlap in these functions between different programs. It could be argued that a book like this is obsolete by the time it is printed, but I consider that too a minor objection. While software companies will of course continually release new versions, the essential features on which CSS focuses are unlikely to change very soon in any fundamental way. Agreed, CSS probably will be practically useless, say, 20 years from now, but it should continue to be relevant for at least the next three to five years (by which time a new edition might be in order). For now, about the only people who would not benefit from this book are very knowledgeable technophiles, stubborn technophobes, people without computers, and non-chessplayers (of which, I would think, only the first description fits many readers of this review). For anyone else, $16.95 seems a relatively small price to avoid wasting money on inferior or unsuitable products. Whether you are a newcomer to chess software, or a current user looking to upgrade or expand your system's capability, you will very likely find the Chess Software Sourcebook highly useful.