How Tos

How to play chess on your DS

For free, obviously

How to play chess on your DS
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DS

In the absence of a decent chess game to appear commercially on the DS (the promising Chessmaster isn't due until mid-October), the homebrew crew is happy to oblige.

And how. This open source chess game makes excellent use of the DS touchscreen to deliver a very compelling version of the classic strategy game.

Follow our easy step-by-step guide and you'll soon have something to rely on next time the train you're on is delayed and you long for a deeper experience than the latest shoot-'em-up you brought along with you is able to offer.




















As always, the first step is to download the files you'll require. If you are tidy little bod you may want to collect them together in a folder on your PC. You need to download the following: - DS Chess: DSchess (binary).zip from here
- DLDI File System Patcher Software: dlditool-win32-gui.zip from here
- DLDI Driver File: from here
How to draw on DS 1

Unzip the DS Chess software
Once downloaded, the next step is to unzip the DS Chess software into a folder on your PC. 1. Unzip the DSchess (binary).zip file that you downloaded during Step 01.
2. Keep the folder to hand on your desktop or similar location.
How to draw on DS 2

Patch DS Chess software
Because DS Chess uses a generic file system library it needs to be patched so it can access files on your particular homebrew card. 1. Extract the dlditool-win32-gui.zip Patcher software to a folder on your PC.
2. Run the dlditool32.exe program.
3. Click the DLDI File button and browse to the location of the DLDI driver file you downloaded during Step 01. Ensure you have downloaded the DLDI driver file for your particular homebrew card from the list provided here.
4. Click the Binaries button and browse to the folder on your desktop and select the DSChess.nds file.
5. You can now copy the DSChess.nds file to the root folder of your homebrew card.
How to draw on DS 3

Start DS Chess
You can now fire up the DS Chess software. 1. Remove your homebrew card or memory stick from your PC.
2. Insert your homebrew card into your DS.
3. Turn on the DS power and run the DSReader.nds file.
4. The software will take a moment to load.
How to draw on DS 4

Play DS Chess
Once the DS Chess software is loaded, you can start playing: 1. The top screen is used to display a variety of useful stats.
2. White: Time taken for white's moves.
3. Black: Time taken for black's moves.
4. Best move: Suggested move.
5. Rating and Depth: Show you the process when the DS is calculating a move.
How to draw on DS 5

Learn additional controls
Although the majority of gameplay is controlled via the touchscreen, you can also use the following buttons to control the action: 1. Use the stylus to move your pieces.
2. Use A to force the DS to make a move.
3. Use L Trigger to undo the last move.
4. Use R Trigger to get a hint what to do next.
5. Use Start to enter the menu. Further information can be found here. As ever, check out our past DS How Tos to discover the many various ways of increasing your handheld's functionality.
How to draw on DS 6