Learn chess and more with Ubisoft's Chessmaster DS
It's the art of learning on a touchscreen board
Some see chess as the art of war on a 8x8 eight board, but the latest DS version of Ubisoft's Chessmaster series (which we enjoyed on mobile) takes a more positive approach.
Instead, Chessmaster: The Art of Learning is based on the lessons from the book by American chess prodigy turned martial artist, Joshua Waitzkin. His The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence tells of how he twice won the US Junior Chess Championship, before switching to Tai Chi, in which he's won four pushing hands competitions.
"All well and good for Mr Waitzkin," you might be thinking, "but I want to learn how to play chess on my DS." Don't worry, you've come to the right place.
Chessmaster: The Art of Learning uses some of the learning principles Waitzkin's discovered during his varied life experience and applies them to chess, stepping you through the basics of the game before moving on to more complex moves.
Along the way, Waitzkin also explains how he played some of his best chess. We're reckoning the game where, aged ten, he beat his first chessmaster – something that happened in six moves as he sacrificed his queen and rook – will feature.
In addition, analysis of 900 of the most important chess games ever played will be available.
And after testing your braincells with that little lot, there's the opportunity for quicker fun with six mini-games, including: Minefield, in which chess pieces are used to locate hidden mines; Breaking the Lines, where the knight has to capture all of the pawns; and Fork My Fruit, a game that uses chess pieces to fork fruit of the same kind.
Head-to-head wireless multiplayer is also provided, featuring 'interesting' modes such as: Dark Chess, in which the opponent's pieces are invisible; Extinction Chess, where the winner is the first player to capture all of the opponent's pieces; and Losing Chess, a game that rewards the first player to lose all their pieces.
Chessmaster: The Art of Learning is due for worldwide release in October.
